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Relieve Pain Naturally, 5 steps

Relieve pain naturally by taking these 5 simple steps

1. Sleep

Not getting enough sleep actually lowers pain tolerance.  It’s been proposed that less than optimal sleep may increase inflammation, making stimuli that usually are not painful become painful.  Getting caught up on sleep may reduce systemic or whole body inflammation.  The body heals during sleep, thereby keeping inflammation in check.  If you have an actual injury, sleep is required to heal completely.  Chronic pain states, such as chronic low back pain and fibromyalgia, are linked with both lower quality sleep and getting less sleep. There are many ways to improve sleep quality and quantity.   I suggest Five Steps to Hacking Your Sleep to give you some ideas about improving sleep. Just sleeping well makes a noticeable difference in pain levels.   Do not underestimate sleep.

2. Curcumin

Curcumin is a component of a spice called turmeric.  Turmeric is often used in Indian and south Asian dishes to enhance flavor and add color,  so unless you eat lots of Indian or Asian food, you’re not getting any curcumin in your diet. Curcumin has proven anti-inflammatory properties that have been shown to be just as effective as ibuprofen in relieving pain from knee osteoarthritis  pain and improving function .   As a proven anti-inflammatory, curcumin can be used to treat any type of pain that has an inflammatory component.   An added benefit of this spice is that there are no side effects.   Where ibuprofen and other NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are tough on the digestive tract, curcumin is not.   It’s safe to take over a long period of time. One study looked at 25 people taking 8000 mg of curcumin for three months and found no toxicity of curcumin even with this high dose.

Note that you should not mix curcumin with blood thinners.   If you have gallstones, curcumin may make them worse. Generally patients are advised to take 1000 mg of curcumin to ease joint or muscle pain.   It works better if taken with pepper as this helps absorption.   Talk to your physician prior to starting on any supplement.

3. Glucosamine Chondroitin

Glucosamine and chondroitin are natural substances found in the body. Glucosamine is an amino sugar found in cartilage and connective tissue. Chondroitin sulfate is a carbohydrate that helps articular cartilage (cartilage at the end of long bones where the joint is formed) retain water.   When used together, these substances have been shown to decrease pain associated with osteoarthritis.   In addition, these supplements may slow the arthritic degeneration of joints.   I recommend you take a look at the book  The Arthritis Cure by Jason Theodosakis.   This is an excellent book written by a medical doctor that explains how the combination of proper exercise and supplementation with glucosamine and chondroitin can decrease or eliminate arthritic pain and even stop the progression of joint degeneration.   There is substantial research evidence concerning the beneficial effects of glucosamine/chondroitin on arthritic symptoms. The majority of this research comes from Europe and Germany, so it is not as readily recognized in the United States.   (Research concerning these substances from the United States tends to not be as positive compared to the European studies.   The reasons are beyond the scope of this article but likely have to do with the fact that glucosamine/chondroitin is classified as a supplement as opposed to a drug; therefore, there is less money to be made due to the inability by the FDA to regulate the sale of glucosamine/chondroitin.)   While the traditional NSAIDS used to treat arthritis are well known for side effects (see previous article), glucosamine/chondroitin has no known significant side effects.   If you suffer from low back, hip, or knee pain that is attributable to osteoarthritis, look  into using glucosamine/chondroitin.   This study  (GAIT trial) shows the benefits of this supplement compared to traditional NSAIDS.  Dosages that provide benefit are discussed as well.  Again, consult with your physician prior to taking any supplements.

4. Exercise

As I’ve discussed in previous articles, exercise and its effect on decreasing pain has been studied extensively.   In a research paper that pooled the results of thirty-three separate studies looking at exercise for pain relief in patients that had arthritic pain or pain from fibromyalgia, it was concluded that exercise resulted in clinically important improvements in pain and physical function. This type of study, called a meta-analysis, looks at a number of studies on the same topic to reach a general consensus. This type of evidence is stronger compared to looking at only one or two studies because there could be, and likely are, other studies that contradict the findings of a small number of studies.   So the take home message is:   Exercise is definitely effective at reducing pain related to arthritic conditions and fibromyalgia.   It is also effective at improving physical function.   Beginning a simple walking program three days a week is a great place to start.

That’s all well and good, but does exercise help people who have low back pain? The answer is yes.   Exercise therapy has been shown to be effective at reducing pain and improving function in patients with chronic low back pain.   A graded activity program that consists of a progression of exercises and movement patterns has been shown to reduce time off work in occupational settings.  Take home message:  If you have chronic low back pain, consistent exercise will reduce pain and improve function.   From an occupational standpoint, a consistent exercise program will result in less time off work because of pain. Why wouldn’t you exercise if you’re in pain?   Probably because you’re worried about exercise causing more pain or you don’t know what to do.   Or the classic go to excuse, ‘I don’t have time.’   Start walking for fifteen to thirty minutes three days a week.   Now you know what to do; if you don’t have time for this, make time!

5. Foods with anti-inflammatory properties

Eating foods with anti-inflammatory properties has proven to reduce whole body, systemic inflammation.   When there is less inflammation in your body, less pain is felt.   It’s that simple.   Excessive inflammation reduces pain thresholds,  meaning pain is more easily felt compared to if inflammation is absent.   In addition,  excess inflammation is linked to heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, aging, and even cancer.   Too much inflammation wreaks havoc on your body.   Keeping inflammation in check not only reduces pain, but it makes your entire body more healthy.   The best way to keep inflammation in check, in addition to sleep, is to eat foods that have proven anti-inflammatory properties. These foods reduce inflammation within the body and are easy to incorporate into your diet.   Some examples of foods with high anti-inflammatory properties are:

Blueberries
Salmon
Tuna
Flaxseed
Walnuts
Kiwi
Olives

It’s also a good idea to cook with extra virgin olive oil and canola oil, which contain omega-3 fatty acids, providing further anti-inflammatory effects on the body.   As you can see, these food items are common, easy to find, very enjoyable and don’t break the bank, making it that much easier to incorporate into your diet, thereby helping to reduce pain and improve your health.

So there you have it –  five ways to naturally decrease pain that are backed by scientific evidence. I suggest adopting one or two of these practices for at least two months.   When you get to the two-month mark, reevaluate your pain and activity levels.   The one or two practices you will have adopted will be part of your lifestyle now.   If needed, you can adopt one or two other strategies or stick with what you’re doing if satisfied.   If exercise is one of the interventions you’ve initiated, you can progress the exercise program to include resistance training, longer walks, and/or any other exercise modalities. The possibilities are endless, so boredom is not an excuse.   I do not recommend trying to do four or five things at once; this will set you up for failure because it becomes overwhelming to make so many changes in a short period of time.   So again, focus on one or two things for two months, reassess where you are and enjoy being in less pain!

If you are looking for more tips to eliminate your pain, sign up for one of our FREE pain relief guides or give us a call today at 928-589-1172!