Coping with Chronic Pain
Contributed by Jackie Waters
Living with chronic pain can drain you physically and emotionally. It’s normal to experience frustration when you’re unable to do the things you used to do. Aching muscles, sore joints, and fatigue are just a few of the symptoms chronic pain sufferers deal with on a daily basis. Whether you have fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, or any other disease that causes pain, you know that such a condition transforms your life into a day-to-day battle. If you’ve recently been diagnosed with a chronic pain condition, read these tips to help you cope.
What Is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain is any pain that lasts more than six months. People can experience chronic pain for a number of reasons. It may be triggered by an injury or even a sickness. Often, there is no apparent cause for the pain. In the past, doctors thought pain was always the result of a disease or undiagnosed injury. As a result, doctors concentrated on treating the cause of the pain. They believed curing the cause would automatically eliminate the problem. If the patient wasn’t cured, doctors sometimes told patients that they were imagining their pain. Fortunately, today’s medical professionals realize that chronic pain is a disease and not some phantom pain inside a patient’s head.
Over-the-Counter and Prescription Painkillers
In the past, traditional methods of treating chronic pain typically included over-the-counter and prescription painkillers. But the negatives far outweigh the positives. Using prescription painkillers can lead to liver failure and stomach ulcers. And it’s easy to become addicted to painkillers as well. Doctors now recognize that alternative treatments help reduce the symptoms associated with chronic pain. Even better, these alternative treatments don’t lead to addiction or other negative effects.
Give Your Body a Rest at Home
It’s okay to take breaks to help relieve chronic pain. While you rest, let others help you get things done. Ask a friend or family member to run an errand for you. Another option to consider is calling a professional on occasion to take care of a home project, like doing yard work or cleaning the house. You can find a service within your budget by searching online. If you absolutely need to do your own cleaning, look for a vacuum that’s lightweight and easily maneuvered so you don’t strain yourself.
Exercise
If you want to treat chronic pain using natural methods, incorporate exercise into your daily life. When you are physically active, the body releases natural hormones called endorphins that work as natural painkillers. Endorphins affect brain receptors, changing the way we perceive pain.
Before you begin an exercise regimen, discuss your plans with your physician. As long as your doctor says it’s okay, start a gradual exercise routine. Do easy stretches each day. If you find your joints are sore and tight, try taking a warm bath or shower before beginning your workout. Yoga, tai chi and Pilates are all gentle forms of exercise that help some chronic pain sufferers. And, of course, you can’t go wrong with good, old-fashioned walking!
Combine a Balanced Diet with Natural Supplements
Incorporating more vegetables and whole, clean foods into your diet makes you healthier. A healthy diet can help reduce inflammation in your body, which is linked to chronic pain. Additionally, probiotic foods and supplements can help your body and mind become healthier by boosting the immune system, aiding in digestion, and increasing emotional health. Probiotics contain good strains of microbes that work in your gut, and since around 95 percent of all your microbes are in your gut, it’s especially important to take care of it.
Acupuncture and Other Natural Therapies
Some people with chronic pain experience relief through acupuncture. It’s an ancient Chinese healing method where tiny, thin needles are inserted into specific parts of the body to relieve pain and stimulate healing. Other natural therapies may include massage or relaxation therapy. Some pain sufferers benefit from guided imagery, when a trained professional teaches you to focus your mind on specific images so you’re not concentrating on the pain you feel.
Just because you’ve recently been diagnosed with a chronic pain condition doesn’t mean you need to give up on an active lifestyle. Talk with your physician and devise a strategy to combat your chronic pain. As you incorporate lifestyle changes and investigate various therapies and treatments, you just might find the right combination that will help you alleviate your pain triggers and place you on the road to a happier, pain-free life.