| Drugs prescribed to relieve pain or relax muscles in | | | | and then stand up slowly. The diet of elderly persons |
| cervical spondylosis do not cure the disease. These | | | | suffering from spondylosis should consist of salad of |
| can become habit forming and may actually | | | | raw vegetables such as tomato, carrot, cabbage, |
| perpetuate the condition in case of excessive intake. | | | | cucumber, radish, lettuce and at least two steamed or |
| Certain safety measures, especially for people in | | | | lightly-cooked vegetables such as cauliflower, cabbage, |
| sedentary occupations, are necessary to relieve and | | | | carrot, spinach and plenty of fruits. The patients should |
| prevent spondylosis. The most important of these is | | | | have four meals daily. The patient should avoid fatty, |
| exercise which improves the supply of nutrients to | | | | spicy and fried foods, sour curd, sweets, sugar, |
| spinal discs, thereby delaying the process of | | | | condiments as well as tea and coffee. Those who |
| deterioration that comes with age and eventually | | | | smoke and take tobacco in any form should give up |
| affects everybody. Safe exercises include walking, | | | | completely. Proteins and Vitamin C are necessary for |
| swimming and bicycling. The latter should be done | | | | the development of a healthy bone metrix. Vitamin D, |
| keeping the back upright. Other exercises found | | | | calcium, phosphorous and the essential trace minerals |
| beneficial in the treatment of cervical spondylosis are | | | | are essential for healthy bones. Foods that have been |
| joint movements like folding and unfolding of fingers, | | | | processed for storage to avoid spoiling have few |
| moving the wrists up and down, rotating them in both | | | | nutrients and should be eliminated from the diet. Certain |
| clockwise and anti-clockwise direction, folding and | | | | food remedies have been found beneficial in the |
| unfolding of the forearms and rotating the shoulder | | | | treatment of spondylosis. The most important of these |
| clockwise and anti-clockwise;. head and neck | | | | is the use of garlic. Two or three capsules of this |
| exercises like moving the neck up and down, moving | | | | vegetable should be taken daily in the morning. It will |
| to the sides, rotating the neck clockwise and | | | | give good results. An oil prepared from garlic and |
| antiÂclockwise and nodding the neck from one | | | | rubbed on the affected part will give great relief. This |
| shoulder to another; and shoulder exercises like lifting | | | | oil is prepared by frying 10 cloves of garlic in 60 grams |
| the shoulders up and down, moving the shoulder in | | | | of oil in a frying pan. They should be fried slowly till |
| clockwise and in antiÂclockwise directions. All | | | | they are brown. After it is cooled, it should be applied |
| these exercises should be undertaken three times | | | | vigorously on the affected part and allowed to remain |
| daily. Those with sedentary occupations should take a | | | | there for three hours. The patient may thereafter have |
| break to stand up every hour. Soft-cushioned seats | | | | a warm bath. This treatment should be continued for |
| should be avoided and position should be changed as | | | | at least 15 days. Relief from pain can be obtained by |
| often as possible. Elderly persons with spondylosis | | | | taking lemon juice mixed with common salt twice or |
| should sleep on a firm mattress on their sides with | | | | thrice daily. A piece of the chebulic myrobalan taken |
| knees bent at right angles to the torso. They should | | | | after principal meals also gives quick relief. Other |
| use thin pillows or avoid it altogether, if possible. They | | | | measures found valuable in cervical spondylosis are |
| should take care never to bend from the waist down | | | | mild oil massage to the neck, shoulders and hands, hot |
| to lift any object, but instead should squat close to the | | | | fomentation for five to 10 minutes twice a day or five |
| object, bending the knees but keeping the back straight | | | | to 10 minutes of exposure to the Infra red rays. |