Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis with folk remedies can be used in addition to the main treatment or after its completion, at the stage of stable remission.
Homemade tinctures and rubs work well for the not-so-intense discomfort and pain, and also relieve morning stiffness. They have a slight analgesic, anti-edema and anti-inflammatory effect.
General rules
In order for the effect of traditional medicine to be as effective as possible, it is best to agree on the prescriptions in advance with your doctor. This will serve as a guarantee of the safety and adequacy of the home methods. In addition, even seemingly harmless herbal infusions and compresses can distort the effect of pharmaceutical preparations and increase the risk of side effects.
Components with sufficiently high toxicity should be used with extreme caution - for example, kerosene, as well as unknown plants and herbs whose names do not appear in medical references.
Homemade ointments and lotions are only effective for mild to moderate pain. They will help relieve pain caused by changes in the weather, intense physical exertion or hypothermia. However, traditional treatment methods are unable to restore damaged vertebrae and intervertebral discs.
Typical symptoms: how to recognize chondrosis
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine has symptoms that are difficult to ignore. Even at first, it can manifest itself:
- discomfort and pain in the neck, back of the head, arm and shoulder girdle. The exact location and intensity of pain depends on the location of the lesion;
- decreased tenderness and numbness, which is most commonly noted in the hands, and particularly in the hands;
- decrease in muscle strength and tone.
In addition to the above, symptoms of vegetative disorders may appear - increased sweating, redness or whitening of the skin, swelling of the muscles and chest pain. The latter are often mistaken for heart problems, so many patients seek help from a cardiologist first.
If there is compression of the vertebral artery, headache and dizziness, noise or ringing in the ears, a lumpy feeling in the throat and difficulty swallowing occur. In rare cases, nausea and vomiting are possible.
How to treat
To cure osteochondrosis at home, various ointments, rubs, compresses, lotions, as well as infusions and decoctions for oral administration are used. Massage sessions and exercises will help increase the effectiveness of therapy.
Before starting treatment, it is recommended to carry out a tolerance test, especially if you are prone to allergic reactions. A pea-sized amount is applied to the elbow or wrist. If after an hour there is no redness, itching, or other signs of allergy, the procedure can be done safely.
Means of oral administration - decoctions or infusions - first take half a teaspoon. Treatment is continued in the absence of symptoms such as nausea, heartburn, gas, headache or increased blood pressure.
Quick Pain Relief Techniques
There are several remedies that can be used to quickly get rid of a sudden pain that comes on suddenly:
- rub the tender points with vodka or alcohol diluted with water in a 1: 1 ratio;
- stick the pepper dressing for half an hour. If the pain persists, you can hold it for another twenty minutes and then remove it;
- make a compress on the neck with turpentine diluted in half with lukewarm water;
- take a bath with sea salt or medicinal herbs - chamomile, sage, mint. The bath water should not be hot;
- tie a cabbage leaf lightly rubbed with laundry soap on the sore spot;
- put on mustard plasters for ten to fifteen minutes;
- self-massage by pressing on the sore spots for three minutes.
ATTENTION:in traditional processing, only pharmaceutical and non-industrial turpentine is used. It can also be called "turpentine oil, " which is prescribed for neuralgia, myalgia (muscle pain), lumbar lumbago and rheumatism.
Friction
For cervical chondrosis, various herbal and pharmaceutical drug rubs are widely used. One of the best and most popular is a remedy with crushed analgesic tablets in the composition. There are several similar recipes, and here is one:
- Crush 5 anesthetic tablets;
- pour in about 2/3 cup of alcohol;
- add 5 milliliters of camphor.
After thorough mixing, apply to skin on affected areas for 7-10 days.
WARNING:Avoid the area of the cervical lymph nodes during rubbing.
Mother and stepmother
A 1/3 plant is placed in a dark glass jar, vodka is added on top and removed for brewing for a month. The container is shaken daily so that beneficial substances are released more quickly. You do not need to filter the product, it is used for rubbing in case of discomfort.
Horseradish and elderberry
In a half-liter glass jar, put a leaf and a chopped horseradish root, 3 tablespoons of elderberries and pour everything with alcohol, filling the jar up to the shoulders. Insist for a month, then use to rub. In case of severe burn, you can dilute the mixture with water. This tincture well relieves painful sensations, especially after hypothermia.
