Spine
Spina bifida is a neural tube defect - a type of birth defect of the brain, spine, or spinal cord. It happens if the spinal column of the fetus doesn't close completely during the first month of pregnancy. This can damage the nerves and spinal cord. Screening tests during pregnancy can check for spina bifida. Sometimes it is discovered only after the baby is born.
The symptoms of spina bifida vary from person to person. Most people with spina bifida are of normal intelligence. Some people need assistive devices such as braces, crutches, or wheelchairs. They may have learning difficulties, urinary and bowel problems, or hydrocephalus, a buildup of fluid in the brain.
The exact cause of spina bifida is unknown. It seems to run in families. Taking folic acid can reduce the risk of having a baby with spina bifida. It's in most multivitamins. Women who could become pregnant should take it daily.
NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Felter's Materia Medica on Spine
The rhizome and roots of Menispermum canadense, Linné (Nat. Ord. Menispermaceae). In woods and hedges in the eastern half of the United... / ...ipal Constituents.Berberine in small quantity and a large amount of a bitter, white alkaloid, menispine; tannin, gum, and resin. Preparation.Tinctura Menispermii, Tincture of Menispermum (Rhizome,... / ...inflammations, when accompanied by fullness of the lymphatic nodes and weak digestion. Its possible value in leucocythemia has been suggested.1
...e applied to the chest and the abdomen in acute inflammation of the viscera, to the epigastrium and spine to check persistent vomiting from gastric irritability, and in gastralgia, gastritis, flatulen......umbago and backache, to the nape of the neck in congestive headache and cerebral congestion, to the spine, legs, and soles of the feet to arouse from apoplexy, stupor, and coma, to the praecordial reg...1
Veratrine, Veratria. A mixture of alkaloids obtained from the seeds of Schoenocaulon officinale, Asa Gray (Sabadilla officinarum, Brandt; Asagrea... / ...sion; pallor of face and great faintness; cold sweats; muscular twitching and aching pain along the spine; contracted abdomen and pupils; and occasionally extreme pruritus and tingling which may persi...1