The treatment of cervical osteochondrosis with folk remedies can be used as a complement to the main therapy or after its completion, in the phase of stable remission.
Homemade dyes and friction work well for discomfort and less severe pain, as well as relieving morning stiffness. They have a mild analgesic, decongestant and anti-inflammatory effect.
General rules
For the effect of traditional medicine to be as effective as possible, it is best to combine prescriptions with your doctor in advance. This will serve as a guarantee of safety and suitability of homemade methods. In addition, even seemingly harmless herbal infusions and compresses can distort the effect of pharmaceutical preparations and increase the risk of adverse reactions.
Components with very high toxicity should be used with special care - for example, kerosene, as well as unknown plants and herbs whose names are not found in medical reference books.
Homemade ointments and lotions are effective only for mild to moderate pain. They will help to relieve pain caused by changes in the weather, intense physical exertion or hypothermia. However, traditional methods of treatment are not able to restore damaged vertebrae and intervertebral discs.
Typical symptoms: how to recognize chondrosis
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is accompanied by symptoms that are difficult to go unnoticed. Even in the early stages, it can manifest itself:
- discomfort and pain in the neck, neck, arm and shoulder girdle. The exact location and intensity of pain depends on the location of the injury;
- decreased sensitivity and numbness, which is most frequently seen in the hands, especially in the hands;
- decreased strength and muscle tone.
In addition to the items above, symptoms of autonomic disorders - increased sweating, redness or pale skin, muscle swelling and chest pain may appear. The latter are often mistaken for heart problems, so many patients seek help from a cardiologist first.
If the vertebral artery is compressed, headaches and dizziness, noise or ringing in the ears, a lump in the throat and difficulty swallowing will occur. In rare cases, nausea and vomiting may occur.
How to treat
To cure osteochondrosis at home, various ointments, friction, compresses, lotions, as well as infusions and decoctions for oral administration are used. Massage and exercise sessions help to increase the effectiveness of the therapy.
Before starting treatment, it is recommended to perform a tolerance test, especially if you are prone to allergic reactions. A pea-sized amount is applied to the elbow or wrist. If after one hour there is no redness, itching or other signs of allergy, the procedure can be performed safely.
Means of oral administration - decoctions or infusions - first take half a teaspoon. Therapy is continued in the absence of symptoms such as nausea, heartburn, flatulence, headache or increased blood pressure.
Rapid pain relief techniques
Various remedies can be used to quickly get rid of the sudden pain that suddenly appears:
- Rub the wounds with vodka or alcohol diluted in water in a 1: 1 ratio;
- glue the pepper plaster 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 in warm water;
- bathe with sea salt or medicinal herbs - chamomile, sage, mint. The bath water must not be hot;
- place a lightly rubbed cabbage leaf with washing powder on the wound;
- place mustard patches for ten to fifteen minutes;
- do the self-massage by pressing the pain points for three minutes.
WARNING:in traditional treatment only pharmaceutical, non-industrial turpentine is used. It can also be called "turpentine oil", which is prescribed for neuralgia, myalgia (muscle pain), low back pain and rheumatism.
Rubbing
For cervical chondrosis, various herbal rubs and medications are widely used. One of the best and most popular is a remedy with crushed painkiller pills in the composition. There are several similar recipes, and here is one:
- Crush 5 tablets of anesthetic;
- pour about 2/3 cup of alcohol into them;
- add 5 milliliters of camphor.
After mixing well, apply to the skin over the affected areas for 7 to 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 bottle, topped up with vodka and removed for infusion for one month. The container is shaken every day so that nutrients are released more quickly. It is not necessary to filter the product, it is used to scrub when discomfort arises.
Horseradish and elderberry
In a half-liter glass jar, place a leaf and a chopped horseradish root, 3 tablespoons elderberry and pour everything with alcohol, filling the jar up to your shoulders. Insist for a month, then use to scrub. In case of severe burn, you can dilute the mixture with water. This tincture relieves painful sensations well, especially after hypothermia.
Compresses and applications
Medical applications and compresses for cervical osteochondrosis improve the blood supply to the damaged segment, relieve stiffness and weight in the neck. They are prepared with herbs, flowers and rhizomes from various plants, in addition to honey and vegetables.
Kerosene
Dissolve 1 tablespoon of kerosene in half a glass of warm water, moisten a bandage or gauze rolled several times in the solution. Squeezing lightly, place on the neck and hold for a maximum of one hour. Then wash your skin with warm, soapy water and rub with a towel.
Radish
Larger than the average size of the black radish grill or chop. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and honey (preferably thick), stir well. Spread the resulting mass on the nape of the neck, cover with polyethylene and cotton cloth. Keep for a maximum of one hour and then wash the compress with warm water.
Horseradish leaves
This is one of the simplest popular recipes that requires only one or a few horseradish leaves. They are scalded with boiling water and applied to the back of the neck. The procedure is recommended to be done at night, so it is necessary to carefully wrap the leaves with a tissue.
Honey with potato
2 raw potatoes, peel, grate or chop in another way. Squeeze the juice a little and add 1 tablespoon of honey. Wrap the resulting mass in a bandage or gauze, attach it to the neck and secure with a bandage, placing plastic wrap under it. The duration of the procedure is 2 hours. The treatment course consists of 10-15 applications.
Ozokerite involvement
Wraps with ozocerite, or mountain wax, relieve pain, have an antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and light compression effect. This substance has low thermal conductivity with high heat capacity, due to which it deeply heats the tissues and enriches them with oxygen and minerals.
