NorthStar Nutritionals Blog

Tweak it, strain it, poke it, bang it, hit it… or just plain twist it around.

I’m betting at some point or another… ALL of that’s happened to your poor, overtaxed back.

And if you’re like me, you’re feeling EVERY SINGLE ONE of those old injuries act up as you get older.

I’ll share how I get relief from my own injuries in a moment.

First, let me give you the inside word in the latest option for back pain from mainstream medicine – one you might hear about soon enough from your own doctor.

He might even try to give you a sales pitch for it.

But trust me…

You want NOTHING to do with this one!

Beat back pain WITHOUT drugs or surgery

There’s probably nothing more lucrative in medicine than pain relief… and nothing more lucrative within pain relief than BACK PAIN.

It’s a $100 billion-a-year industry – enough that if it became its own country, its GDP would rank in the TOP THIRD of all the nations on Earth.

Americans spend $200,000 on back pain relief EVERY MINUTE of EVERY DAY!

That’s a LOT of scratch… and a LOT of players trying to line their pockets with it…

Including a company that managed to squeeze an approval out of the FDA for a new implantable device, the “ReActiv8.”

It’s a “neurostimulation system” they surgically implant into your back that’s supposed to treat chronic low back pain with some electrical pulses.

In one study, it had a 56% response rate… which sounds just OK…

Until you see that a sham operation had a 47% response rate.

WHOOPS!

But it got approved anyway, and who knows? Maybe it’ll siphon off some of that $100 billion.

Personally, I get relief from gravity-inversion… which involves defying gravity by pretty much hanging upside down like a bat.

You can sometimes find an inversion table or chair at the gym or when you go in for PT.

Some yoga poses and pilates moves (especially on a reformer machine) provide the same kind of traction and compression relief.

The tradeoff is that it’s not TOTAL relief… and it puts a little strain on my ankles. But I’ll take that over drugs or surgery any day of the week.

Still, it’s not for everybody.

Other options people rely on for at least some relief include supplementing with curcumin… boswellia… and CBD and/or THC.

But if you’re in that “tried everything” category… and NOTHING seems to help…

Then there’s another option to consider BEFORE surgery, implants, or whatever else they’re trying to push on you.

It’s called prolotherapy.

An injection of a dextrose solution – basically, sugar-water – can stimulate the production of new fibroblasts, which helps SPEED the repair of damaged tissue.

This is a natural process in your body… but one that gets stunted in places with limited blood flow, like parts of the back or within joints.

The sugar-water helps GOOSE that process, so the repairs get back on track… and you get relief.

The only problem is FINDING it. Most mainstream docs will tell you it’s complete hokum… and act as though anyone who offers it is a witch doctor.

Looks like those witches cast some pretty good spells, though…

Prolotherapy just went up against saline injections for knee arthritis and CUT 10 points off pain levels… and IMPROVED function too.

I recommend checking in with a naturopathic doc or a physician who practices integrative medicine, though… rather than an actual witch doctor.

In Your Corner,

Dr. Allan Spreen

It’s the question EVERY senior asks at some point…

What happens if I just don’t take this pill????

Maybe you’ve even been tempted to toss one out… instead of tossing one down… just to see what happens.

The mainstream wants you to think that if you miss a dose, you’ll drop dead.

Well, my friend, that’s not NECESSARILY true.

New research shows what REALLY happens when older Americans skip one of the most common meds of all, blood pressure pills.

Absolutely NOTHING!

And it confirms that many seniors can QUIT these drugs… and feel sharper, clearer, stronger, and steadier WITHOUT their ill effects!

Here’s how.

How to safely QUIT your BP meds

Now, don’t run to the medicine chest and empty it all into the trash.

It’s not QUITE that simple (although it’s close).

You’ve got to get your doc on board before you make this change…

But when he sees this new study, he’ll almost certainly want to help you out.

This one looked at folks over 80.

Some were allowed to quit one blood pressure med, while the rest were told to keep taking their drugs as usual.

After 12 weeks, both sets of patients had the same likelihood of keeping their systolic (“top” number) BP below 150.

In fact, most of the ones who quit the med were below 130!

Of course, many docs will claim that’s still too high.

That’s because they’re chasing mainstream targets – targets that have been lowered, and lowered, and LOWERED over time.

Not to IMPROVE health, mind you. To SELL meds.

Those target numbers are SO low now that it’s almost IMPOSSIBLE for seniors to meet them WITHOUT drugs -- which is exactly the point.

Just look at me…

Not to brag here, but I’ve spent my life not just as a doctor, but an ATHLETE – capable of performing and coaching at the HIGHEST levels.

And even I can’t meet their darned targets some of the time!

So if your BP’s a little high, don’t freak out over it… and certainly don’t start gobbling pills to hit some totally artificial target.

If it IS high enough for concern… and you need to bring those levels down… you STILL can do better than meds.

Exercise, for example, can shave 3 points off your BP… which is almost as good as some meds.

But there’s something out there even better – a natural crystal nearly 4X more effective than exercise.

It can cut BP by 11 points in just 6 hours!

You can get these very special crystals from your diet. You just might not LIKE the experience.

One of the best sources, for example, is beet juice.

Try just SAYING that without gagging!

Don’t get me wrong here; if you wanna fill your fridge with little overpriced bottles of a “juice” that basically taste like mud, be my guest.

I’d recommend a simpler – not to mention more pleasant and much cheaper – form of these crystals, known as nitrates.

They’re available as a supplement, both on their own and as part of a formula for overall cardiovascular health. 

In Your Corner,

Dr. Allan Spreen