Have you been suffering from chronic pain for a long time, desperately trying to find ways to deal with it? If yes, you must be thinking that there are only 2 ways out, either take pain killers or fight it out.
Medical professionals are nowadays recommending natural pain relief alternatives like yoga, acupuncture, and hypnosis through which patients may feel better. In fact, studies done in the US show that pain is one of the most common reasons behind Americans turning to alternative and complementary medicines.
It is true that living with pain, the typical chronic pain which lasts for a few weeks, months and also years is one of the biggest life challenges of people nowadays.
There are millions of people who deal with different types of chronic pain.
You will be surprised to know that this number is even more than the people dealing with diabetes, cancer and heart diseases.
Chronic pain might be an entirely physical symptom; it also comes with emotional and mental components. This is why patients should be aware of some of the best non-medicinal ways of fighting chronic pain.
Let’s take a look at some effective ways to deal with chronic pain.
1. Massage
What is it perfect for: Osteoarthritis, back pain, tension headaches, neck pain, fibromyalgia and discomfort due to surgery.
Expert opinion: The massage therapy is a proven one and it can boost levels of serotonin and endorphins which are the natural painkillers of the body and mood regulators and also reduce your levels of stress hormones.
Doctors even suggest that massage therapy can also work at the molecular level, assisting in turning on and off genes which are associated with inflammation. In fact, massage therapy is doing wonders for people who have recently undergone some surgery.
2. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
What is it perfect for: The vocal cure therapy can bring about a change in the way you perceive your body aches. It can also diminish stress which is the main reason behind the increased pain.
Expert opinion: In terms of body and mind management, CBT or cognitive behavioral therapy is deemed to be the approach which deals with chronic pain in the best possible way.
This therapy is actually more effective than the standard treatments which people take resort to in order to fight body pain, as a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Stress reduction and changes to your lifestyle not only works in decreasing pain but they even assist you in coping with even serious symptoms.
3. Yoga
What is it perfect for: Arthritis, lower back pain, and migraines
Expert opinion: More than 20 million Americans practice this ancient therapy to promote relaxation, which is called yoga. However, there’s more to it than just different poses and ohms.
After completing 2 months of bi-weekly practice, people who used to suffer from lower back pain saw a 45% reduction in pain and others felt a 48% reduction in other symptoms of depression.
Practicing yoga regularly also helps you cope with your stress mechanisms and this makes it the most recommended treatments for chronic pain.
4. Acupuncture
What is it perfect for: Migraines, chronic back pain, fibromyalgia, headaches caused by tension, sciatica, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Expert opinion: Acupuncture is an ancient practice where tiny needles are administered within particular points of the human body and it is a part of a medical protocol which concentrates on rectifying the imbalances of energy, known as qi or chi.
The effectiveness of acupuncture doesn’t have any scientific consensus on its mechanism. This careful insertion of needs in specific points has an impact on the activity of adenosine, which is an amino acid that gets active within the skin post pain or injury.
People using acupuncture for 20 years have got incredible results.
As patients suffering from chronic pain, you might be habituated with taking prescription pain relief to ease off pain symptoms.
But if you want to opt for the alternative method of staying fit, you can use any of the above-mentioned non-medicinal ways of fighting pain.
