Living with chronic pain can make it difficult to perform even the most basic daily tasks, such as walking outside or climbing a flight of stairs. Those who experience chronic pain often turn to hospital treatments and different medications to better manage their condition. Although seeking medical attention is the most common way to address pain, it’s also costly and troublesome, especially for those who don’t have a lot of time to visit a hospital.
Thankfully, alternative methods other than medical treatments are available to help you manage pain better. These alternative treatments can be less expensive and more convenient than going to a doctor every time the pain becomes unbearable.
If you’re looking for other ways to help you alleviate your pain, then consider the following:
- Use CBD
Using marijuana for medical purposes has become increasingly popular in recent years. It’s known to help treat certain health conditions, like anxiety, insomnia, and chronic pain. Check out an online headshop like Everything for 420 for smoking accessories. Cannabinoids (CBD) is a chemical extracted from the cannabis plant. It induces a feeling of relief and relaxation without the euphoric effects usually experienced from marijuana use, according to Learning CBD.
This chemical compound works by intercepting specific receptors in the endocannabinoid system (ECS) located in the brain. This system is responsible for a broad spectrum of biological and physiological processes, such as pain management, mood, and sleep. When you use CBD, the pain you experience will considerably lessen depending on how much dosage you’re taking.
There are different CBD types for managing pain, so you can choose which product will be most comfortable for you to use.
- Go For A Massage
Getting a massage can also help lessen the pain you experience in certain parts of your body. Massage works by applying pressure and calculated strokes along the affected area, helping reduce inflammation and restore blood flow throughout the body.
A massage can give the same results as taking an aspirin or ibuprofen and it’s non-invasive, which makes it a good alternative or supplement for pain management. Those who usually suffer from back pain, muscle pain, or joint pain caused by exercise and other forms of daily activities can benefit from a massage.
- Try Acupuncture
Acupuncture is an alternative treatment based on traditional Chinese medicine, wherein tiny needles are inserted into meridian points in the body. This procedure aims to correct the imbalances of energy in the body, which are believed to cause or worsen the pain.
The purpose of acupuncture is to help the body produce endorphins, which is the body’s natural pain-killer, while also triggering serotonin production, which is a chemical responsible for regulating mood. The better the production of these hormones in the body, the better you’ll be able to manage pain.
- Practice Meditation
Meditation also has a lot of possible benefits to the mind and body. Your state of mind greatly influences your perception of pain, and meditation can help you better assess stressful conditions.
Incorporating meditation into your lifestyle may help control pain. The better your mind interprets pain, the lesser it’ll impact your life negatively.
- Exercise Regularly
Although it may seem harmful to exercise when you’re already experiencing pain, regular physical activity may actually ease your health condition. Your muscles tend to get weaker without proper exercise, which results in more pain in the body.
Exercising may help produce more endorphins, which is a hormone that boosts your mood and soothes pain. When your endorphin levels are high, you’re less likely to notice the pain you have in your body.
- Don’t Drink Or Smoke
Those who endure chronic pain may find comfort from drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes to help alleviate their symptoms temporarily. However, these can be bad for your health condition in the long run.
Smoking has many detrimental health effects, including increasing your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, degenerative disk disease, heart attack, or stroke, all of which can be a source of chronic pain.
On the other hand, alcohol can affect the quality of your sleep, which can trigger chronic pain. If you turn to alcoholic beverages to fall asleep, then you better make some switches before it permanently causes harmful effects in your body. Exchange a glass of alcohol for a cup of warm tea or milk to help you go to bed soundly.
Takeaway
Chronic pain is different for everybody–it can be tolerable for some but unbearable for others. How you deal with the pain you experience can make all the difference between letting it control your life or not.
If you think alternative treatments will be a better course of action than scheduling weekly visits to the doctor or drinking a handful of medicine, then don’t be afraid to try other methods to ease your pain. The better you manage your pain, the better your quality of life will be.
