Summer is here! Sadly, most of us must work to finance vacations and monthly expenses.

With work, comes stress. Add to it the ever-increasing political, social and environmental struggles.

To reduce our stress, we turn to comfort foods. For some, it’s fruit juice, alcohol, coffee drinks, ice cream, chocolate or candy. For others it’s pizza, or chips, or fried chicken. These foods are devastating to our health, our teeth, liver, kidneys, pancreas, eyes, brain and nervous system, and our joints. But they also cause us to be out of balance, and crave extreme foods.

Chips and meat require a stiff drink, and perhaps dessert. Because we count on our back for so much, don’t take care of it, and ignore warning signs, it’s kaboom—we are down for the count. Then comes doctors, pills, shots and possibly surgery, plus lost time, worrying and copays. All avoidable!

Here are some helpful tips to improve your back health, without drugs, doctors or surgery.

Top 10 Natural Backcare Tips

1. Take a :15 nature walk every morning and every night, preferably in the woods. Bonus points if you can lie down for a minute or two and really relax!
2. Take frequent breaks from sitting at the office and in the car. Stretch, rub, stand, walk, and improve your ergonomics or get a back support for your chair. Avoid lifting heavy weights, especially on stairs or above your head. Get a stool, a lifting belt, and a tool to reach your socks behind the dresser.
3. Drink more water during the day, especially when you wake up, and before and after meals. Please do not drink anything during meals. This makes digestion more difficult.
4. Develop a daily ritual of exercises and stretching, to be done sometime at least a couple of hours after rising, so you will not pull any muscles. Safe situps, pushups, and yoga or tai chi will get you more bonus points!
5. Avoid tobacco, sugar and corn syrup, caffeine beyond one cup of tea or cold brew coffee, and table salt. For bonus points, also avoid burned meats (especially in summer!), chips, salty and dried foods, and nightshade veggies (potato, tomato, eggplant, pepper is hard on the body, especially raw, and especially in winter). Also avoid pesticides and overeating.
6. Get occasional chiropractic or physical therapy, or a massage. Couples massage is great!
7. Eat more boiled brown rice, millet, barley, quinoa and corn. Grains offer balance, great nutritional support, improve digestion, and help the body eliminate toxins and heal. Well chewed whole grains add water to our cells, and fight cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and much more. They also have a low glycemic index, versus white pasta, bread etc.
8. Add superfoods to your diet, like miso, ume plums, radishes, mushrooms, sesame seeds, sea vegetables, and a few supplements like turmeric, green tea and dandelion.
9. Break out of your tightness, once you feel like you are safe and ready. Physically, mentally and spiritually, try new things and be flexible, and your body will back you up!
10. Doctors and pills and surgeries are expensive, risky and can come with side effects. If they work, it’s often only a patch. Why not fix the problem with better diet and lifestyle habits?

You’re not getting older, you’re getting better! Now do the work to keep your body fit, and you will thank me later.

Enjoy!!