Pain is an ever present part of our lives.  It’s also what sends most of us looking for medical care or natural remedies.  Enter any natural food store, and you will see shelves and shelves of pain relief options.  How do these work, do they even work?  Where does one start on a search for natural pain relief?  

What is Pain? 

According to Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, pain is,

“an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience arising from actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage. … Acute pain occurs with an injury of illness; is often accompanied by anxiety, diaphoreses [sweating], nausea, and vital sign changes such as tachycardia [rapid heart rate] or hypertension; and should end after the noxious stimulus in removed or any organ damage heals.  Chronic or persistent pain is discomfort that lasts beyond the normal healing period.”

Let’s tease out a few key points from this definition.  First, pain includes both physical and emotional components.  Second, there is a difference between acute and chronic pain.  Finally, chronic pain lasts beyond healing.

When we look a bit deeper into what pain is, we can see that utilizing only one strategy for pain relief is an incomplete treatment.

General Strategies for Addressing Pain: 

If pain is multifactorial, what different basic strategies can we explore for addressing pain? 

Grin and Bear it: 

Obviously, this strategy has its limitations and is not very popular with increasing levels of pain, but with short-term and less intense pain, this strategy can be useful.

Get Rid of it: 

Numbing the pain can also have its uses.  This works best in short-term situations and with more intense pain.  Most of the agents capable of numbing one to intense pain have more side effects and can be quite addictive, so care is needed here. 

Facilitate Tissue Healing: 

This is a great strategy to be used with other strategies.  If pain is the result of tissue damage, then healing the tissues makes pretty good sense.

Prevent Chronic Pain: 

We often don’t think of preventing chronic pain, but now that patients are being encouraged to get up and move as soon as possible after surgery, we are seeing this idea become more main stream.  Healing the tissues is part of this, but also ensuring that they heal properly without compromising range of motion, blood flow, and nerve function is also key. 

Address the Emotional Component of Pain

This will also fit squarely into the category of preventing chronic pain, but will also help facilitate tissue healing.  It’s a middle ground between grin and bear it and numbing out.  Here with the help of trained professionals, intense inner work, and the support of our social networks, we can process the emotional component of pain allowing us to heal more fully and hopefully prevent conditions such as PTSD, fibromyalgia, anxiety, depression, and other chronic manifestations of pain. 

Natural Methods of Pain Relief: 

Anti-Inflammatories -

Anti-inflammatory herbs should be saved for chronic conditions where inflammation is our of control.  We need inflammation for healing.  Too much is a bad thing just as too little is.  So, instead of popping an ibuprofen when you twist your ankle, think about other methods of reducing swelling (hydrotherapy, elevation, gentle movement).

Herbal anti-inflammatories include: Boswelia, Calendula, Chamomile, Ginger, Licorice, Marshmallow, Turmeric and many others

Analgesics -

Analgesics are substances that reduce your sensation of pain.  Most with the exception of meadowsweet and willow tend to also be sedating, so take care. 

Herbal analgesics - California poppy, Corydalis, Cannabis, Kava Kava, Meadowsweet, Valerian, Wild Lettuce, Willow

Anti-spasmodics -

When pain is due to muscle spasms, calming the muscle fibers can be the ticket.  If you are prone to muscle spasms, you will want to consult your medical provider about any possible nutrient deficiencies such as magnesium, potassium, or calcium.

Herbal antispasmodics - Chamomile, Cramp bark, Dong quai, Kava Kava, Lobelia, Peppermint, Skullcap, thyme, Valerian.

Anti-rheumatics - 

These are herbs that help reduce pain and inflammation in joints specifically: 

Herbal anti-rheumatics - Boswelia, Burdock, Cat’s claw, Juniper, Licorice, Rosemary, Willow

Homeopathic Medications -

Step into a health food store, and you are bound to come across those displays of little blue or green tubes with funny names and a line about what symptoms they treat.  Please do not be sucked in to the simplicity that is advertised.  Homeopathy is an entire system of medicine and is much more complex and specific than what you see on the surface.  Before you engage with homeopathic remedies at the store, please consult a trained homeopath or practitioner trained in homeopathy (I’m in the second category there).  There are thousands of remedies and they are used to treat your individual expression of an illness, not the condition itself. 

Topical Medications -

Topical medications are mostly used to create a counter-irritation phenomenon increasing blood flow and reducing pain.  You can read more about this in my article on nettle stings and arthritis. 

Hydrotherapy -

Hydrotherapy is a method of using hot and cold water to increase and direct circulation.  This can be very helpful with swollen painful joints, wounds, and even your whole immune system.  There are many different treatments to try, but at home, a great place to start is with alternating hot and cold compresses.  Here you take a compress that is as hot as you can tolerate (no burning) and hold it on the area for 5 minutes.  Then you take a compress that is as cold as you can stand it (don’t cause pain) and hold it there for 1 minute.  Do this for 3 cycles 2-3 times daily or more if desired.  Do not use this treatment over open or infected wounds, over surgical sites, or with broken bones without first consulting your medical provider. 

Bodywork and Exercise -

These natural remedies take a bit more work but are vital in healing.  Both help increase blood flow, stimulate tissue repair, and help you heal without compromising your range of motion or function.  If your injury was due to an accident, exercise can be vital for helping you prevent future injury by strengthening your muscles, stabilizing your joints, and helping you increase your body awareness.

For those with chronic pain like myself, these two areas can be difficult.  I pursued training in  craniosacral therapy and offer this treatment because it is the only treatment my body will gladly receive without increasing my pain.  Through regular craniosacral therapy treatment, I can now exercise regularly which is also decreasing my pain, strengthening my joints, and actually reversing some of the damage done by my arthritis.  And they said I would be in a wheelchair at 30 and on toxic medications for my life - ha!

I hope this has been a good overview and introduction to natural pain management for you.  Next time you are in need of a good pain plan, I hope you turn to this list and make sure you are giving yourself the best opportunity to heal.

As always, if you would like to work with me, you can see options for this on my scheduling page.  I can treat people in person in my Troutdale office or via telemedicine as long as they are physically within the state of Oregon.  Helping people with pain is what I love to do above all else. 

To our health!