Compresses and applications
Medical applications and compresses for cervical osteochondrosis improve blood supply to damaged segment, relieve stiffness and heaviness in neck. They are prepared from herbs, flowers and rhizomes of various plants, as well as honey and vegetables.
Kerosene
Dissolve 1 tablespoon of kerosene in half a glass of heated water, moisten a bandage or gauze rolled up several times in the solution. Squeezing lightly, put it on your neck and hold it for no more than an hour. Then wash the skin with warm water and soap and rub with a towel.
Radish
Grate or chop the medium sized black radish. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and honey (preferably thick), mix well. Spread the resulting mass on the back of the neck, cover with polyethylene and a cotton cloth. Keep for a maximum of one hour, then wash the compress with lukewarm water.
Horseradish leaves
This is one of the simplest folk recipes that only requires one or a few horseradish leaves. They are scalded with boiling water and applied to the back of the neck. It is recommended to do the procedure at night, so you need to carefully wrap the leaves with a scarf.
Honey with potatoes
2 raw potatoes, peel, grate or chop otherwise. Squeeze the juice a little and add 1 tablespoon of honey. Wrap the resulting mass in a bandage or gauze, tie it to the neck and secure it with a bandage, laying plastic film underneath. The duration of the procedure is 2 hours. The course of treatment includes 10-15 applications.
Ozokerite envelopes
Ozokerite, or mountain wax, wraps relieve pain, have an antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and mild effect. This substance has a low thermal conductivity with a high heat capacity, due to which it deeply heats the tissues and enriches them with oxygen and minerals.
Ozokerite is successfully used not only for cervical osteochondrosis, but also for thoracic osteochondrosis. First of all, a small amount of wax - about 30 g - should be melted, and then poured into a container, at the bottom of which a film should be placed in advance. Then wait for it to cool to a comfortable temperature and wrap the neck in a film with hot melted wax. The duration of the procedure is 1 hour, the number of sessions can be up to 20.
WARNING:the agent should not be used in cases of exacerbation of cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure.
Sour cream and comfrey
A large comfrey root is peeled and grated, then 1 tablespoon of low-fat sour cream is added to it. The mixture is evenly distributed around the neck and fixed as in the previous recipe. You should remove the compress after about an hour. Usually 10 procedures are enough to eliminate uncomfortable sensations.
Honey and salt
Honey is mixed with salt in equal proportions and smeared with it on the neck, covering the top with fabric and cellophane. To enhance the effect, you can warm the compress with a warm scarf or down shawl.
Phytotherapy
Folk remedies for cervical osteochondrosis also include coltsfoot, celery, elderberry and pine needle rub infusions. It is very useful to rub the juice of plantain, nettle, burdock and aloe in the area of the cervix.
Infusions and decoctions
Pine buds
Most herbal teas are best consumed 15 to 30 minutes before meals. The standard duration of treatment is usually 3 weeks.
Pine buds are combined with sugar in a 2: 1 ratio and stored in a dark, cool place for 2 weeks. Take ½ tsp. by absorption in the mouth three times a day. It is a very good tool that allows you to achieve stable remission even with advanced forms of the disease.
To prepare the drug, it is better to take kidneys of medium length, no more than 2 centimeters, since the large kidneys contain less biologically active substances. They are collected in early spring, washed, dried, well crushed before use. The finished product turns brown and is stored for a long time due to the phytoncides and other natural preservatives in the composition.
Pine cones and needles
1 st. l. pour cones and needles with half a liter of boiling water and keep in a water bath for about half an hour. Then cool the finished broth, filter and divide it into three parts, each of which is drunk in a day. To improve the taste and increase the efficiency, you can add 1-2 tbsp. l. honey.
Cervicothoracic osteochondrosis, traditional healers advise to treat various decoctions. They are made from yarrow, plantain, sweet clover, rosehip, calendula, and licorice. Almost all the recipes are the same: 1 tablespoon is taken for a glass of boiling water. l. vegetable raw materials. Decoctions are most often consumed in 1/3 cup up to 3-4 times a day.
