PAIN is the number one reason for most
patient visits Visits to an M.D., chiropractor, massage/physical/emotional
therapist etc. To cope with pain, people resort to a staggering variety
of “treatment options” from aspirin to acupuncture, from ice packs to
injections and from meditation to malted milk shakes! To find which
treatment option works best for you depends on your personality and the
source of your pain. Whether pain stems from illness or injury, people
seeking relief from pain are filling the offices of doctors and
therapists. In order to effectively deal with the wide array of “pain
types” western medicine divides pain into two main categories and
several sub-categories:
- Acute pain is usually a result
of trauma, surgery, labor or other transitory condition. While sharply
uncomfortable, acute pain is normally effectively treatable and
resolves itself with the healing of the underlying injury/condition.
Acute pain serves an important biological function, as it warns of the
potential for/or extent of injury.
- Chronic pain was once defined
as pain that extends 3 or 6 months beyond onset or beyond the expected
period of healing. However, new definitions differentiate chronic pain
from acute pain based on more than just time. Chronic pain is now
recognized as pain that extends beyond the period of healing. Chronic
pain is also defined as a persistent pain that disrupts sleep and
normal living, ceases to serve a protective function, and instead
degrades health and functional capability. Thus, unlike acute pain,
chronic pain serves no adaptive purpose.
These can be further sub-categorized as:
breakthrough pain, cancer pain (old definition used for brevity),
chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP), etc. Whatever name you give it, pain is
both physically debilitating and emotionally devastating. Research shows
that unrelieved pain can lead to a host of other problems including
anxiety, fear, sleeplessness and even suicide. It can affect digestion,
immune response, insulin levels, kidney function and virtually every
system of the body. In other words…it can slowly kill you so pain
control has assumed an ever increasing role in our many health care
systems.
How can supplements help with pain?
The best example of this is perhaps the widespread use
of glucosamine,
chondroitin and MSM. This trio of ingredients forms the basis of the
numerous formulas that have millions of people singing their praises.
The large numbers of people who have arthritis and have noticeably
reduced the pain associated with arthritis using this combination of
nutrients is testament to their effectiveness. While these substances
have had the most press, they are not the only supplements that help
relieve pain.
Inflammation is now recognized as a major component of virtually ALL
disease and pain states. Controlling inflammation is now usually the
first line of defense in managing disease and pain. Many botanicals are
known to help reduce inflammation without the dangerous side effects of
anti-inflammatorys. Some of nature’s anti-inflammatories include:
ginger, aloe vera, white willow bark, omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids,
tumeric, boswellin, bromelain, mangosteen fruit, many other herbs and
fruits and more yet to be discovered. |
|
