6 natural and effective ways to deal with pain
When it comes to pain, it can often feel like you have to take painkillers or just grit your teeth and wait it out. Chronic pain can be very debilitating and can flare up without warning.
Rather than take pain relievers all the time, there are some natural options that can help to reduce your pain levels. Even better, studies back them up as effective ways to manage pain. Here are some natural and proven ways to tackle pain.
Get a massage
Massage therapy has some serious feel good and pain relieving benefits. Endorphins and serotonin are released, both of which can act as natural painkillers.
According to a study published in Science Translational Medicine, massage therapy could also help to switch genes linked to inflammation on or off, especially for exercise related muscle damage.
Some studies have also looked at whether massage can reduce post surgery pain and this has been promising too - so much so that the Mayo Clinic now offer it to patients having surgery there.
Acupuncture
Inserting fine needles into acupuncture points on the body is aimed at balancing out energy. Research has suggested that acupuncture can be good for chronic pain and could reduce it by as much as 50%.
Acupuncture is also linked to better functioning of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems, both of which can be involved in chronic pain.
Yoga
Struggling with pain in your lower back? Yoga can be a good option for dealing with it and may even work as well as physical therapy in helping to get away from pain medications. Patients who did yoga twice a week for two months reported a 42% reduction in their lower back pain. Yoga is now recommended by the American Pain Foundation as a way to tackle lower back pain.
Combining yoga with meditation can be even more effective for tackling chronic pain. Researchers have put forward the idea that this is because it’s a combination that works on both the mind and the body.
Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy is recommended by the American Psychological Association for natural pain management. By accessing the unconscious mind, it’s possible for hypnotherapy to encourage healing and pain relief.
Hypnotic suggestions and imagery can be a big part of this to relax and calm the mind and change perceptions of pain. It can also give you tools to manage pain. This can be continued after hypnosis sessions through self hypnosis so you can use the same techniques whenever pain strikes. Many people find that hypnosis can help to make pain less severe, especially if it’s used alongside other types of pain management.
Anti-inflammatory foods and supplements
Your diet can play a major part in helping with natural pain relief. If anti-inflammatory foods aren’t featured very highly in your diet at the moment, it’s definitely time to start adding them in and seeing how they help with chronic pain.
The following are great choices:
Turmeric is very anti inflammatory, largely thanks to curcumin. This is its active compound, which is strongly linked to healing and pain relief. This can be on par with pain medications in some cases. Studies have shown it can improve pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis and digestive conditions such as Crohn’s Disease, IBS and ulcerative colitis. Get more of it in your diet by adding it to smoothies, soups, curries, omelettes and hot drinks.
Ginger is another spice that can offer natural pain relief. The main reason for this is phytonutrients such as gingerol. You may know ginger as a way to deal with nausea but according to studies, it can also help with menstrual pain. In fact, it can be as effective as anti inflammatory pain relief (such as ibuprofen) and can also work as well as medications when it comes to migraines. And that’s not all - ginger may also be a useful addition to your diet if you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis. To get the benefits, try adding ginger to shakes, smoothies, soups, teas, curries and stir fries.
Omega 3 fatty acids are another diet related way to reduce pain. They’re anti-inflammatory. As with turmeric and ginger, omega 3 can reduce arthritis pain. A fairly high amount is needed for this and studies have involved supplementing with fish oil. This is the brand I highly recommend. You can also do home lab testing to see your inflammation levels!
Chamomile tea
What you drink can help with pain relief too. A study by the American Chemical Society found that drinking chamomile tea can help to release glycine, an amino acid that can prevent muscle spasms and cramps. This can be super helpful if you struggle with pain relating to this - including menstrual pain.
I hope you’ve found these ideas helpful! Of course, the best way to rid yourself of pain is to dig deeper in finding what is causing the pain in the first place. If you’d like to schedule a free call with me, please do so here. I’d love to meet with you and help you on your healthy journey … I’d especially like to see you free of pain!