after childbirth having adequate rest and a good, nourishing diet, a weak constitution may even
be strengthened.
Invasion of External Cold and Dampness
Invasion of external Cold and Dampness is an extremely common cause of backache. The area
of the back which is the residence of the Original Qi and the Fire of the Gate of Vitality, should
be kept warm and protected. Exposure to cold and dampness easily leads to invasion of
pathogenic factors in the muscles, sinews and channels of the back.
Although most people in Western industrialized countries have more than adequate clothing and
warm housing, invasion of the back muscles by cold and dampness is a common occurrence.
This happens either because of wearing insufficient clothes when following the demands of
fashion, or because of ignorance as to the effect of climatic factors on our bodies. Examples of
exposure to cold and dampness abound: the jogger who jogs in the early morning in cold and
damp weather exposing the sweating body to pathogenic factors, the swimmer who does not
change out of a wet swimming suit on a windy beach, the woman who dresses inadequately at
the slightest ray of sunshine in early spring, the building worker who works outdoors in the rain
with his trousers very low on his hips leaving the loins exposed, the enthusiastic DIY expert
who, on a sunny day, strips off his shirt and paints the exterior frames of his windows, working
bare-chested in the cool shade, etc.
Invasion of Cold and Dampness to the back muscles can cause both acute and chronic backache.
Prolonged retention of Cold and Dampness in the lower back, on the other hand, will impair and
weaken the Kidneys: this leads to a complicated condition of Fullness (of Cold and Dampness)
and Emptiness (of the Kidneys) and chronic backache. This situation is extremely common.
Occasionally, backache, especially sciatica, may be caused by invasion of external Damp-Heat
in the Bladder or Gall-Bladder channel, but this is not common.
Overwork
Overwork in the sense of working long hours without adequate rest over many years depletes
Kidney-Yin. This fails to nourish the back and leads to chronic backache.
Inadequate Exercise
Apart from the above specific causes of backache it is many experts' opinion that the tremendous
increase in back problems in Western industrialized societies is due to a lack of physical exercise
especially for the vast numbers of people engaged in sedentary work. The enormous increase in
the number of cars in the past 40 years also means that most people drive a car when in the past
they might have walked or ridden a bicycle, as is the case in China, for example. The lack of