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Rural Tribes Far From Civilization Don’t Suffer From Back Pain … So Why Should You?
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Nowadays, we use a variety of methods to treat back pain. We use massages, stretching devices and other tools to try to get our muscles to stop feeling sore. We even use assorted medicines to relieve our pain, in spite of how they can cause side effects and even be addictive.
These problems have plagued society for years. In fact, back pain is often caused by our lifestyles. We sit improperly in our chairs while at work, we slouch while walking and we sleep in funny positions. Many people don’t get the exercise that they require in order to stay healthy, either.
We could all learn things from indigenous rural tribes that are located far from civilization. They don’t have to worry about back pain when compared with what we deal with.
But what makes this possible? Acupuncturist Esther Gokhale traveled to many tribal sites around the world to see if these people know any secrets about how to manage back pain. It turns out that these people have spines that are shaped a little differently. In fact, her studies are just the latest in a series of discoveries that relate to how such people aren’t as likely to suffer from annoying back pains.
The Impact of Spine Shape
Gokhale found that the people in these tribes have J-shaped spines instead of the S-shaped spines that most people have. The J-shaped spine doesn’t have the more typical two separate curves.
The J-shaped spine is a little straighter around the midsection. It is similar to the spinal columns that can be seen in ancient sculptures from hundreds of years ago.
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Muscles Are Stronger
Gokhale also found that the people in these tribes have stronger muscles. This could be a result of diets that don’t contain loads of artificial ingredients and additives. The fact that they engage in plenty of physical labor in a typical day has also helped them to grow these muscles so they can become more powerful over time.
The people in these rural communities aren’t as likely to live sedentary or relaxed lifestyles. They are more likely to stay active through work and labor. When combined with their diets, which are healthier when compared with what we have, they can keep their spines from becoming weak or wearing out quickly.
Growing Muscles
Many of these muscles are grown over time through repeated activities, but in many cases, these activities are simply habits. The Aleut people, as seen in a 1925 study, would often squat down on the floor in a balanced position to complete various tasks. The efforts that people in the tribe would follow over time helped them to build stronger muscles and better posture. This helped them to stay active and healthy without back pain. This is a routine that comes naturally to the people.
The strong abdominal muscles of the Aleuts were noticed in the same study. These help people to stay active while also supporting the back by keeping it straight and strong. As a result, the back is less likely to suffer from pain over time.
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Is Weight a Factor?
The people who live in these tribes tend to weigh less than people in civilized areas. Much of this is thanks to how people in these tribes aren’t subject to dangerous and unhealthy diets. Following an unhealthy diet often causes weight gain. Additional weight applies pressure to the spinal column, causing it to bend more than necessary. This will trigger back pain, especially in the lower back area.
Overall, the active lifestyles and healthier diets of people in these indigenous tribes are key parts of what keeps them from having back pain. The fact that these people have spines with different shapes is an especially intriguing point. It is amazing how much we can learn from people in communities that people often forget about.
Sleeping Straight
People in these communities will sleep straight without curving their bodies. This could be due to the fact that they often live in areas where they don’t have soft or flexible spaces to sleep on.
For instance, a 1984 study says that the Abkasian tribe in the country of Georgia uses beds that encourage people to sleep straight so their spinal columns will not wear out and their postures will stay healthy. This is to help people meet the tribe’s accepted beauty standards.
The Abkasian tribe even goes one step further to ensure that this behavior is encouraged at a young age. A child’s first bed will typically feature a series of straps that a parent will use in order to secure the child into the bed at a certain position. This is to get the child to keep the back straight and encourage him or her to stick with that particular sleeping position for life.
READ ALSO: The Dangerous Habit That Triples Your Risk for Serious Back Pain
This is a good example of how people will stick with better sleeping habits. This in turn helps them to keep their spinal columns healthy while preventing potential pain from developing.
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