People have turned for centuries to herbs, oils, and alternative medicine to help pain. Some people prefer natural remedies because they lack artificial chemicals, but others prefer them because they often save money. There are sufficient devotees of natural remedies that there are college courses that can provide a doctorate in naturopathic medicine.
How Does Pain Occur?
To understand pain relief, it can be helpful to understand how pain occurs. When a body part is injured, the body tissue in that area releases chemicals near the injured leg. Those chemicals will irritate the end of the pain nerves. Next, the nerves send a pain message to the spinal cord and then to the brain.
When the body tissue heals, the chemicals stop flowing, and the pain signals are contained. It may interest you that the body’s response to a trauma – like an auto crash – will send a burst of adrenaline through the body. That adrenaline influx can temporarily decrease pain symptoms. Natural remedies seek to invoke relief in a similarly natural way.
Natural Herbs Taken by Mouth
One cost-effective spice many people use for pain relief is clove oil. Cloves have a spicy smell and are known for relief tooth and gum pain. Ginger is another piquant spice often made into tea and used to ease muscle aches from arthritis. One more spice that has been gaining in popularity for pain control and inflammation relief is turmeric. Turmeric is often placed in capsules or mixed into tea.
Willow bark is taken directly from white willow trees, as its name implies. Willow bark is a salicylate – which means it acts similarly to aspirin. Boswellia is a resin (also called Indian frankincense) that effectively relieves muscle aches from arthritis. A dietary element shown to reduce pain is the cost-effective use of polyunsaturated fatty acids (like sunflower and corn oils, as well as fish oils).
Natural Topicals and Inhalations
Essential oils, like rosemary and peppermint oils, have been shown to relieve inflammation and pain by manual application to the pain site. Peppermint oil is often applied to the forehead and temples to penetrate the sinuses and provide relief for headaches. Capsaicin has also been increasing in popularity for arthritis relief. Capsaicin gel originates from chili peppers; the same heat you experience when you eat chili will penetrate your muscles to relieve pain.
One of the most well-known substances to inhale for natural pain relief is marijuana. There has been a recent increase in the legal uses of medical marijuana. For example, Florida is home to 800,000 users of medical marijuana. One less controversial and very inexpensive plant used for inhalation is eucalyptus, the main ingredient in a popular menthol inhalation rubbed on the chest.
Other Natural Pain Relief Methods
If the pain involves an injury to your muscles, you should consider consulting a chiropractor to help with pain relief. 35 million Americans visit chiropractors yearly. Chiropractors utilize natural methods, including massage, cold compresses, and spinal adjustment. Another popular natural method is acupuncture, which uses tiny needles placed strategically on specific points in the body.
Many other people find pain relief by practicing yoga – or other methods of contemplative movement like tai chi. These practices use breath control and meditation to stretch their muscles and relieve tension and pain gently. The breathing and meditative movements will allow dissipation of pain signals, leading to pain relief.
An internet search can help you discover other types of natural pain relief. Many people who feel challenged by today’s high medication costs have embraced the use of herbal and alternative medicines. If you try the above suggestions, you will soon find a reduction in both your pain and your medication costs.
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