@jpeach I have suffered severe spinal stenosis plus other deterioration in the lumbar area for quite some time now. Most of the remedies you mention are for pain relief (I do understand how important that is for any quality of life). Unless the actual cause is addressed the pain will continue and most likely get worse. With stenosis the spinal nerve is actually physically pinched and otherwise aggravated by a narrowing of it's canal in the spine. If left unaddressed that constant abrasion of the spinal nerve worsens leading to more pain and possibly other serious issues. That was my diagnosis anyways-yours sounds similar since you mentioned "serious". In my case the remedy was surgery since that was the ONLY method that could remove enough offending bone and tissue to create the proper space that would stop the nerve from further damage. It is a big decision-I hope this might help.