READERS’ CORNER:Sciatica

You certainly know a great deal about sciatica, however, judging by your many suggestions of help. This was in response to a reader last time whose sciatica had persisted despite visits to a chiropractor, an osteopath and a physiotherapist. The cause could be a sensitivity to carbohydrates. Your body’s system needs alkalinizing, and you need to adopt a low-carb diet, suggests one reader. This should be supplemented with high levels of anti-oxidants, three glasses of distilled water every morning, and Cal Mag in the afternoon. In a similar vein, one reader’s sciatica disappeared after he avoided the foods to which he had an intolerance. Try glucosamine, and visit a reflexologist or a health kinesiologist. Better to visit a homeopath, another suggests, as the problem may be related to grief, money problems, strain or anxiety. Acupuncture might work, says one, but so might Alexander technique, or how about cranio-sacral therapy? One reader’s sciatica was helped when she drank raw celery juice. The pain reduced within half-an-hour and the relief lasted for 12 hours. Try the conventional route, says another, and get an MRI scan as you could have a disc herniation. One woman’s sciatica is improving with the Bowen therapy coupled with stretching exercises. Another reader, who has suffered with sciatica for 10 years, visited a bio-resonance practitioner and, after just one session five months ago, there haven’t been any attacks. One woman was helped after following the recommendations contained in a book by Dr Batmanghelidj called How to Deal with Lower Back Pain. One man’s sciatica was helped when he started using a step machine. The weekly yoga class is the saviour of one sufferer, as is vertical reflex therapy (VRT) for another. One woman has an unusual cure, involving a real wool blanket that should be placed over the bed mattress at the point where the sciatic nerve will be when you’re lying down. It worked for her in six weeks. Finally, a naturopath reckons that naturopathy can help along with self-help therapy that includes 1-2 grams vitamin C with bioflavonoids every day, and a sitz bath can help stimulate the circulation.