Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine (Osteohondroz) is a degenerative-dystrophic lesion of the intervertebral discs, as a result of which the discs themselves, vertebrae and joints of the cervical spine are damaged, a decrease in the height of the intervertebral discs is observed. The disease progresses if left untreated and can lead to headaches, circulatory problems, and even a hernia.
Cervical osteochondrosis is the cause of acute pain, which is poorly relieved by drugs. The use of folk remedies allows you to get rid of the unpleasant symptoms of this disease and will not harm the body. They are used together with conservative therapy, physiotherapy, massage, as a supplement and increase the chances of recovery.
Characteristics of an unconventional approach
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine by folk methods is carried out under the supervision of a specialist. The disease itself is considered dangerous, therefore, without qualified medical treatment, it progresses rapidly and leads to a number of complications. An unconventional approach is used by doctors in case of detection of serious contraindications or acute intolerance to anti-inflammatory drugs. The main characteristics of the treatment, therefore, are:
- The minimum number of side effects and the availability to all segments of the population.
- As part of proven recipes, only natural ingredients, which increases the safety of their use.
- High treatment efficiency with the right approach.
- The possibility of combining traditional therapy, massage, physical therapy, physiotherapy with the methods of traditional medicine.
- Low probability of developing side effects, based on the dosage and duration of the course.
- Successful relief of inflammation and pain, elimination of muscle spasms, stabilization of the central nervous system.
- The ability to cook everything yourself with high-quality ingredients, the whole process is easy and does not require special knowledge and training.
- The treatment is carried out at home.
Alternative methods allow to achieve stable remission and stop the progression of the disease, increase immunity, improve the general condition of the patient. Due to the natural composition, the likelihood of side effects or the development of complications is low.
The main methods and means of treatment
Cervical osteochondrosis is manifested by a number of unpleasant symptoms. Many patients complain of a decrease in vision or hearing, the appearance of tinnitus, increased fatigue, muscles, toothache and headache, the inability to perform completely simple exercises due to stiffness. To combat them, a variety of methods and recipes of traditional medicine are used, namely:
- ointments,
- rubbing,
- dyes,
- decoctions,
- compresses,
- bathrooms.
All components for proven recipes can be found in any pharmacy and are usually inexpensive. This applies not only to herbal preparations, but also to beekeeping products (bee venom, propolis, perga), snake venom, aromatic oils and more.
The best wraps for neck pain
Treatment of cervical chondrosis with folk remedies is best to start with the use of various types of rubbing and compresses. Local exposure warms the area, reduces pain manifestation, improves blood circulation, and relieves inflammation. Carry out the procedure several times a day, usually no more than five. In this case, the set exposure time should not be exceeded. The best recipes for wraps are:
- It is necessary to find fresh leaves of horseradish, pour boiling water over them. After the solution has cooled slightly and infused, the gauze is wetted and applied to the sore spot. All this is best not done at night. Thanks to special components, such an effect well relieves pain.
- Take the fresh ricotta, work it well and add a little vinegar. The resulting mass is applied evenly to the neck area. On top of the compress, you need to wear a scarf or put a warm cloth. All of this is stored for at least 12 hours, so it is often recommended to do this at night.
- Ordinary turpentine has proven itself in the fight against cervical osteochondrosis. Water is added to 200 g of rye flour and a hard cake is obtained. It is infused for two days, after which turpentine is applied to the sore spot, covered with dough and wrapped in a scarf. While the discomfort is tolerable, all of this must be kept, then removed, rinse the place with warm water.
- Effectively relieves inflammation and pain honey and potatoes. To do this, peeled tubers are rubbed on a coarse grater, mixed in half with a natural beekeeping product and all this is applied to the sore spot. On top of this, put paper and a clean rag. Hold for 2 hours, then rinse with water and dry the place. Rub fir oil into your skin.
Eggs, vodka, aloe juice with honey, garlic and kerosene are also used as the main ingredients for compresses for osteochondrosis. With some products, it is especially important to observe the dosage and duration of exposure, as they can cause burns if used carelessly.
Neck rub with osteochondrosis
Alternative treatment methods also suggest the use of a good rub along with the compresses. They can consist of a variety of components to solve the problem of pain, pinching or other pathological processes in the neck. The following recipes are very popular for this:
- Take half a pack of natural butter (72%), mix with a tablespoon of flour, beaten egg and 25 g of vinegar. The mixture should be of homogeneous consistency, after which it is sent to a dark place for infusion. The resulting composition is washed in the painful area, covered with a film for a couple of hours, and then washed off with warm water.
