Garlic and Lime For Sciatica

Sciatica is a serious disease of the nervous system. It is a neuritic condition of the sciatica nerve. It refers to a severe pain running down the course of the sciatic nerve, which supplies sensation to the back of the leg and foot.

The sciatica nerve is the largest nerve in the body. It has branches in the thigh muscles, the knee joints, and down into the muscles of the legs and feet. This nerve begins in the lower part of the back and passes down behind the thigh. It is more exposed to injury and inflammation than most other nerves.

Symptoms

The patient of sciatica feels severe pain in the buttock which may radiate down the posterior aspect of the thigh and calf to the outer border of the foot. In severe cases, he may feel weakness of the calf muscles or food drop. Sometimes the pain is so severe that the patient cannot stand and is crippled. In the case of a ruptured disc, the pain is often aggravated by coughing, sneezing, bending forward, or straining at the stool. Often the pain disappears with bed rest, only to return days or weeks later after some slight injury or extra exertion

Causes

Sciatica may be caused by any type of injury to the spine, because of compression of the sciatica nerve at its roots. Any infection or toxic material near the area of the nerve may result in this disease. But in most cases, the trouble is due either to a ruptured disc or else osteoarthritis of the lower spine. Other causes include pregnancy, tumors of the pelvis, deformities of the lower spine and exposures to cold and damp. The sciatica never may even be injured by walking, running, or riding a bicycle. Prolonged standing, or sitting on one side of the edge of a chair may also lead to this disease.

The real cause of sciatica, however, is the direct outcome of excess acidity of the blood and tissues and a rundown condition of the system generally. It is one of the many forms of “acidosis.”

Treatment

Treatment of sciatica by painkillers drugs may give temporary relief but it does not remove the trouble effectively. The pain is relieved for the time being at the cost of the health of other parts of the body, especially the heart and kidneys, and the sciatica remains.

The best way to commence the treatment is to take complete bed rest on firm mattress supported by fracture boards for a few days. Rest must be absolute and in no case, the patient should assume sitting position. If the disease is acute, the patient should adopt a raw juice diet for atleast five days. In this regimen, he should take juices of fresh fruits or vegetables, such as orange, apple, pineapple, pear, peach, carrot and beet, every two hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Warm water enema should be used daily during this period to cleanse the bowels

After the restricted diet, the patient may adopt a well-balanced optimum diet, well assimilated with all vitamins and other nutrients. The emphasis should be on whole grains, particularly whole wheat, brown rice, raw and sprouted seeds, milk, especially in soured form, and home-made cottage cheese.

The patient should avoid tea, coffee, sugar, white flour, all products made from white flour sugar, and all fresh foods. He should also avoid fried foods, condiments, pickles, alcoholic beverages, tobacco and smoking.

Certain home remedies have been found beneficial in the treatment of sciatica. The most important of these remedies is the use of garlic milk. This vegetable should be cut into small pieces and taken with a teaspoon of honey with each meal. Taken over a period of time, it will yield good results in relieving pain and suffering.

Garlic milk can be prepared both in cooked and uncooked states. In raw state uncooked form is more powerful. This milk is prepared by adding the pulp of the crushed garlic in uncooked buffalo milk. The proportion is four cloves to 110 ml of milk. Another method is to boil the garlic in milk.

The use of lemon is beneficial in the treatment of sciatica. It is sour in taste, but its reaction in the body is alkaline and as such it is valuable in rheumatic affections, including sciatica. A sufficient intake of lemon juice prevents the deposit of uric acid in the tissues.

Nutmeg (jaiphal) is another effective remedy for sciatica. A nutmeg should be coarsely powedered and fried in gingellyu (til) oil until all the particles become brown. This oil can be applied beneficially on the affected parts as a pain reliever.