Common foods may contribute to your back pain

Are these “health foods” secretly causing your back pain agony?

You don’t have to be a doctor to spot a back pain patient a mile away. You’ll see them fidgeting uncomfortably in their seats… struggling to stand up straight… or even shuffling with that telltale duck walk to avoid straining their lower backs.

I’ve treated thousands of back-pain patients throughout my career, and they all tell me the same thing.

They’ve tried everything.

They’ve tried those powerful prescription painkillers that have been linked to everything from stomach bleeding to heart attacks.

They’ve even tried cutting back on the calories and dropping some pounds.

That’s when I share a simple food secret I’ve discovered in my practice that has brought many of these patients real and lasting pain relief in just a few short days — and I hope it can do the same for you.

You see, many back pain sufferers agonize about their weight. And it’s true that shedding that spare tire can bring you some pain relief.

But, believe it or not, some of the “healthiest” foods you’re eating every day may be responsible for the pain and uncomfortable inflammation you’re feeling in your back.

Foods from the nightshade family, including tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants and peppers, have been proven to trigger a powerful inflammation response in your body. In fact, I’ve found that these foods are a common culprit in back pain caused by arthritis.

For lots of back pain sufferers, eating nightshade foods causes the immune system to release irritating histamines into their joints. Those histamines cause inflammation — and that’s when your pain starts to flare up.

There have been several animal studies on the role of nightshades in promoting joint inflammation. And in a survey several years ago, most patients with arthritis who stuck to a strict “No Nightshades” diet reported substantial pain relief.

A recent international study found that back pain is the leading cause of disability and poor health in the entire world — and I see proof of that every day in my practice. And plenty of those people have suffered for years without ever understanding what’s causing their pain.

Start keeping a food diary of everything you eat — and note when your worst back pain symptoms appear. You might discover, as many of my patients have, that these nightshade foods are triggering your back misery. And once you eliminate them from your diet, you could finally find yourself on the road to recovery.