Just Heal With It: 3 Natural Treatments for Chronic Pain

Many, many thanks to Jackie for providing this excellent post. :-) Visit her at hyper-tidy.com.

If you live with the symptoms of chronic pain, you are already well aware of exactly how disruptive and debilitating it can be. Everything from the weather outside to the foods we eat can trigger excruciating pain. Persistent, ongoing pain episodes can prevent you from enjoying your favorite activities. Even worse, your symptoms can linger for weeks, months, years, or even decades.
 
Some forms of chronic pain - such as migraine headaches - are among the most common health conditions in the world. Unfortunately, many over-the-counter and prescription pain medications are not helpful in completely relieving chronic pain symptoms. This is leading to an epidemic in abuse of pain relief medications.
 
Luckily, there are still ways that you can manage your chronic pain symptoms - possibly even without turning to medications. Here are some natural solutions and lifestyle changes that might provide you some much-needed light at the end of the tunnel:

1. Switch to safer cleaning products
   One step in managing your symptoms is to reduce the amount of chemicals and toxins in your home. Not only is this better for the environment and healthier for your family; it’s also less likely to trigger a pain episode.
   
   Research shows us that chemicals and toxins are triggers for chronic pain. Natural cleaning products such as essential oils, do not contain these harmful chemicals and toxins.
   
   According to Dr. Amy Neuzil, ND, “Many viruses can become chronic and often show up as non-specific symptoms or diseases” which might include fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue or even chronic pain. This is why chemical-free household cleaners and naturally-derived essential oils, such as four thieves or eucalyptus, can be especially useful to those of us with chronic pain.
   
   
2. Use natural pain killers
   As anyone with chronic pain already knows, pain medications don’t always work and can lead to addiction. Switching to natural pain killers helps you to feel better without having to worry about addiction or putting harmful chemicals into your body. For instance, marjoram essential oil has been used for generations to reduce pain and ease muscle cramps - among other things.
   
   
3. Ask for help
   Simple chores such as cleaning your home can be surprisingly difficult when you are living with chronic pain. Try to keep your home as tidy and manageable as possible, but give yourself permission to ask for help if you need it. See if a friend or family member will help you, or consider hiring a housekeeper. Do whatever you can to relieve yourself of some pain and worry.
   
   To help reduce stress, experts suggest minimizing your workload whenever possible. If it is within your budget, you might want to consider hiring help with particularly painful and/or difficult household tasks. This might include chores such as high dusting, vacuuming, or giving the dog a bath. If you are unable to afford a housekeeper, you may want to ask a trusted friend, family member, or loved one if they might be able to help you. Our loved ones don’t want to watch us suffer, and there’s a good chance that someone you know might be willing to assist.

 
These are just a few of the ways that you can begin to heal your body from chronic pain. Although some chronic pain conditions clear up on their own, others might last a lifetime. It is important to manage your symptoms and help your body heal itself, so that you can get back to a quality of life that you enjoy.



Photo courtesy of Unsplash by Angie Franklin
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