Where is the pain in your back? Recently I had a herniated disc - it sent me down a rabbit hole of looking at my hidden core beliefs. Physical back issues are generally also spinal cord issues, and the spinal cord is like our main ethernet cable that gathers the signals that our body proteins are picking up from the universe. So getting the back in good shape physically can help that quite a bit. If you can go at it from both the physical and emotional angles, you may see some improvement. From Louise Hay, the back represents the feeling of support. Symptoms may indicate an area of our core beliefs that could use some work:
And when the back is out, the hips are usually out, too:
So making use of a daily affirmation practice may help. It sure helped me. I posted two good ones
here.
About the physical angle, have you seen a physiotherapist or chiropractor? My chiro suggested hanging from monkey bars every day. I do this for 1 minute now. This will ease the tension of any subluxation going on. Sometimes I get some pretty amazing back cracks.
The other thing I'd recommend is the Rosenberg exercises. Often our C1 and C2 vertebrae - the ones just below the skull, are criss-crossed. This misalignment translates into the entire spine being in misalignment. It also effects our vagus nerve - causing us to feel run down, or even deeply depressed, AKA stuck in dorsal vagal state. These simple exercises can give our body and nervous system a reset.
The other thing that was a total game changer for my back was deep tissue massage. Highly, highly recommended. The back is misaligned, and the body knows this and so tightens the muscles to protect it, which just locks it all in place. Massage is good for loosening things up and allowing release.
Anyways, about diet - like others here, I was on a strict low carb diet for a while, but had some side effects like constipation and foam in the urine (due to excess protein). I eat more carbs now. I'm still not sure what to do about it. The C's said that keto is not for everyone, and quick transitions into it don't always work:
My own Q is if I should keep with low carb or current mid-level carb, or try out the high-carb diet discussed in the
Ray Peat thread. Decisions, decisions...
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Thank you for your detailed and bountiful reply, you always give such abundant information, I really appreciate you.
The pain is in my low back (feels like originating from higher up but with no pain there) over the left hip, through the glute and piriformis, pulling from my spine to the outer pelvis, then all the hip flexors, front, back, inner and outer thigh, down my ITB into my knee then through gastrocnemius, soleus, tibialis anterior, Achilles and finally my whole foot.
I can relate to the idea that Louise Hay suggests the back representing life supporting us. I haven’t been feeling that at all, I’ve been angry a lot about how difficult the daily grind of something always being wrong is. The last year in particular has been very difficult with an obscene amount of sleep deprivation and just feeling like what’s the point in living when it’s so relentlessly hard with not relief. Before then I feel like it’s just been a battle to stay afloat, sort one thing out and another even more challenging thing surfaces. It never ends.
I’ve been putting off seeing a chiro, I notice myself feeling like I’m not worth it, not worth the money, not worth someone else’s expertise and time, not trusting that there’ll be a good outcome, possibly that I deserve this pain and suffering as a karmic balancing for things I have not done right - especially because I’ve consciously chosen to not do or do some things knowing they were not for the highest good and then anticipating a karmic return. It was okay for me to silently suffer but now it’s affecting my ability to parent, be a good partner, good home maker, good friend and generally a good person. I have to fix it.
A deep tissue massage, multiple for different areas, is also something I need, certainly and the same reasons I haven’t seen a chiropractor apply here too, I have tiny little knots all over my body, some places worse than others, I can massage out the ones I can reach easily, but my gosh it’s so painful, I’m left with bruising just from moderate pressure, whole lower leg is currently covered in them.
The whole diet thing is so tricky, it’s been the bane of my existence for 12 years. I ended up with eating disorders of all kinds, sibo, ibs, malnutrition, trying to figure it out so I gave up completely for a few years and let myself eat whatever I wanted. This restored my mental health and relationship with food but it has had other consequences, worst of all, exacerbating leaky gut symptoms.
I want to be off the carbs, I’ve successfully done keto with great results in the past, I’m confident to persist with it for some time before I make any decisions otherwise. After eating the rice last night I had less pain for a few hours but then it returned. So carbs were only interim relief. I tried ray peat’s diet approach, it’s way too many carbs for me, I feel their affect after about 60g and then affects my sleep, but it was great for mood, energy and digestion.,. also have that comment from the C’s about keto not being for everyone in the back of my mind all the time, wondering if may be my age (nearly 45) and lifestyle no longer fit with keto. I’m on the look out constantly to see if that’s true for me.
Again I appreciate your reply, lots to think about re how I’m seeing life, what I’m holding into, my beliefs about myself (and others, serious trust issues) yet what I can do for now is make some appointments and get some help. Your reply has given me some self worth so I’ll make the phone calls as soon as I have a minute before the feeling fades.
