I am not stranger to chronic pain. I have dealt with it for most of my adult life and it varies from tolerable (what people would often say is a 4 on the pain scale) to over the top (that would be an 11). In fact, today, as I write this, I want to rip my leg off because the pain is so bad I feel like a small elf is stabbing me in the thigh, foot and calves. I know that’s a bit graphic, but if you suffer from chronic pain, you totally get my need to be.
I don’t like to use the opiods that are often prescribed for someone in my position for a couple of reasons: I can’t stand how loopy they make me feel. I can’t write, think or do anything when I am on them and since I am the only one that drives in my family, it means I often can’t just take one and relax. The second reason I don’t like them is admittedly, I am getting sick of people in the medical field treating me like I am an addict simply because I am in pain and believe I deserve to not be. (What a crazy concept.)
But mostly, I have grown fond of natural ways to treat pain and for me, this may involve sticking myself out on a limb to try things some may say are a bit weird. When you are in pain, you do what it takes to not feel it and get on with your day, so weird is good with me. I only care if it works.
Here are some ways that I have found to help me with my chronic pain symptoms that you may be trying as well and maybe, there is one or two here you haven’t.
Natural Ways to Deal with Chronic Pain Without Medications
Yoga- I do lots of yoga for the simple reason that it helps me maintain fluidity in my joints and muscles. On days when I don’t do yoga, I definitely feel it! Yoga is great because you can do as little or as much as you need and it can be as simple as 10 minutes of it a day to make a difference. And if you have limited mobility, here are some tips for doing yoga with limited mobility.
Turmeric- This is a root that has a pretty distinctive taste and I am lucky I like the flavor. Lots of people don’t though and for them, the answer is capsules. I still take Turmeric capsules daily, because I don’t want to eat turmeric every day and it gives me a good dose of it.
Biomat therapy- I am blessed to own a biomat. If you have never heard of one, it is a mat that in my case is full body length and it works with Far Infrared Light (the kind you get from the sun) heat and amethysts. It contains the stones throughout the mat and these are said to release negative ions. The mat has a control panel that you can turn on for a timer and control the heat setting. I find that this mat works very well for many types of pain I feel. Find out more information on how biomats work here. And, soon, I will have a post that just talks about my experience with it and how it helps me.
Mindfulness- I do this to center myself so I can take the focus off the pain and instead to a place that is much more controlled. I found that I was growing frustrated with pain taking over my thoughts so I started meditating when and where I could when the pain would get almost unbearable.
Whatever you choose to do with your chronic pain management, I hope these things can help you feel better in your day to day journey!
This is good advice! Managing severe, relentless pain is a timeless struggle. It’s really nice to read about remedies that work for different people. Nice job! Thanks so much for sharing!
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As a nurse practitioner who has had pain from generalized arthritis and treating pain patients in my practice, the only two things you mentioned are yoga and mindfulness. There have been documented clinical trials indicating these 2 modalities are effective. The other things you mentioned are just snake oil.
Hi Debra, Different things work for different people. My biomat works amazingly for me and has dramatically improved my life so I don’t agree that it is snakeoil. There are clinical trials that indicate that FIR heat is very effective in treating pain. I am careful not to suggest snake oil things as I don’t believe in them myself. Turmeric has also been proven effective in some people as well. My Doctor was the one who recommended it to me. I did some research on it with documented trials when I started it and personally also find it effective. No ways for treating pain will be effective for all people, but if this information can help some, I provide it. As a;ways, I think folks should check with a practitioner before starting any health treatment, but keep in mind that different practitioners will recommend different things and that is OK. Thanks for your comments.