- Grated radish is rubbed on a coarse grater, in the end you should get about half a glass. Vodka and honey are added in the same amount, ordinary salt is added, 2 tablespoons are enough. After obtaining a homogeneous mass, the composition can be used as a rub. The mixture heats up perfectly and relieves pain.
- For severe pain, it is good to use a mixture of ethanol, iodine and camphor alcohol. They are mixed in the proportion of 300ml: 10ml: 10ml, respectively. 10 tablets of analgin in crushed form are added to the resulting composition.
If there is a cut or open wound at the site of application of the rub, they cannot be used. It is best to use compresses or other proven methods. Their application is also unacceptable in the presence of chronic skin pathologies, the exacerbation of which can provoke such treatment.
Popular ointments
It is impossible to cure osteochondrosis with ointments alone, but they are an important component of complex therapy. Different compositions can anesthetize the problem area, relieve inflammation and improve the general condition. The following proven recipes are very popular:
- Take half a pack of high-quality butter (you can replace it with pork fat), add peppermint grass, coriander fruits and birch buds. Apply the resulting ointment to the problem area 23 times a day.
- In a little or fat, add St. John's wort, mountain snake root, birch buds. The resulting mixture is somewhat persistent and used only for its intended purpose.
- Take marigold flowers, mint grass, hop seedlings, meadowsweet flowers, eucalyptus leaves and mix all of this with the fat. The resulting composition is applied to the painful area.
- Take 6 large bay leaves, mix it with juniper needles (about 1 tsp), add 70 g of butter. Grind the mixture well, preferably in a blender until a homogeneous consistency is obtained and rub into the painful area. The composition perfectly relieves pain and soothes the affected area.
Ointments can also be used as compresses if you wear a scarf over them. It is important to fix everything tightly with a bandage, and so that the fabric does not absorb the mixture, a plastic wrap is applied.
Decoctions of useful plants
Traditional medicine offers not only a local effect on neck pain, but also taking many home-made medicines inside. If ointments, compresses and rubbing help to locally solve the problem with inflammation and pain, then decoctions, infusions perfectly stimulate the immune system, improve metabolism from the inside.
The most popular recipes are:
- Take about 400 g of cranberries and peeled cloves of garlic, just a few of medium size are enough. Finely grind or chop them thoroughly, leave them in a clean container for a day. Next, add 800 g of honey to the composition, mix until a homogeneous consistency is obtained. The medicine is used in a teaspoon 3 times a day.
- Take a sunflower root (it is problematic to find it out of season), rinse and dry well, chop. 150 g will be enough, which is added to 3 liters of water. All this is set on fire and brought to a boil. The resulting broth is infused for two days, after which it is taken in a spoon 30 minutes before meals. It is recommended to prepare a new portion of the medicine in advance in order not to interrupt the course.
- Take 250 g of peeled needles, pour a liter of water. All this set on fire and cook for half an hour. The resulting broth is cleaned from the branches and divided into equal parts to form 6 portions, which must be drunk within three days at 8-12 hour intervals.
- Dandelion root (about 15 g) is cleaned of dirt, dried shoots and poured with half a liter of boiling water. The resulting solution is infused for an hour, after which it is filtered and taken in a spoon before meals.
Such decoctions well remove salts from the body, it is easy to understand this by the change in color of urine. At the beginning of the process, it becomes almost orange, after which it becomes more transparent, as soon as all the harmful components have left the body. But let's not forget that for the cure period, spicy and salty foods are strictly prohibited. The decoctions go well with other more conservative methods and help support the body in the fight against pathology. Medicinal herbs such as burdock, grass, twine, violet and plants are also used.
Therapeutic baths
With cervical osteochondrosis, warm water, to which various components have been added, relieves tension, pain and spasms. The procedure is carried out using a temperature of 37 to 39 ° C, a higher rise in the thermometer is unacceptable. It should not be forgotten that this is a medical procedure, so it is important not to overdo it. As a useful supplement you can use:
- birch leaves,
- horse chestnut,
- chamomile,
- bischofita,
- branches of needles.
