13- Hit The Pool for Some Soothing Chronic Pain Relief A dip in the pool can provide a refreshing way to de-stress at the end of a long day. As it turns out, swimming can also effectively treat many chronic pain symptoms. Chronic pain is defined as any painful condition which lasts for more than 6 months. This means chronic pain could include backaches, headaches migraines, and joint or muscle pain which is recurring.
In some cases, nerve pain is also chronic, caused by physical injury, trauma, or disease. Let’s take a quick look at exactly how swimming provides natural pain relief for chronic pain sufferers.
More than 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain of one type or another. This can include carpal tunnel syndrome or sinus pain and is not limited to one area of your body or another. Symptoms include mild burning or aching, tingling sensations, stiffness, fatigue, a weakened immune system, and even sleeplessness.
Exercise is an effective chronic pain treatment. However, exercising or working out on land can be stressful to your joints, limbs, and muscles. The buoyant nature of water offsets the effects of gravity you experience when exercising on land. So you experience less pain than you would if you were exercising painful joints, muscles, and ligaments traditionally.
Health experts agree that active exercise is the initial step in breaking any chronic pain cycle your body has developed. When you exercise in the pool, this low-impact aerobic conditioning is easy on your back and your spine, and puts little to no stress on your joints and muscles. Check out your local area for swimming fitness classes to deliver real relief from the chronic pain you may have been experiencing.
14 – Aromatherapy For Natural Pain Relief When it comes to natural pain relief, your nose knows. What does your nose know that can help you manage regular and even chronic pain? To be honest, your nose doesn’t “know” anything. But it does relate in a very important way with the human pain experience, and that relationship can be exploited to relieve both physical and psychological pains.
When your nose detects a specific aroma, it sends corresponding signals to your brain. When you are sleeping and your nose smells smoke, a very urgent signal is sent. Your brain recognizes this as a possible life-or-death situation, and you respond accordingly. In the same way, other aromas can trigger different physical and mental responses.
For example, natural lavender and chamomile fragrances have been proven as effective pain relievers if you suffer from a pinched nerve. The aroma released by the essential oil helichrysum somehow naturally reduces the pain you experience when you contract shingles. Peppermint releases an aroma that triggers a natural pain relief response in your body as well.
These are just a few examples of how aromatherapy (using natural aromas for therapeutic benefits) can deliver pain relief. You can harness the incredible power of aromatherapy in a few different ways. You can choose yourself with natural plants, herbs, and flowers whose aromas have been proven to relieve pain.
You can alternately purchase a diffuser and some natural essential oils. This allows you to fill your surrounding air with a pain-relieving mist. There are aromatherapy starter kits and courses available conveniently online, which can get you started quickly and inexpensively using the power of nature to provide pain relief.
15 – 20 on myths, tips, foods that cause/foods to avoid, catch-all category.
15 – Can Drink Cranberry Juice Help Naturally Relieve Ulcer Pain Symptoms? There are many natural foods and drinks which offer pain-fighting properties. Cranberry juice is one tasty natural beverage that does so in some ways and is also rich in magnesium and citrate. These are known natural inhibitors of the formation of painful kidney stones.
Not only does cranberry juice reduce your chance of contracting kidney stones, but the rich, red beverage is also an effective pain reliever if you suffer from Ulceritis. Ulcers commonly occur because of a pathogen called H. pylori. It treats your small intestines and stomach lining as an enemy and attacks them.
This is what causes the physical pain you experience from stomach ulcers. Stress and anxiety also promote ulcers, but fortunately, cranberry juice provides a natural answer. Cranberries are rich in compounds that are very effective for combating viruses and bacteria.
Cranberries are also high in antioxidants which slow down the aging process. The vitamin C in cranberries strengthens your immune system and can offer a healthy energy boost. Aside from all of those wonderful health benefits, cranberries, and natural cranberry juice also effectively kill H. pylori which damages your stomach and causes ulcer pain symptoms.
As if that wasn’t impressive enough, your urinary tract also benefits. The natural antibiotics and bacteria fighters found in cranberries help regulate urinary tract health. This means to fight urinary tract infections, relieve ulcer pain, reduce your risk of contracting painful kidney stones, and boost your immunity, all you need to do is grab a refreshing glass of natural cranberry juice.
16 – Eat More Cherries to Experience Less Pain If you suffer from chronic pain, you have probably tried all the traditional treatments. If you still experience painful symptoms from some chronic condition, eating more cherries may be the soothing solution. Even if your pain is not chronic, and is simply caused by physical activity, the anthocyanins in cherries could also provide an answer.
Anthocyanins are compounds that are in high quantities in cherries. A 2001 study at Michigan State University in the United States showed eating cherries can replace a prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for pain relief. That research also found that the anthocyanins present in cherries were as good at fighting inflammation as 2 commonly prescribed over-the-counter painkillers.
Incidentally, the phytonutrients that produce such incredible pain-relieving properties also give cherries their dark, rich, red color. The darker the hue of your cherries, the more pain-relieving anthocyanins that are present.
Naproxen, aspirin, and other man-made chemical painkillers produce unhealthy side effects in some people. Cherries are a natural substance. Because of this, there are no dangerous side effects involved with eating cherries. Cherries are such effective pain fighters, that they are thought to deliver the highest anti-inflammatory properties of any food.?
That makes them effective for fighting mild pain from overexertion, as well as crippling pain symptoms of conditions like arthritis. Make sure you check the label of any processed cherry foods or beverages you buy for unhealthy additives. Opt for raw, natural, or organic cherries to give your body the most pain-fighting benefits.
