Each day, millions of Americans suffer from endless lower back pain.  Many have learned to live with the condition and have given up hope in trying to find a solution.  Yet, these same people suffering from intense lower back pain often times also suffer from digestive conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Unfortunately, very few will make the connection that their lower back pain may be a symptom of poor gut health.  It may seem bizarre to some, but having a healthy gut is extremely important for overall good health of the body.  In fact, research has shown that the majority of our immune system is a reflection of the health and integrity of our gut (1).  Those with poor gut health often times suffer from imbalances in the immune system and immune system deficiencies.

With that said, if you suffer from lower back pain that has occurred without injury, it’s hardly ever related to the lower back. 

In this post we hope to shed some light on the possible causes of lower back pain and how it all goes back to the health of the gut.

What is Lower Back Pain?

Although it’s possible that lower back pain could be caused by a pinched nerve or tweaked muscle, there is often more to the story.  The question must be asked, “why did I suffer from a pinched nerve or tweaked muscle in the first place?”

In fact, it’s not uncommon for individuals to develop lower pain after bending down to pick something up, or simply moving the wrong way.  Despite what you may have been told, this is not normal and should not be happening.  Our ancestors labored away day after day doing intensive physical labor and never experienced such problems. 

The truth is, lower back pain is much more than just a “thrown out back.” It’s a disharmony between the various organs in the body and often a result of an organ being overworked.  Traditional Chinese Medicine recognized long ago that lower back pain was almost always a result of an overworked organ.

In particular, there are two vital organs that are located near the lower back; the adrenal glands and the kidneys.  In our opinion, lower back pain is often caused by a dysfunction in one of these two organs, or both.

Adrenal Glands and Lower Back Pain

For those unaware, the adrenal glands are responsible for the production of all the body’s stress hormones.  They help release hormones such as cortisol, aldosterone, adrenaline, and DHEA.  These hormones help the body adapt to stressful situations and help protect against the damaging effects stress can have on the body.

Now, ask yourself this question, “did my lower back pain develop while under immense amounts of chronic mental stress?”  If you answered yes, chances are that your lower back pain is a direct result of overworked adrenals.  Again, we will discuss later on how this relates to IBS and poor gut health.

Kidney’s and Lower Back Pain

Another possible cause of lower back pain is poor kidney function.  Poor kidney function can be caused by several different reasons, however the most common are infection and kidney stones.  Kidney stones typically occur because of poor diet.  Foods high in oxalates, such as green leafy vegetables, are notorious for developing kidney stones.

However, if you suffer from digestive disorders such as IBS, it’s not uncommon for the kidneys to develop an infection.  This infection often manifests itself as intense and unbearably lower back pain.  Again, the development of this infection is heavily linked to the health of the gut.

How IBS can Cause Lower Back Pain

Since lower back pain is typically a result of a dysfunctional organ, it’s important to understand how this dysfunction can be caused by IBS and poor gut health.

For those unaware, IBS is a direct result of chronic intestinal inflammation.  This chronic inflammation is typically a result of years of poor eating habits and the overconsumption of inflammatory foods.  Also, it’s not uncommon for IBS patients to also suffer from a fungal overgrowth in the gut such as candida.

Unfortunately, when the stomach is not performing at an optimal state, all other organ systems in the body are forced to work harder.  This constant overworking of the various organs can give rise to conditions such as adrenal fatigue.  Again, when the adrenals are overworked, lower back pain is often a symptom.

Also, a gut dysbiosis and an overgrowth of pathogenic fungus such as candida can overwhelm both the liver and kidneys with high amounts of toxins.  These toxins are a result of the metabolism of candida and can cause severe adverse health effects in the body.  It also can significantly weaken the kidneys and allow infection to develop more easily.

With all that said, it’s important to understand that overall health of the body starts in the gut.  Once the gut is corrected and balanced, all other bodily symptoms often fade away.

How to Correct IBS and Lower Back Pain

Those suffering from lower back pain due to IBS should know that proper diet can go a long way.  In fact, in our experience, good diet is the only way to properly heal lower back pain and return balance to the gut.  However, the vast majority of the population are unaware how to properly eat for health due to lack of knowledge and mis-information.

For example, so called “healthy foods” such as plant foods, can cause immense amounts of intestinal inflammation.  This is mainly due to the high amounts of gut irritating anti-nutrients that are present in ALL plant foods.  It’s for this reason that we highly recommend you follow the diet outlined on our Diet Protocol Page.

In short, your diet should consist of high amounts of gut healing foods that will help initiate healing and will not cause further inflammation in the intestines.  This means following a diet based primarily on high quality animal foods.  Animal foods contain ZERO anti-nutrients and do not inflame the intestines like plant foods.

Also, there is no sugar present in animal foods and will not feed pathogenic bacteria, yeast, and fungus such as candida.  Those suffering from IBS and lower back pain are in immense need of building foods.  The only foods that can rebuild and repair the body are animal foods.

A simple rule to remember is that plant foods cleanse the body and animal foods build the body.  A body cannot be properly sustained on plant foods alone.  Luckily, we’ve included over 20 different gut friendly recipes in our Intestinal Health Cookbook which can help build the body and can be great for those suffering with IBS.

Reishi Mushroom for Lower Back Pain

As well as following a proper diet, there are various herbs that can be taken in order to help combat lower back pain.  In particular, reishi mushroom can be extremely beneficial for those suffering with lower back pain due to IBS.

This is because reishi mushroom is excellent for both the kidneys and liver.  In fact, Chinese Medicine often encourages the use of reishi in patients with weak kidney function or low “jing.”  Interestingly, reishi is in the shape of a human kidney!

Also, reishi mushroom has been shown to inhibit the formation of candida biofilms that are often used to protect the fungus (2).  This allows the immune system to more easily eliminate the pathogenic fungus from the gut.  Furthermore, due to its stress reducing properties, reishi is highly recommend for those with weak adrenals.

Stay Hydrated

Those with IBS and lower back pain must make their best effort to stay hydrated.  This is not only important for the recovery processes, but its also important for overall health.  It’s important to understand that its not the water you drink that hydrates you, but the water you can hold.

As result, drinking a gallon of water and running to the bathroom endlessly throughout the day will not hydrate you.  In fact, this can actually dehydrate you!

In our experience, the best way to hydrate is to fill a liter bottle with spring or filtered water.  Add a pinch of high quality sea salt such as Celtic or Pink Himalayan.  Then, add 1 tablespoon of raw apple cider vinegar.  This solution will allow the body to fully hydrate on the cellular level since the cells will be more willing to accept the water in the presence of sodium.

Also, the raw ACV has the ability to break up oxalates which can contribute to lower back pain and naturally has anti-fungal properties.  You should sip this solution throughout the day and drink until your thirst is satisfied.