Natural Medicine for Effective Pain Relief


By Robert Lee, ND, MS, MA P


ain is by far the most common medical condition people ex- perience and the #1 reason for doctor visits. Pain can impact people in so many ways, be long lasting, and make people desperate. But there is hope for relief from pain.


In the United States, we have created opioid and pain epi- demics because of our failure to treat pain without using addictive drugs. Recently this has begun to change. Standard guidelines for various pain conditions around the world have begun shifting toward an integrative medical approach. Within these guidelines, conventional strategies (drugs, surgeries) are combined with natu- ral or complementary and integrative approaches as well as thera- pies to improve mental-emotional and social health. Within some guidelines (e.g., American College of Physicians 2017 Non-spe- cific Low Back Pain Guidelines), it is recommended that specific complementary therapies be tried before conventional methods.


Several complementary treatments have been shown to im-


prove the health of people in pain as well as drugs with fewer side effects. Large studies offering people with pain access to multiple complementary and integrative practitioners have also reported up to 2-3 fold benefits over conventional care alone. (For a complete research report on natural therapies for different pain conditions [including specific forms of musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, headache, neurological, and pelvic pain] please visit http://www. thelifecenterofct.com/tlcprpresearch.)


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Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Relief Let's focus on the basics of chronic musculoskeletal pain relief. Chronic musculoskeletal pain means that a muscle, bone and/or joint has been hurting you for over 3 months. If you have chronic musculoskeletal pain, it's best to keep active even when it’s difficult.


Exercise is essential to pain relief. Start by gently stretching and massaging tight muscles. Strengthen weak muscles and gently move the joint in all direc- tions. Utilize hot packs/baths regularly and ice packs if pain flares. Remember to keep moving with your activities of daily living and gradually increase exercise (i.e., graded exercise).


Try to incorporate multiple exercise modalities such as walk-


ing, interval training, strength training, sports, stretching, yoga, tai chi, hiking, and swimming to maintain activity and motivation while decreasing strain on the affected area. Specific forms of exercise are proven effective for certain types of pain.


• Yoga, core strengthening, Pilates and/or tai chi for low back pain,


• Tai chi and agility exercises for knee pain, • Postural exercises and semi-supine technique for neck pain, • Nordic walking for hip arthritis, • Mobility exercises for shoulder and hip pain, and • Nerve flossing exercises for arm or leg pain.


Primary care providers, orthopedists/sport medicine doctors,


physical therapists, chiropractors and naturopathic physicians can help find the right exercises for you.


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See a healthcare practitioner that specializes in manual therapy. These practitioners include most chiropractors, many natu- ropathic doctors and physical therapists, doctors of osteopathy specializing in manual therapy, and some medical doctors special- izing in physiatry. Request gentler forms of manual therapy (such as cranial sacral therapy) if you are weary of spinal manipulations or have medical conditions that restrict its usage (such as osteopo- rosis). Regular massage therapy from a licensed massage therapist (LMT) can also help.


Try acupuncture through a licensed practitioner. This ancient Chinese modality is proven helpful for various


types of chronic pain including but not limited to neck, back, car- pal tunnel and headaches. Shiatsu massage or at home acupres- sure may also be helpful.


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