Sunflower roots
In a small container - a saucepan or saucepan - place 50 g of roots and pour a liter of water. After bringing the mixture to a boil, simmer for about 40 minutes. After cooling, take 1 tbsp. l. 3-4 times a day after meals. The course of treatment is one week.
Sunflower roots are a storehouse of vitamins and minerals, but they are particularly rich in calcium, magnesium and potassium.
WARNING:Sunflower root decoction can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Conifers
Pour a liter of boiling water over a glass of spruce or pine needles and cook for half an hour. Drink a decoction of 1, 5 tbsp. l. 30 to 40 minutes after eating, within a month.
Dandelion
1 st. l. Prepare dandelion flowers in a glass of hot water. After cooling, use the broth as a compress, placing the flowers on gauze or moistening it in a solution. Keep 15-20 minutes, the full course includes 10-12 daily procedures.
For ingestion, the same number of flowers should be boiled for 15 minutes, then drunk before meals three times a day.
Another remedy for internal use is prepared from young flowers (about a glass), which are brewed in boiling water, dried and crushed. Add the juice of half a lemon and half a glass of honey. Take 1 tbsp. l. twice a day before meals. Store the sweet medicine in the refrigerator.
Monastic tea
Prepare this tea in a thermos, taking 1 teaspoon of the herb:
- burdock;
- wheatgrass;
- purple;
- veronica;
- burdock;
- streaks.
Pour the ingredients with a liter of boiling water and let stand for 3 hours. Drink like tea, half a glass twice a day, after meals. To improve the taste, you can add honey or lemon wedges to the drink.
Ointments
In the event of osteochondrosis, the attending physician usually prescribes an ointment with anti-inflammatory, warming or analgesic effect. However, you can prepare it yourself at home using available herbs and foods. Any butter, butter or vegetable, is suitable as a base. You can add a choice of calendula, chamomile, eucalyptus, burdock, nettle or thyme.
Mustard and egg ointment
Beat 3 egg whites with a mixer or whisk, add 50 grams of mustard powder and pour half a glass of butter. Mix everything together and remove the ointment in a dark place for 12 hours, then lubricate the neck for pain and stiffness.
Egg vinegar
To prepare the ointment, combine 1 egg, 1 tbsp. l. vinegar, half a glass of oil and 1 tbsp. l. flour. After thoroughly mixing, remove the mass in a dark place and after 2 days remove the film formed on the surface. It is best to use the product at night, rubbing it into the neck before going to bed.
Ginger ointment
The root of fresh ginger is chopped in any way - on a grater, in a blender or in a meat grinder - transferred to a mortar with 2 chopped and ground garlic cloves. Then butter is added. If desired, a drop of citrus essential oil can be added to enhance the aroma.
Baths
Taking a warm bath in the evening helps to fall asleep quickly, strengthens the immune system, improves blood circulation and nutrition of spinal structures. The effect of the procedure will increase several times if you add salt, an infusion of herbs or turpentine to the water.
A hay dust bath is an old method of treatment that has virtually no contraindications and is useful for sick and healthy people.
1 st. l. Dissolve the turpentine in half a glass of lukewarm water and pour into a filled bath. White and yellow turpentine will do. Take a bath for 20-25 minutes, then be sure to rinse off in the shower and scrub with a terry towel.
Products containing turpentine, including taking baths, help reduce inflammation, activate blood circulation and stimulate the recovery processes for damaged and worn intervertebral discs.
WARNING:the turpentine treatment should be regular, of course. Unique procedures - baths or compresses - will give only a temporary and insignificant effect.
½ cup of sea salt, can be mixed with additives, dissolved in a liter of hot water and added to the general bath. The duration of the procedure is half an hour.
The herbal tea is brewed in a thermos, which includes thyme, elecampana, birch buds, eucalyptus leaves and pine needles. If you take 1 tbsp. l. herbs, then a liter of water is needed. The mixture is infused for 3 hours, after which it is filtered and added to the bath. Take it for 30 to 40 minutes.
You can take a bath with ordinary table salt, based on 1 kg of salt per 20 liters of water. These concentrated salt baths are taken 2 days in a row, then they take a break of 1 to 3 days.