Are you suffering from pain and wondering how you can better manage it without resorting to medical treatments? While your first reaction may be to reach for a bottle of pills when bothered by pain, there are more natural ways to treat it. Using medication on a regular basis means you are putting yourself at risk of various side effects, interactions with other prescription medications you may be taking, and problems associated with the habitual use or addiction. There are a number of natural painkillers you can use and natural treatments to take advantage of. Here are some ideas if you want to try a more natural route when it comes to managing pain.
Meditation
You may be worried that meditation is a little too complicated for a novice. However, you’ll be pleased to know it’s truly not that difficult! There is no specific way you have to do it, although you will find a lot of information online introducing different techniques and giving instructions. It’s even possible to download a daily meditation app. Meditation is about focusing your mind in order to achieve a mentally clear and calm state. A common approach is to think of a particular sound, close your eyes, sit still and comfortably and to repeat the sound in your mind. Don’t worry if your mind wanders, as this is only natural. When it happens, realise it and refocus on the sound again.
Exercise
Our bodies produce a natural painkiller when we exercise. Endorphins, for example, increase your pain threshold and therefore change your perception of pain. If you feel you’re in too much pain to exercise, then the advice is to start slowly. Perhaps a short walk or other light exercise to start with before building up to something more strenuous. The activity you choose should get your blood pumping for a reasonable length of time so that the endorphins can be released into your system.
Essential Oils
There a great number of benefits from using essential oils, and relieving pain is one that has been recognised for many years, by many different cultures. They can be used in a variety of ways, and a popular way to benefit from them at home is to use them in a diffuser. They can also be added to massage oil and enjoyed as part of a therapeutic massage. Heaven and Earth Massage in Waltham Cross is one such practitioner.
Heat Therapy
Applying heat to the area that is painful has been shown to help in many cases. It could be a hot-water bottle, a heating pad, a hot bath or a heating blanket. The heat works in two ways to relieve pain. First, it increases the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the area that is damaged. It also suppresses pain signals. Aromatherapy can be added to this type of therapy by adding essential oils to the method being used.
Another natural painkiller is the great outdoors. Just a quarter of an hour every day will help your body to produce Vitamin D. Low levels of this vitamin in the body are thought to contribute to or worsen chronic pain.