Back pain is one of the most difficult health problems to treat.  

Many times the pain can be caused by a compressed vertebrae.  

There's a procedure that many patients say has given them overnight relief. 

Anita Benefield is sitting comfortably in Dr. David Lipschitz's examination room.

It was much different on her last visit. Just a few short weeks ago her back was killing her.

"Just totally uncomfortable, it was not a dull pain. It was a just what you want to say a roaring pain," Anita recalls.

X-rays showed she had a collapsed vertebrae, a serious problem. But fortunately it's one of the few spinal problems that is almost always treatable, thanks to doctors like back specialist Ted Sayer.  

Dr. Lipschitz sees lots of patients like Anita who experience varying degrees of pain caused by the compression brought on by vertebral collapse. 

"Initially it may be very mild. The problem in some patients, especially older patients is if they have osteoporosis their bone is not normal strength and these mild compressions can turn into very severe compressions over time," says Dr. Ted Sayer, a spine surgeon.

The problem is often treated with a non-invasive procedure called kyphoplasty.  

It has saved countless patients years of needless suffering.

"This was a frustrating problem to treat 10, 15, 20 years ago, because there wasn't a good answer. You had to ride it out," he days. Now Dr. Sayer explains what he can do with a needle and a little cement.

"Typically the compression fracture is in the front part of the vertebrae. It's not in the disc that's the cushion between the vertebras."

"What we do is go in the back of the spine and put a needle in and once the needle's in place we put this balloon in. The balloon is blown up with dye. We look to see what configuration the vertebrae is in. We'll take the dye out, remove the balloon, put another stylet in here, and through the needle inject cement. The cement usually hardens in about five minutes."

The cement seems to help stabilize the vertebrae, which helps the pain.

Anita's back is back to normal after kyphoplasty. Relief was almost immediate. 

"The pain was gone in my back and I didn't have pain from the surgery."

"This is her fracture, it was in number three and here's the cement in the vertebrae."

According to Dr. Sayer those results are pretty typical. "It's like a miracle, it really is," he says.

Amazing results, and you can bet Anita doesn't care in the least that her miracle drug was cement.

She just knows she feels a whole lot better.

You should learn all you can about the warnings for your medications. The team of professionals at the Longevity Center at St. Vincent can answer your questions about medication interaction. Bring a list of your medications, or your actual medications, to your next appointment for information tailored just for you about drug interaction.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research there are three main types of drug interactions. They are:
* Drugs with food and beverages
* Drugs with dietary supplements
* Drugs with other drugs

Drugs with Food and Beverages

Some food and beverages can cause delayed, decreased, or enhanced absorption of a medication. Examples of drug interaction with food include the following:
* Alcohol can increase or decrease the effect of many drugs.
* Grapefruit juice shouldn’t be taken with the following medications to prevent higher levels of medications leading to possible side effects.
          - Medication for the treatment of high blood pressure
          - Cyclosporine, the drug used to prevent organ transplant rejection
                + Grapefruit juice can cause higher levels of these medicines in your body, making it more likely that you will have side effects from the medicine.
          - Anti-anxiety medicine
                + Buspar (Buspirone);
          - Anti-malaria drugs Quinerva or Quinite (quinine)
          - Halcion (Triazolam), a medication used to treat insomnia
* Licorice should not be eaten when taking the following medications.
          - Lanoxin (Digoxin) used to treat congestive heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms
          - Blood pressure medication
          - Diuretic (urine-producing) drugs, including Hydrodiuril (hydrochlorothiazide) and Aldactone (Spironolactone)
* Chocolate should not be eaten when taking the following medications because it can increase or decrease the effectiveness of the medication.
          - MAO inhibitors
          - Ritalin (methylphenidate)
          - Sleeping pills such as Ambien (Zolpidem)

