Pain is more than familiar in every sense of the word and you can either pop pills or suck it up, right? Wrong!
There are great hacks to deal with pain without doing either of those and they won’t make a hole in your wallet either. How about we get some hands-on experience and practice pain relief following simple steps like the ones listed below:
- Rejuvenating Massage
Massages do more than just helping you relax; they are a great way to alleviate tension headaches, neck pain, backache, fibromyalgia, and surgery-related discomfort. Massage therapies boost endorphin and serotonin levels, which are the body’s mood stabilizers and natural painkillers. What’s more? A relaxing massage reduces stress hormones levels a great deal; considering we live in a fast-paced society, this is definitely a necessity.
This practice of puncturing your body with tiny needles might be ancient but effective. Focused on correcting energy imbalances in the body, acupuncture points affect the interaction of the amino acid called adenosine, which kicks into action after an injury to ease the pain.
Besides helping with the pain, acupuncture improves the functioning of the nervous system and musculoskeletal system. This ancient practice of pain relief works great in controlling rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, sciatica, fibromyalgia, chronic back pain, headaches, and migraines.
Relaxation is not complete unless you’ve taken to yoga for its calming and healing postures, which go deeper than the “ohms” and complex postures. More than 10 million Americans have switched from run-of-the-mill hardcore exercises to this ancient mind-and-body discipline.
Noticeably, people with lower back pain experienced a 40% pain reduction, and a marked 46% reduction in depression-like symptoms according to a well-circulated journal (Spine). Yoga has known to be effective in managing migraines, lower back pain, and arthritis.
- Qigong and Tai Chi
Qigong is a Chinese healing art that combines breathing, meditation, and movement exercises. According to research, the movements associated with this technique can be as effective as prescription painkillers if performed accurately.
In a study conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, women with fibromyalgia noticed less pain after practicing qigong. Even tai chi has a lot to offer to people suffering from fibromyalgia. Though researchers are yet to understand the mechanism completely, tai chi is known in easing musculoskeletal pain.
- Herbal Alternatives
Not all herbal medications work the same way with everyone, but it’s worth a shot if you don’t fancy taking too many pain relief prescription medications. You could check with a licensed healthcare practitioner before going ahead if necessary. Fish oil and turmeric are great anti-inflammatory agents and can be found right at home. Fish oil is believed to alleviate pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis.
You can treat achy joints by consuming two teaspoons of turmeric and one teaspoon of grated ginger every day with a pinch of black pepper which helps with absorption. This works like a natural supplement to ibuprofen and can be made in your kitchen.
Managing Pain the Basic Way
Prescription medication can help with pain relief without a doubt, but if you can control the pain without reaching out for that bottle of codeine, it’s worth the effort. Sometimes, all it takes to tackle pain effectively is exercising and eating right.
Tags: acupressure, acupuncture, heal, healing, health, injuries, injury, manage pain, massage, pain, tai chi, Yoga
