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10 Natural Solutions for Chronic Pain Management

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Both the causes and the treatments for chronic pain vary immensely. Human beings have been developing techniques for chronic pain management since before the Buddha was around. Some of the solutions on this list are more versatile, while others are specific only to certain types of chronic pain. What you go with should depend on where your pain is coming from and what your resources are for managing the problem.

Nerve damage, back problems, and anxiety are some of the most common causes of chronic pain in adults.

1. Physical Therapy 

(Effectiveness 9/10)

Physical therapy is an umbrella of techniques for chronic pain management that includes solutions from all over the world and all throughout history. This is a growing field in our country. As the population of the U.S (and abroad) ages, physical therapy jobs are predicted to skyrocket 28% by 2026 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Here are a few types of physical therapy that might be helpful to you and your chronic pain problems depending on your exact situation.

• Functional Patterns — scoliosis, back problems, all ages.
• Pediatric Physical Therapy — growing pains, congenital problems, children and teenagers.
• Geriatric Physical Therapy — problem prevention, weakened muscles, older adults.
• Vestibular Rehabilitation — vertigo, dizziness, all ages.

2. Traditional Chinese Medicine

(Effectiveness 7/10)

TCM is based on a system that studies and addresses problems in qi, or ‘vital energy’. This 3000-year-old field includes acupuncture, ear candling, cupping, reiki, shiatsu, and many other practices. Qi is often compared to the concept of “prana” in Indian Ayurvedic medicine.

These practices all work on qi through different tools. While acupuncture uses needles, Reiki uses the qi inside one’s own body without need for actual touch. Shiatsu can best be considered a type of massage therapy based on the TCM system of qi. 

3. Acupuncture

(Effectiveness 7/10 )

Acupuncture wasn’t taken seriously by Western science for the entire 20th century. Today, it receives the respect it is due thanks to widespread video testimonials and the support of widely recognized personalities. 

One place you can find traditional acupuncture practices in our part of the world is in maternity and OBGYN complement services. Acupuncture has been shown to help babies with colic. 

Colic is intense chronic crying that does not stem from the usual things, but rather seems like an expression of pain. Restless mothers in Japan have been poking their children’s hands with tiny needles to combat this for hundreds of years. It is only recently, however, that American labs have studied this phenomenon at depth. 

A study that was originally published in Acupuncture in Medicine, acupuncture was done on the hands of sleeping babies to an astounding effect. 

Of those babies who were poked on L14, a spot on the hand, it was found that a significant majority of babies who received treatment stopped crying faster than the placebo group. Impressively, about 60% of the tiny subjects did not cry at all throughout the acupuncture. 

4. Shiatsu

(Effectiveness 4/10)

The word shiatsu means finger pressure. However, shiatsu therapy may also use elbows, knees, and rotating force for the purpose of addressing problems in key points around the body. It can be used for more than just muscular problems. Traditional belief holds that shiatsu health benefits include headache relief, stress and anxiety relief, and relief from pregnancy discomfort.

Like much of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), shiatsu is based on reharmonizing the body’s energy flow. The TCM healing philosophy has extended to encompass traditional practices in countries like Japan and Korea. 

5. Reiki

(Effectiveness 3/10 )

Reiki is another TCM based on qi— the vital energy that circulates throughout our body. Reiki is attributed to Japanese Zen monk Mikao Usui. He is said to have developed it after reaching satori or enlightenment in 1922. 

Reiki calls for moving the qi inside a practitioner’s body outward and into the hands. The hands are then placed over the body of the “patient” in an effort to move energy into a more balanced state. 

6. Wim Hof Method

(Effectiveness 9/10)

Wim Hof Method is a way to toughen up your body and mind using cold exposure and breathing techniques. It is a new process that has elevated some practitioners to the point of being able to fight off e.Coli using mental and breathing techniques. Bear in mind that this practice is more intensive than others on this list, it is quite powerful, but it carries risk if done incorrectly.

WHM can attack chronic pain at the source by reducing inflammation dramatically.

Arthritis and other inflammatory diseases are a common source of chronic pain. Frigid water and ice water offer major health benefits as a means of prevention as well as recovery. Ice baths can also provide us a relatively safe means of triggering the natural flight or flight response that our evolutionary history has become reliant on for healthy development. 

7. Psychological Treatment

(Effectiveness 7/10)

Mental anguish can make physical pain worse. That is why tips and tricks to reduce anxiety can be so important for somebody living with chronic pain. Many of these tips and tricks come from the field of psychology. 

Talk therapy can help minimize physical pain by keeping it from invading other parts of your life such as your relationship with your friends, family, and coworkers. The problem with chronic pain is often not the pain itself, but the feedback loop of consequences it can trigger. These problems include lack of sleep, depression, and irritability.

8. Lifestyle Change

(Effectiveness 8/10)

Einstein once said “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.” One of the best things you can do for your overall health if you are suffering is change your daily habits.

Many people are averse to change, especially folks in pain. Hopelessness makes problems much harder to solve. Referring back to the psychological treatment, developing the right attitude can make a world of difference in beating chronic pain. Hope is the virtue with the strongest correlation to life satisfaction. 

Healthy lifestyle changes that might help:

• Take up a hobby. Any hobby
• Ride a bike
• Start practicing yoga
• If you already practice yoga, start practicing it in the park

9. Dietary Change

(Effectiveness 7/10)

If you experience chronic pain but don’t want to adjust your whole life, why not just this one part of it? 

Eating a Mediterranean diet, for example, can reduce inflammation of the joints and fight arthritis. To restore balance to your mood, you could try drinking a minimum of eight cups of water a day. To fight pain directly, you could try teas and supplements such as oolong, kava, and CBD.  

10. CBD for Chronic Pain Management

(Effectiveness 10/10)

Not only is CBD good for chronic pain management, but it is also a great tool for overall health. CBD can be good for losing weight, hormonal balance, heart health, skin rejuvenation, diabetes prevention, and even healthy hair. This has been an increasingly important supplement in the cabinets of health influencers such as Dr. Axe since 2010.

Another of the important health benefits of hemp seed oil is to cool down inflammation. This can be achieved by taking CBD oil or applying a CBD-infused topical cream to your affected areas, such as joints or muscles. CBD oil can help those with chronic pain due to pinched nerves, arthritis, and chronic stress.

Our pharmaceutical-grade CBD is made in a non-GMO facility with eco-friendly standards and zero contaminants such as heavy metals and pesticides. 

To find out how you can boost your mental and physical well-being, find our exceptional CBD oils, hemp flowers, topical creams, and gummies here.