Central to the osteopathic concept is that much of the pain and disability affecting people stems from abnormalities in the function of the musculoskeletal system rather than in any identifiable or discernible pathology. According to osteopaths, impaired function in one part of the musculoskeletal system can exist without symptoms but may throw considerable strain on another part of the body.

Like physiotherapists, osteopaths build up a full picture of the patient’s particular dysfunction, which may have developed over a long period of time. Says the Osteopathic Information Service: “Osteopaths do not look on patients simply as back sufferers but as individuals with their own unique requirements. Treatment is designed to correct each individual’s mechanical and spinal problems in order to stimulate their own natural healing processes.”

A recent survey of osteopathic practices throughout the county revealed that more than half of the patients had sought help because of low back trouble.

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The so-called ‘other’ treatments are normally divided into two main groups:

The ‘complementary’ therapies that work alongside of and often as virtually part of conventional medicine; and

The ‘alternative’ therapies which, as the label implies, offer an alternative to conventional medicine.

Although the distinction between the two types of therapies is usually quite clear, it can become somewhat blurred when looking solely at how effective some of these ‘other’ therapies can be in dealing with back problems. For example, the relatively little known Alexander Technique is usually considered to be an alternative therapy. However, because it concentrates upon posture, something that is so directly and obviously relevant to back troubles, this method is perhaps more ‘complementary’ than ‘alternative’ when it comes to difficulties involving the spine.

Rather than try to classify therapies as either complementary or alternative, it seemed more logical in this book to separate them into two groups depending upon how commonly they are employed in treating back problems.

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different doctors in different clinics suggest different treatments. There was a time, about twenty or thirty years ago, when the standard remedy for the cramps was a strong dose of aspirin. If that failed, and it usually did, the only other possibility was to refer the patient for the operation called a ‘D and C, standing for dilatation and currettage. This involved giving you a general anaesthetic and then stretching the neck of your womb and scraping out the inner lining. In most cases this seemed to reduce the pain for a few months, but for most women the effect didn’t last very long and soon they were suffering as much as ever. Doctors now don’t suggest this operation so readily.

After D and Cs there was quite a vogue for what were called psychosomatic illnesses. Rather a lot of doctors thought that period pain was all in the mind and that if you cultivated a healthy attitude towards it, it would go away. For a handful of women who were genuinely snarled up, this approach was a help. For the rest it was absolutely demoralizing; being told it’s all in the mind doesn’t cure the pain, it simply makes you feel guilty or abnormal. This is precisely why a point was made of establishing right at the beginning of this book that period pain has physical causes. The trouble is that we don’t know exactly what they are.

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It would be good sense to spend time when your life is easier and better balanced checking all the danger points in your house and making them safe.

Are all the electrical fittings correctly wired; no points overloaded?

Are there any frayed wires anywhere?

Have you got into the habit of turning saucepan handles away from you as you cook, so that

you can’t knock into them and your children can’t grab at them?

Is the stair carpet safe, or could you catch your heel in a frayed patch?

Are knives and choppers always stored out of reach?

Is bleach tucked away on the highest shelf, in its own container, not transferred to an old

lemonade bottle?

Once you get into the habit of checking you’ll find it comes as second nature. And when you’re off-balance at least you will know that your house is as safe as you can make it.

You can actually make yourself safer by doing everything more slowly than you usually would. Remember to stay relaxed. Breathe in a lower gear if you start to get flustered. And don’t rush. It’s better to be late than unconscious.

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A hot water bottle is a cheap form of warmth and there’s nothing to beat its comfort, especially when it can be applied quickly to a localized pain, like the one you feel low down in your abdomen, or in the small of your back. Some women make themselves into a hot water bottle sandwich, with bottles back and front. They find the double source of heat eases a lot of pain away. Many say the heat also helps them to relax. On the other hand there are some who find that direct heat is too exhausting to help them much, more evidence of how different we all are in the things we like and the things we need.

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But make sure that they’re satisfying light snacks and not too stodgy. Sweet black coffee is a useful ally too, if you like it, and it doesn’t disagree with you, because besides being a quick pick-me-up it also acts as a mild diuretic and can get rid of some of that extra water for you. It helps to wear comfortable clothes too, things that don’t restrict your belly in any way. Your choice will be influenced by the amount of work you have to do. If your blood sugar is low and you’re resting, you won’t need quite so much food to replenish your stocks as you will if you are working hard. So once again the choice is yours. Only you know exactly what your circumstances are and how you can cope with them.

The sad thing is that if you suffer from two symptoms that clash there really aren’t any simple solutions. In the end you are faced with a difficult choice — to decide which of your two symptoms upsets you most — and then to treat that and put up with the other one. I know that’s not the answer you would like, but I’m afraid it’s the only one I can give you.

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When considering the size of your bed, take the following into account:

People don’t just lie in one position all night, but instead are almost continuously on the move. Research has shown that during a night’s sleep, most people toss and turn as many as 60 or 70 times – and your bed has to be large enough to allow for these movements without you ending up partly out of it.

On the average, we are now both taller and heavier than we were, the UK population having grown upwards and outwards in the past 30 years. Women have gained an extra 1.05kg (more than two pounds) in weight and 1.75cm (more than half an inch) in height. Men have put on an extra 3cms (more than an inch) in height. As we have changed, so have our bed requirements. While these increases seem minimal, they are nevertheless large enough to spell the difference between a bed that’s barely big enough and one that’s just too small for comfort.

The NBPA offers this advice: “A standard 4′6″ double bed only gives each person 2′3″ of space to sleep in – no more than a baby has in a cot! If you do suffer from a back problem, a squeezed and cramped night’s sleep on a bed that rates amongst the smallest standard size in Europe will not help.”

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