Drugs with Dietary Supplements

According to the Food and Drug Administration 50 percent or more of American adults use dietary supplements on a regular basis.  Dietary supplements include vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and herbs or botanicals, as well as other substances that can be used to supplement the diet. Examples of drug interactions with dietary supplements are as follows:
* St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) can reduce the concentration of the following medications in the blood.
                      - Lanoxin, the cholesterol-lowering drugs
                      - Mevacor and Altocor (Lovastatin)
                      - Viagra (Sildenafil).
* Vitamin E can increase anti-clotting activity and may cause an increased risk of bleeding if taken with a blood thinning medication like Coumadin.
* Ginseng can interfere with the bleeding effects of the following drugs.
          - Coumadin
          - Heparin
          - Aspirin, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and ketoprofen.
          - Ginseng, when used with the following drugs, may cause headaches, sleep problems, nervousness, and hyperactivity.
           - MAO inhibitors such as Nardil or Parnate
* Ginkgo Biloba can decrease the effectiveness of the following drugs for controlling seizures.
          - Tegretol, Equetrol, and Carbatrol (Carbamazepine)
          - Depakote (Valproic acid) 

Drugs with Other Drugs

Drug-drug interactions can lead to adverse events. Below are examples of drug interactions with other drugs:
* Cordarone (Amiodarone) - patients taking Cordarone to correct abnormal rhythms of the heart and the cholesterol-lowering drug Zocor (Simvastatin) run the risk of developing a rare condition of muscle injury called rhabdomyolysis, which can lead to kidney failure or death.
* Cordarone can also inhibit or reduce the effect of the blood thinner Coumadin (Warfarin).
* Lanoxin (Digoxin) and other drugs, such as Norvir (Ritonvair), to treat HIV, can elevate the level of Lanoxin causing irregular heart rhythms.
* Over-the-counter antihistamines taken with the following medications can cause excessive sleepiness.
          - Sedatives
          - Tranquilizers
          - Anti-depressants
* Over-the-counter antihistamines taken with blood pressure medication may cause blood pressure to increase and a rapid heart rate.

Following are tips from the FDA to help you avoid food, beverage, dietary supplement and drug to drug interactions:
    * Always read drug labels carefully.
    * Learn about the warnings for all the drugs you take.
    * Keep medications in their original containers so that you can easily identify them.
    * Ask your doctor what you need to avoid when you are prescribed a new medication. Ask about food, beverage, dietary supplements, and other drugs.
    * Check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking an over-the-counter drug if you are taking any prescription medications.
    * Use one pharmacy for all of your drug needs.
    * Keep all of your health care professionals informed about everything that you take.
    * Keep a record of all prescription drugs, OTC drugs, and dietary supplements (including herbs) that you take. Try to keep this list with you at all times, but especially when you go on any medical appointment. The FDA has a website with more information (click here).

How to prevent a fall:

People of all ages can take steps to lower the risk of falling. Here’s a true false quiz to help you learn how to prevent falls.

TRUE or FALSE
    * Use a cane or walker only if I’m over age 70
    * Wear rubber-soled shoes so you don't slip in the winter
    * When sidewalks are slick from water or ice be very careful with each step.
If you answered FALSE to all of the statements above you’re correct.

Here are the correct reasons for taking precautions so you don’t fall:
* Using a cane or walker has no age requirement. If your doctors says you should use a cane or walker follow those instructions.
* Wearing rubber-soled shoes is a good idea no matter what time of year.
* If you must go out when it is icy or wet walk on the grass instead of on an icy or wet side walk.  And you can put kitty litter on icy sidewalks to make them less slick.

You should exercise to improve your balance, thereby reducing your risk of falling. Here are exercises to help you keep your balance. Talk with your doctor before starting an exercise program.

While holding the back of a chair, sink, or counter:
* Stand on one leg at a time for a minute and then slowly increase the time. Try to balance with your eyes closed or without holding on.
* Stand on your toes for a count of 10, and then rock back on your heels for a count of 10.
* Make a big circle to the left with your hips, and then to the right. Do not move your shoulders or feet. Repeat five times. 

There might be times when you can’t prevent a fall.  When that happens try to prevent breaking any bones. Try not to fall on your side, because you could break a hip by falling on your side. Fall forwards or backwards (on your buttocks) instead.

The National Institutes for Health have the following suggestions to keep your bones healthy:
* Get 1,000 to 1,200 mg of calcium each day
* Get 200 to 600 IU of vitamin D each day
* Walk, climb stairs, lift weights, or dance each day.  Talk with your doctor before starting an exercise program
* Talk with your doctor about having a bone mineral density (BMD) test.
* Talk with your doctor about taking medicine to make your bones stronger.