Relieve back pain with this inexpensive natural remedy

When you have back pain, it affects everything you do. Everyday activities like carrying groceries or walking around the block can become a major challenge.

The mainstream offers NSAIDs, which can be effective for short-term relief – but can also cause negative side effects like gastrointestinal damage. The new prescription NSAIDs called COX-2 inhibitors are designed to avoid those problems – but they can be quite expensive. For many people, neither provides a good option.

But there is an all-natural remedy that is being shown to alleviate lower back pain as effectively as prescription drugs, without the risk of side effects – and without the steep price tag.

It’s called willow bark extract, and it’s been used by herbalists for many years to treat many types of pain. Several clinical trials have supported willow bark’s efficacy against back pain. Now a new study shows that willow bark extract is just as effective as a popular prescription drug – at significantly less expense.
Willow bark proven as effective as Vioxx – and much more affordable

The German study tested the effectiveness of willow bark extract against rofecoxib, the COX-2 inhibitor known by the brand name Vioxx. The researchers recruited 228 people between the ages of 18 and 80. All had experienced lower back pain for at least six months, and their pain couldn’t be attributed to any identifiable cause, like arthritis, disc prolapse, or trauma. Before treatment began, the participants rated their pain on several commonly used indices.

For four weeks, half the group took four capsules of willow bark extract each day, while another half took a single 12.5 mg tablet of rofecoxib daily. The two groups were similar in age, sex, height, weight, and duration and severity of pain. During the study period, the participants were contacted by phone each week, and then the assessments were completed again at the end of the four weeks.

Here’s what they found: willow bark extract was just as effective as rofecoxib at alleviating lower back pain. Both produced similar reductions on the various measurement tools used to assess the participant’s pain. And while neither therapy caused many side effects in this study, the researchers noted that the side effects from rofecoxib “tended to be more severe” and “caused more withdrawals from the study.” The most common side effect from both therapies was “gastrointestinal complaints,” and four people had allergic reactions to the willow bark extract.

But here’s the really good news: willow bark extract generally costs about 20 cents per capsule – while Vioxx can cost as much as $4 PER PILL.
No reason to accept ANY side effect risks

The active ingredient in willow bark extract is salicin, a natural anti-inflammatory. In the study, the extract was standardized to contain 15 percent salicin, and the participants took a dose equal to 240 mg of salicin each day.

While there were few serious side effects from rofecoxib in this study, there has been other evidence of potentially dangerous problems from this popular drug. In the October 8th e-Alert, I wrote to you about how Vioxx may increase the risk of heart attack, and in the January 2nd e-Alert, I told you about how the drug can cause reduced kidney function in some people.

With the availability of a safe, natural option like willow bark extract, there’s no reason to take those risks. Based on the study results, you should watch closely to see that no allergic reaction occurs. But assuming it doesn’t, this may just be the relief you’ve been looking for to help ease your lower back pain – and it won’t break the bank, either.

Source: Rheumatology 2001; 40:1388-1393

Copyright 1997-2002 by Institute of Health Sciences, L.L.C.