Back pain is among the leading health complaints of patients presenting in primary care physicians offices. According to the American Chiropractic Association:
1. Thirty-one million Americans have low back pain at any given time.
2. One half of all working Americans admit to having back symptoms each year.
3. One third of all Americans over age 18 had a back problem in the past five years severe enough for them to seek professional help.
4. The cost of this care is estimated to be a staggering $50 billion yearly--and that's just for the more easily identified costs!
5. Some experts estimate that as many as 80% of all of us will experience a back problem at some time in our lives.
With these statistics in mind, safe and effective treatments for back pain are necessary. We already know that chiropractic care and omega-3 fatty acids can safely and effectively treat patients suffering from back pain. Now a review published in the medical journal, The Cochrane Library, shows that herbal preparations of devil's claw, white willow bark and cayenne plasters may be as effective as pain medication for short-term low back pain, and are better than placebo.
Results from 10 randomized controlled trials of nearly 1600 people with acute, sub-acute or chronic low back pain were reviewed. Evidence supporting the use of devil’s claw was the strongest, followed by white willow bark and then cayenne plasters. Research studies showed that a 50 mg dose of devil's claw was better than placebo in the short term but only moderate evidence for a 100 mg dose, while the same pain relieving effect was induced by devil's claw and Vioxx (a drug recently removed from the market due to 100-200% increase in cardiovascular events). One study also showed that white willow bark had a similar pain relieving effect as Vioxx.
The author of the study, Dr. Joel J. Gagnier, cautioned, "These treatments should not be tried without the supervision of a qualified medical professional." Herbal medications can interact with prescription medications or may be contraindicated in certain people, therefore it is best to consult a physician trained in natural medicines, like a licensed naturopathic physician.
Posted by Dr. Jennifer Stagg on July 30, 2006 11:16 AM
