What is Alternative Pain Relief?

Western medicine relies primarily on pharmaceuticals to alleviate pain, but in some cases this isn’t effective, interferes with other treatments or causes unpleasant side effects.  Alternative pain relief is then sought – but what is exactly defines alternative pain relief?  There are several different options you can look into.  What may surprise you is that many of these aren’t new at all, but are based on techniques that have been practiced in other cultures for thousands of years.

Acupuncture is the use of hair-thin needles inserted into the skin at strategic points on the body to stimulate the “qi” or the energy flow along certain meridians in order to trigger pain relief and immune system response.  Among the changes the body goes through during acupuncture are increased blood flow, stimulation of the central nervous system, biochemical changes at the cellular level and the release of endorphins.  Acupuncture is particularly good for treating chronic pain, although it will usually take between five and ten sessions before you see real results.  It is sometimes covered by insurance, but not always, so it can be expensive to get acupuncture treatments.  Be sure to get this form of alternative pain relief from a licensed acupuncture practitioner.  Some people are averse to acupuncture because, although the needles are extremely thin and virtually painless, they can’t overcome their fear of needles.  You must also visit an acupuncturist at regularly scheduled times and assume about an hour for each session.

Physical Therapy can help reduce pain for some people, although most will go through a period of time when they feel worse before they begin to feel better.  This is simply because they have to push themselves physically to get their bodies to perform tasks they probably haven’t done in quite some time in order to stretch and retrain the muscles and tendons and become limber again.  Keep in mind that physical therapy should be done only under the supervision of a doctor and professional physical therapist.  Physical therapy is most effective for alternative pain relief in cases where the pain is related to improper movement and alignments, in which case the physical therapy can retrain individuals to move properly and help them stretch and strengthen their muscles.

Electric Stimulation involves using electric current to stimulate particular nerve groups to relieve pain.   The most common form of this is the use of a TENS unit (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation unit).  The TENS unit is a battery operated device that is attached by small electrodes to the skin near the painful area.  Low-voltage current stimulates the nerves in the area and sends pulsating signals to the brain that essentially scramble the normal pain signals.  The feeling is reported by most patients to be a rather pleasant tingling, massage-like feeling during the treatment, although the pain relieving effect can last for hours after treatment.  You must have a prescription from your doctor for a TENS unit, so talk to her to see if this alternative pain relief option might work for you. 

Biofeedback uses the power of your own mind to control your body.  By using relaxation techniques, you can learn to lower your blood pressure, increase blood circulation and release and relax tight, cramped muscles to encourage pain relief.  Biofeedback needs to be learned from a professional, usually a licensed therapist, and takes several sessions to learn effectively.  It is most effective for stress-related pain such as tension headaches and neck, back and shoulder pain that has become chronic in nature.  There is also currently work being done with biofeedback and migraine pain.

Homeopathic Medicine is one of the more controversial methods of alternative pain relief, but has been proven effective in some cases.  Based on the principle of “like cures like,” homeopathic medicines uses minute amounts of substances in very dilute quantities that cause the same symptoms as the original illness or symptom itself so that the body will be triggered into initiating self-healing responses.  Because the active ingredients are diluted, there are no side effects; however, you will sometimes feel slightly worse before you feel better.  This indicates that your body is responding to the treatment and is preparing to begin the healing response.  Homeopathic medicine is not covered by health insurance, but it is inexpensive and doesn’t require a prescription, so you can find it at many natural remedy stores and health food stores.

Magnetic Pain Relief is becoming quite popular as an alternative pain relief method.  Medical-grade magnets are placed over painful areas of the body where they act on abnormally firing nerve fibers that produce the dull, aching sensation associated with chronic pain.  The magnets block the pain signal by disrupting the sodium and potassium ions, returning neurons in the affected nerve fibers to latency.   Magnetic therapy has several advantages, including their ease of use.  You can apply the magnets to your skin and leave them in place for hours, going about your daily routine without being aware that they are even there.  They are small, comfortable and can be worn easily under clothing.   Although they aren’t covered by insurance, they are relatively inexpensive and reusable, making them inexpensive.  The pain relief of magnetic therapy is almost immediate – in most cases, you’ll feel it within five minutes of applying the magnets to the affected area.  There are also no side effects to magnetic pain relief – you simply apply them to your body and forget them.

With so many alternative pain relief options, you should carefully research and find the one that works best for you.  Soon your chronic pain will be a thing of the past.