Ozokerite is used successfully not only for cervical osteochondrosis, but also for the chest. First, a small amount of wax - about 30 g - needs to be melted, then poured into a container, at the bottom of which a film must be placed in advance. Then wait until it cools to a comfortable temperature and wrap the neck with a film with hot melted wax. The duration of the procedure is 1 hour, the number of sessions is up to 20.
WARNING:the medicine should not be used for exacerbation of cardiovascular disease and hypertension.
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 need to remove the compress after about an hour. Usually, 10 procedures are sufficient to remove uncomfortable sensations.
Honey and salt
Honey is mixed with salt in equal proportions and greased with it on the neck, covering the upper part with cloth and cellophane. To increase the effect, you can warm the compress with a warm scarf or a shawl.
Phytotherapy
Folk remedies for cervical osteochondrosis also include infusions of coltsfoot, celery, elderberry and pine needles. It is very useful to rub the juice of banana, nettle, burdock and aloe vera on the neck area.
Infusions and decoctions
Pine buttons
Most infusions should be consumed 15-30 minutes before meals. The standard duration of a course of treatment is usually 3 weeks.
Pine buds are combined with 2: 1 sugar and stored in a cool, dark place for 2 weeks. Take ½ teaspoon. by absorption in the mouth three times a day. This is a very good tool that allows you to achieve a stable remission, even in the advanced forms of the disease.
To prepare the medicine, it is best to take medium-length kidneys, no more than 2 centimeters, as large kidneys contain less biologically active substances. They are collected in early spring, washed, dried and thoroughly crushed before use. The finished product turns brown and is stored for a long time due to phytonides and other natural preservatives in the composition.
Pine cones and needles
1st. I. 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 broth, filter and divide into three parts, each of which is drunk in one day. To improve flavor and increase efficiency, you can add 1-2 tbsp. I. honey.
Cervicothoracic osteochondrosis, healers advise the treatment of various decoctions. They are prepared with millefeuille, banana, sweet clover, rose hips, marigold and licorice. Almost all recipes are the same: 1 tablespoon is taken with a glass of boiling water. I. vegetable raw materials. Decoctions are usually consumed in 1/3 cup up to 3-4 times a day.
Sunflower roots
In a small container - a pot or a pot - put 50 g of roots and pour a liter of water. After bringing the mixture to a boil, cook for about 40 minutes. After cooling, take 1 tbsp. I. 3-4 times a day after meals. The course of treatment is one week.
Sunflower roots are a storehouse of vitamins and minerals, but are especially rich in calcium, magnesium and potassium.
WARNING:the decoction of sunflower roots can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Conifers
Pour a liter of boiling water over a glass of fir or pine needles and cook for half an hour. Drink a decoction of 1, 5 tablespoons. I. 30-40 minutes after eating, within a month.
Dandelion
1st. I. Prepare dandelion flowers in a glass of hot water. After cooling, use the broth as a compress, placing the flowers on a gauze pad or moistening it in a solution. Hold for 15-20 minutes, the full course consists of 10-12 daily procedures.
For ingestion, the same number of flowers should be boiled for 15 minutes and drunk before meals, three times a day.
Another remedy for internal ingestion is prepared with young flowers (about a glass), which are fermented in boiling water, dried and crushed. Add the juice of half a lemon and half a glass of honey. Take 1 tbsp. I. twice a day before meals. Store the sweet medicine in the refrigerator.
Monastic tea
Prepare this tea in a thermos with 1 teaspoon of herbs:
- burdock; wheatgrass;
- violets; veronica; burdock;
- streams.
Pour the ingredients with a liter of boiling water and leave for 3 hours. Drink like tea, half a glass twice a day, after meals. To improve the taste, you can add honey or lemon slices to the drink.
Polishes
In the case of osteochondrosis, the attending physician prescribes, as a rule, an ointment with anti-inflammatory, warming or analgesic effect. However, you can prepare it yourself at home with herbs and food available. Any oil, butter or vegetable is suitable as a base. You can add a choice of marigold, chamomile, eucalyptus, burdock, nettle or thyme.
Mustard egg ointment
Beat 3 egg whites with a stand mixer, add 50 grams of powdered mustard and half a glass of butter. Mix everything 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 tablespoon. I. vinegar, half a glass of oil and 1 tbsp. I. flour. After mixing well, remove the dough in a dark place, and after 2 days remove the film formed on the surface. It is preferable to use the product at night, rubbing it on the neck before going to bed.
Ginger ointment
The fresh ginger root is chopped in any convenient way - on a grater, in a blender or in a meat grinder - placed in a pestle with 2 chopped garlic cloves and grind. Then butter is added. If desired, a drop of citrus essential oil can be added to enhance the aroma.
Baths
Taking a hot shower at night helps you fall asleep quickly, strengthens the immune system, improves blood circulation and nourishes the vertebral structures. The effect of the procedure will increase many times if you add salt, herbal infusion or turpentine to the water.
The hay powder bath is an old method of treatment that has practically no contraindications and is useful for both sick and healthy people.
1st. I. Dissolve turpentine in half a glass of warm water and pour into a full bath. Both white and yellow turpentine will do. Take a shower for 20-25 minutes, then rinse in the shower and scrub with a fluffy towel.
Turpentine products, including baths, help reduce inflammation, activate blood circulation and stimulate recovery processes on damaged and worn intervertebral discs.
WARNING:Turpentine treatment should be regular, of course. Unique procedures - baths or compresses - will have 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.
Herbal tea is prepared in a thermos, which includes thyme, elecampane, birch buds, eucalyptus leaves and pine needles. If you take 1 tbsp. I. 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 30-40 minutes.
You can bathe with ordinary table salt, based on 1 kg of salt for every 20 liters of water. These concentrated salt baths are taken 2 days in a row and then take a break of 1-3 days.