Natural Pain Relief Safety & Benefits

Pain can be experienced as a result of old age, physical illness, extensive exercise, overwork, heavy lifting, strained muscles or broken bones. Pain triggers a region of the brain known as the lateral occipital complex, reducing a person's ability to concentrate and accurately recognize images, i.e. our ability to think and perceive properly. Pain also interferes with our ability to cope with life emotionally, e.g. sadness, irritation and perhaps depression and hopelessness. Supermarkets and pharmacies have aisles and aisles of pills, powders and bandages to help with pain relief. Some common pain relief medication can cause mild side effects like drowsiness or nausea. Other pain relief medications are prescribed and can have even more serious side effects. Drugs like vicodin and percocet are prescription, heavy duty narcotic pain relief pills that are addictive and dangerous if not taken carefully. New studies suggest those drugs that block pain could also be stimulating receptors that cause pain as well.

A safer option for society's pain relief is the variety of all natural products. These all natural products aid in pain relief for muscle and joint pain, as well as relax the body for a general improvement of the body and soul. Some examples of natural pain relief products are vitamins, supplements, herbs, ointments, creams and even bath formulas to reduce inflammation

Both glucosamine and chondroiton are a nutritional approach to maintaining the fluids needed to lubricate joints and cartilage. . Glucosamine is an amino found in the body that stimulates growth of new cartilage and can also help to reduce joint pain. People using glucosamine experienced as much pain relief as those taking over-the-counter medications. Antioxidants such as glutathione can help tissue recover from inflammation. The antioxidant acetyl-cystine, a precursor to glutathione, can reduce pain from nerve damage. There are widely known natural and herbal remedies for pain relief. These include varying amounts and combinations of "Devil's Claw", Willow Bark, Boswellia, Camomile, Bromelain, Oil of Oregano, Cayenne Pepper, Nettle leaf, St. John's Wort, arnica gel, celadrin, hyaluronic acid, collagen, msm and natural pain relief formulas to reduce neuropathic pain.

Bromelain is particularly useful for reducing muscle and tissue inflammation and as a digestive aid. Supplements are made from enzymes found in the pineapple stem. Bromelain is believed to be an effective blood thinner and anti-inflammatory that works by breaking down fibrin, a blood-clotting protein that can interfere with good circulation and stop tissues from releasing used material and toxins properly. Bromelain also blocks the production of compounds that can cause swelling and pain. When inflammation is reduced, blood can move more easily to a traumatized area, Bomelain can help reduce muscle and joint pain, reduce swelling, bruising, redness and drain excess fluid from the injured area.

Sleep disturbance is one of the most common experiences for people with chronic pain. It may not always be that the pain itself prevents a good night's sleep. Some studies suggest that poor sleep makes the pain worse. In fact, one study in healthy men found they grew more sensitive to painful stimuli when deprived of sleep. There are many natural sleep aids available to facilitate a good night's sleep that do not carry the risk of morning after drowsiness, dependence, or impaired thinking or physical ability.

As mentioned earlier, pain can also interfere with one's ability to cope emotionally, concentrate, and perceive properly. Pain may arouse fear, sadness, irritation, moderate depression and decrease one's ability to give and hold attention. There are a wide variety of natural supplements and formulas to help increase oxygen and serotonin to our brain to help us remain calm and alert. These natural supplements include may also be pain relieving as well as mood enhancing at the same time e.g. St. John's Wort, acytl-cystine, and other antioxidants and amino acids that improve general circulation and promote healing as well as enhancing brain function.

Hydrotherapy, i.e. the use of water for relieving stress, tension, and muscle aches, is an ancient and widely used form of natural pain relief. There are natural elements that can be added to our warm, soaking baths to increase water's natural ability to relieve pain. There are also many aromatherapy bath products, e.g. sea salts, minerals, and oils, that not only help with pain relief but also provide therapeutic aromas that help soothe our emotional well being and emotional ability to cope with pain.

There are many topical and ingestion natural supplements and formulas available to help us relieve and cope with pain. These natural substances do not present a risk of harmful or unwanted side effects e.g. dependence, drowsiness, pain increase, etc., as do some prescription synthetic drugs. Natural pain relief supplements can actually help eliminate the source and cause of pain, i.e. aid healing, as well as reducing the feeling and experience of pain. Often natural pain relief supplements provide additional benefits, beyond pain relief, for improving our overall health in general.