Back pain comes and goes like it has a mind of its own.
Sure, you know that sometimes when you step funny or twist your body the wrong way your back’s going to start barking. But most of the time, you can’t even begin to guess what will set off your back pain.
One minute, you’re fine, and the next you’re aching. Or you go to bed feeling great and wake up in agony. Sometimes it’s the reverse, too. You go to bed in pain and wake up with none.
There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. But the latest science eliminates some of the guesswork.
The study uncovered what could be the TRUE cause of lower back pain for many women… especially those who’ve reached middle age.
More importantly, it also revealed what may be one of the easiest ways to reverse it once and for all.
D deficiency linked to back pain
The new study finds vitamin D could play a critical role in lower back pain in women after menopause.
Women with serious D deficiency – a shockingly common situation in older Americans – have nearly SIX TIMES the risk of having moderate to severe low back pain.
Mature women who are low in D also tend to have thinner bones and a greater degree of disc degeneration in their spines.
Even a moderate deficiency in the so-called sunshine vitamin TRIPLED the risk of a woman having back pain (although it didn’t seem to play any specific role in disc degeneration).
And when you stop to think about it for a moment, it makes perfect sense. Having weaker thinner bone is a recipe for more pain, and ditto for disc degeneration.
Many seniors take calcium supplements – or calcium “chews” – in hopes of getting stronger bone, they often don’t realize that’s just one piece of the puzzle.
Because vitamin D is every bit as important as calcium to beefing up your bones. Yet many seniors are low or even deficient in D, setting them up for bone issues and back pain.
The vitamin solution to erasing the pain
You can make more D by spending a little more time out under the sun. But in the colder months… and with so many things competing for our time these days… many of us have a tough time making enough.
So the best way to ENSURE you’re getting the levels needed for stronger bones and other health benefits is to take a supplement. In the new study, women with insufficient D levels who DIDN’T take supplements had triple the risk of lower back pain.
But don’t stop there. For the ultimate in bone protection, make sure you’re also taking magnesium and vitamin K.
Each nutrient relies on the other to do its job effectively. Just be sure to speak to a doctor before taking in more vitamin K as it doesn’t mix well with certain drugs, especially the blood thinner warfarin.
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