17 – Heat Your Pain Relief With Spicy Peppers Some spicy foods can crank up your pain relief. They are naturally full of compounds that lessen the ability of your nerve receptors to recognize pain. These receptors, called C-fibers, tell you what level of pain you’re experiencing. So if you suffer from arthritis, chronic pain, or just aches and pains from physical activity, you should try getting more capsaicin (capsicum) in the food you eat.
This is the natural compound found in chili peppers.
Sweet peppers, like green, yellow, and red bell peppers, also contain levels of capsaicin. However, cayenne, green and red chili, spur, and tabasco peppers are especially high in this natural pain reliever. This phytochemical (meaning found in plant-based foods) is what burns your tongue in foods that contain it.
American Indians have understood the healing power of spicy peppers for thousands of years. Peppers were used to suppress appetite, reduce pain, and treat heart problems. Modern research shows that the capsaicin found in many peppers can lower your risk of contracting type II diabetes. If you eat spicy peppers regularly, you can even lower your resting heart rate and boost heart health.
As a pain reliever, hot, spicy peppers are especially effective. The versatile compound capsaicin can diminish soreness, aches, and pains for 3 to 5 weeks after a significantly painful trauma or injury. Pain from common headaches, and even migraines, can be relieved using a capsaicin cream applied to your nasal passages.
If you don’t regularly eat spicy peppers, start with a small dose. Peppers can cause digestive problems and aggravation in some people. Once you find that you do not have a sensitivity to spicy peppers, add them to more of your meals for an invigorating taste boost that also delivers pain relief.
18 – Avoid Junk Food or Natural Pain Relievers May Not Work There is a reason why junk food is called “junk” food. Processed food delivers little in the way of nutrition. The manufacturing, preserving, and packaging process of many foods that come in a wrapper, can, bag, or container strips wonderfully healthy minerals, vitamins, enzymes, and nutrients from the food you eat regularly.
This means that you may attempt to benefit from natural pain relievers like cayenne pepper, turmeric, peppermint, and ginger, but still experience chronic pain. All of those natural painkillers can only be effective if you are not wolfing down large quantities of processed foods. Refined foods, sugar, empty carbohydrates, and fast foods can block the healing power that natural pain-relieving herbs and foods deliver.
James N. Dillard, MD, is the author of The Chronic Pain Solution. He points out that, “No matter how well you prescribe medication, chronic sufferers donÕt get complete relief. It is an enormous problem, and the medical community is doing a bad job solving it.”
That is why so many people turn to natural pain relievers to augment or replace traditional chronic pain treatment. However, your efforts are being wasted if you have a diet rich in baked goods, fried foods, sugar, salt, and processed foods.
It is possible to wipe out chronic pain in your life through the use of natural herbs, spices, essential oils, and foods that have proven effective for pain relief. When you also switch your diet from processed foods to fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, your pain-relieving efforts are multiplied, and more effective.
19 – Gluten Might Be Causing Your Chronic Pain Did you know there is a protein found in many common foods that may have been silently and relentlessly attacking your health for years? If you eat bread, pasta, cereal, and any foods with wheat, and you suffer from chronic pain, gluten may just be the culprit.
The problem is, that the same doctors and health professionals who used to urge you to eat wheat now understand it could be having a devastating effect on your health and your body. Here are just a few mental and physical problems linked to a sensitivity to gluten:
¥ Autoimmune disease
¥ Anemia and weakness
¥ ADD and ADHD
¥ Neuropathic disorders
¥ Celiac disease
¥ Chronic fatigue
¥ Depression and anxiety
¥ Irritable bowel syndrome
¥ Chronic pain throughout your body
Not everyone is sensitive to gluten. Your body may break down this protein properly. In some people, on the other hand, gluten causes an inability to absorb healthy nutrients from food. That is what causes so many different health issues in someone who is gluten-sensitive.
This cause of so many crushing health problems has only been discovered relatively recently. So the pain you have experienced for years, possibly decades, may have been misdiagnosed and mistreated by your health care professional.
The good news is, that simply cutting back on or eliminating foods with gluten might solve the chronic pain problem you have been experiencing. Any foods that contain wheat have gluten. You should also avoid rye, barley, many kinds of pasta, and any food that lists gluten as a food ingredient. Try this for 30 days and you can quickly discover if you have a sensitivity to gluten, which may have been causing your chronic pain.
20 – Drinking Beer Increases Your Risk of Painful Gout Gout cases are on the rise in the United States. Gout is also a serious problem in the United Kingdom, and elsewhere around the world. WebMD reports that as much as 5% of all US adults have gout. A full 10% of all Americans aged 60 to 79 suffer from this painful condition. In the UK, 1 in every 40 adults has gout.
This wouldn’t be an issue if gout didn’t cause excruciating pain in the affected limb or joint. A searing pain and a hot, red, swollen joint is typically the first symptom. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to avoid contracting this condition which can rob you of your mobility and lead to chronic pain developing.
One study (reported by WebMD) shows that if you drink as few as 2 beers a week, you increase your odds of developing gout by 25%. Drink more beer and your rates increase accordingly. Drink 2 beers a day and you increase your chances of getting gout by a scary 200%.
This is because beer contains high levels of purines. These chemicals turn into uric acid in humans. When you take in too many purines, your gout risk rises dramatically. After the initial onset of gout, often in your big toe, knee, or elbow, other health problems can start to pop up.
The higher level of uric acid in your body from over-drinking beer can lead to the development of painful kidney stones, kidney failure, hypertension, and heart disease as well. So cut back on the beers at happy hour and have your Doctor check your uric acid level. Doing so might just allow you to avoid contracting this painful disorder.
