Pain Meds can be helpful if you experience pain caused by a strain or an injury, but for people who live with chronic pain, those meds can become dangerous over time. They can damage your liver, they can cause you to become addicted and as your body gets used to them, you may need more and more of a certain type of pain-killer to get any relief.
What else can we do to help quiet that awful, sometimes debilitating pain? For some, acupuncture is a great help, for others, exercise like Yoga, Tai Chi and gentle stretching can help. Unfortunately these alternative are often overlooked by the Medical field. The problem can be found when mainstream Physicians don’t have the data to back up claims of pain relief using these alternative therapies. Even though they may use some of these resources themselves, without the research, for some Doctors it’s still safer to prescribe medication.
That is changing. Recently Web Md shared the results of a study specifically about alternative ways to relieve pain .The goal of this study was to help physicians understand and quantify the alternative treatments for chronic pain.
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Safe, Effective Ways to Relieve Pain Without Meds
Approaches such as acupuncture, massage and tai chi may ease discomfort
WebMD News from HealthDay
By Robert Preidt
HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Sept. 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Popular drug-free methods of managing pain from such common conditions as headaches and arthritis appear to be effective, according to a new review.
Millions of Americans seek pain relief through such alternatives as acupuncture, tai chi and yoga. But there has been little information to help doctors make recommendations about these approaches.
“For many Americans who suffer from chronic pain, medications may not completely relieve pain and can produce unwanted side effects. As a result, many people may turn to nondrug approaches to help manage their pain,” study lead author Richard Nahin said in a U.S. government news release.
“Our goal for this study was to provide relevant, high-quality information for primary care providers and for patients who suffer from chronic pain,” Nahin added. He is lead epidemiologist at the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH).
Researchers reviewed 105 U.S.-based clinical trials from the past 50 years.
Several alternative approaches showed promise for providing safe and effective pain relief. They included acupuncture and yoga for back pain; acupuncture and tai chi for osteoarthritis of the knee; and relaxation techniques for severe headaches and migraine. Results of massage therapy for short-term relief of neck pain were also promising.
Evidence was weaker in some cases. The study found massage therapy, spinal manipulation and osteopathic manipulation might help relieve back pain while relaxation therapy and tai chi might help people with fibromyalgia.
The study was published Sept. 1 in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
“These data can equip providers and patients with the information they need to have informed conversations regarding nondrug approaches for treatment of specific pain conditions,” said David Shurtleff, the NCCIH’s deputy director.”
I have clients who only call me when the pain is acute. I can help them somewhat, but when I see these same clients on a regular basis, I can often keep their pain from becoming worse, and sometimes keep it away for days at a time. Often, if they are not suffering with a chronic disease, I am able to work with them to find the actual source of their pain, and work on that area. Pain is not always a good indicator of what the specific problem is, it’s a good indicator that there’s a problem, but often pain travels. Treating just the pain will not always remedy the problem. Treating the problem is what will help alleviate the pain.
Val Boonstra