The residence time in water is 10-20 minutes, although the procedure is carried out for preventive purposes. Due to the optimal temperature and the presence of phyto-components in the water, the muscle tissue relaxes, the inflammation decreases and the pain is practically not felt. These baths are also useful for dizziness, frequent pains and to lift the mood, improving the psycho-emotional state.
herbal teas
You can check the effectiveness of a particular remedy by looking at the reviews of other patients with a similar ailment. Usually, patients share recipes, which remedies helped best, which turned out to be completely ineffective. One of the most popular treatments are herbal teas. The following rates are used in the fight against osteochondrosis:
- Calendula + chamomile + strawberry + birch leaf + St. John's wort.
- Licorice root + Yarrow + Peppermint + Calendula.
- Cranberry + thyme + plantain + lemon balm + rosehip + cinquefoil.
- Nettle + chamomile + dry flower + calendula + dandelion.
- Strawberries + motherwort + pine buds + lime blossom + lavender.
Such commissions are sold in a pharmacy or herbalist's shop, and usually during production it is not necessary to select the dosage yourself, it is shown on the packaging. In most cases, one teaspoon is sufficient for 350 g of boiling water. Drink the drink without adding sugar. Rates are especially effective in the initial stage of the disease.
Other treatments
Traditional medicine uses a variety of ways to combat pathologies of the musculoskeletal system. Not only products and herbs are used, but also mud, paraffin, wax and other compounds. As practice shows, they also stop pain syndrome well, eliminate inflammation, improve blood flow and allow you to extend the period of remission.
Therapeutic mud is used in various ways. Usually, the procedures are carried out in sanatorium conditions or special medical rooms. The exposure time is determined individually. The technique is suitable for preventive purposes.
Possible errors
Folk methods, despite their safety and naturalness, can be harmful if used incorrectly. Treatment should be carried out under the strict supervision of specialists, since self-treatment often leads to rapid progression of the pathology. To prevent this from happening, you need to avoid the most common mistakes:
- It is not allowed to use heat pads or hot compresses in the acute phase. Temporary relief does not mean relief, as exposure to heat only leads to the spread of inflammation and aggravation of tissue damage.
- If the patient often has pressure surges, baths and steam rooms are contraindicated for him with cervical osteochondrosis. You can't even walk in it for people without hypertension during a cold, when the body temperature is very high.
- Traditional medicine recipes that have been proven effective in removing salts will not work if the vertebrae grow.
- In the area of the pathological process, self-massage or other direct effects cannot be performed, they will only worsen the state of health and lead to complications.
These are the most common mistakes made by patients who self-medicate at home or use traditional medicine recipes. Therefore, it is better to deal with the pathology of the cervical vertebrae together with the attending physician.
How to prevent exacerbation?
The fight against cervical osteochondrosis can continue for a long time, and the patient is required not only to comply with all the prescriptions of the doctor, but also to exclude all factors provoking exacerbation. You can protect yourself from deterioration in the following ways:
- In everyday life, it is necessary to avoid stress on the spine, not to make sharp turns of the head, squats, pushups or a quick change of posture.
- Dress warmly, depending on the weather, to prevent hypothermia of the neck and shoulder girdle, always wear a scarf.
- Constantly perform the exercises provided in the framework of physiotherapy exercises, do not miss the lessons, follow the technology and the sequence of actions.
- If professional activity is associated with sitting in one position or at the computer, then every 1. 5 hours it is necessary to take a short break and a simple warm-up to restore blood circulation in the neck.
- Stop drinking alcohol and smoking, as they reduce the body's defenses, cause complications and worsen the condition.
- Treat acute respiratory diseases and viruses in time, follow all the doctor's instructions.
- Check your body weight, exclude harmful foods and overeating in the evening.
- Refuse hot baths or trips to the bathroom.
- Buy a high-quality orthopedic mattress with a sufficient degree of firmness.
And patients should also visit a massage therapist to undergo a course of therapeutic effects in the neck area, it is usually prescribed for 10 days. It is equally important to refuse to carry weights, no more than 5 kg in one hand, otherwise there is a risk of provoking processes of deformation of the spine.
Cervical osteochondrosis is a destruction of cartilage tissue, which leads to a number of unpleasant consequences. If you don't start the fight in time, it leads to pinching of nerve endings, compressing blood vessels and reducing efficiency. Pathology can be treated not only with medicines, but also with folk remedies. For this, the most effective methods and recipes are selected that are safe and do not cause an allergic reaction.