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Conventional Pain Relief Treatment |
Conventional treatments in areas of
chronic pain relief, have been primarily through
pharmaceutical medications.
Among the most popular are non-opioid
analgesics. These include
popular over-the-counter products,
like acetaminophen
and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs (NSAID's), such as ibuprofen,
naproxen and aspirin. All are
used for the treatment of mild to
moderate pain. Excessive doses can
cause toxic effects on the liver and
kidney. Another classification of
medicinals used are of the opioid,
or narcotic, variety. These
opioid agents
bind to opioid receptors in the
central nervous system and can
control either acute pain after
injury or surgery, or chronic and
severe pains,
such as those resulting from cancer
and other diseases.
For acute pain relief,
morphine is usually delivered
intravenously or intramuscularly.
Other opioids include codeine, and
the synthetic agents methadone and oxycodone. Opioids
may be administered in the elderly
with extreme precaution,
infants, and those with kidney,
respiratory, or liver diseases.
In
all cases, however, dosage is guided by
frequent monitoring of pain levels,
respiratory rate, and blood
pressure. Adverse reactions, or side effects, of morphine and other opioids
may manifest as constipation, nausea, or respiratory
depression. Physical dependence can
also be a danger
[5].
Non-drug alternatives for pain
relief in conventional medicine can
range from non-invasive approaches
like physical therapy; including
manual therapy, therapeutic exercise
and modalities like ultrasound, to
spinal surgery and the implanting
of electrical stimulators.
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Acupuncture Pain Relief Therapy |
Acupuncture has
provided analgesia for acute and
chronic pain for thousands of years
in China. Past clinical and
experimental studies show
an estimated 70 percent level of pain relief
in comparison to placebo [6,
7]. Objective evidence of this analgesic
effect has also been provided by EEG
evoked-potential studies [8].
Different
types of electrical stimulation
devices have been used successfully for pain
relief. In particular, transcutaneous electrical nerve
simulation (TENS) has become
increasingly popular for home-based therapy.
This method of therapy utilizes pads attached
over the area of pain, or clips
attached to the ear lobe (for
central nervous system control), and
a small control unit attached to the
belt. [9].
Psychological strategies for pain
management include both cognitive and
behavioral skills and include; focusing and relaxation training,
and preparatory information, used to
develop control in conditions like
chronic low back pain, irritable
bowel syndrome, cancer, migraine
headaches and rheumatic conditions [10]. Hypnosis has also been successful in
inducing a deep relaxation state,
which directs focus to
relieve a specific area of pain [11].
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Supplements for Pain Relief |
Botanical
agents have traditionally been used
to provide pain relief throughout
the world for thousands of years.
Today these same natural sources
still provide us with safer alternatives to
pharmaceutical drugs.
Capsaicin
Capsaicin, the
active ingredient of cayenne or red
pepper, has been a successful topically
applied (0.025% or 0.075% in a cream
base)
Pain Relief cream for a number of
chronic conditions.
Research supports its effectiveness
in reducing the pain of
post-herpetic neuralgia (the chronic
pain persisting after the healing of
shingles lesions), trigeminal
neuralgia (facial pain),
post-mastectomy pain, pain due to
chemotherapy or radiation, diabetic
neuropathy, cluster headaches, and
arthritis [12].
Kava
Kava, an herb known for its sedative
effect, was also demonstrated to
have analgesic effect, although
through a mechanism different from
opiate and non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs [13].
Ginger
The analgesic
effect of ginger in
experimental mammalian studies,
suggest that it may operate like capsaicin in
inhibiting the release of the
neurotransmitter Substance P [14]. In studies on rheumatoid arthritis
and migraine headache, ginger had
marked anti-inflammatory effect,
with 75% of arthritis patients and
100 % of patient with muscular
discomfort experiencing
relief in pain or swelling
[15].
Curcumin
(Turmeric)
Curcumin, the active ingredient of
turmeric, has been used in the
Ayurvedic medical tradition of India
for
topical
pain relief,
also operating like capsaicin to
deplete the nerve endings of
Substance P [16].
Angelica
The Chinese herb angelica
(known in Chinese as tang-kuei),
through its pain-relieving and
muscle-relaxing acitivity, has
demonstrated an analgesic action 1.7
times that of aspirin [17].
Historically, angelica has treated
such conditions as uterine cramps,
trauma, headaches, and arthritis [18].
Corydalis
The Chinese herb yan hu
su, or
corydalis, has traditionally been
used
like the opiates morphine and
codeine for
neurological
pain relief.
It has also been used for the
pain associated with headaches, low
back, abdomen, arthritis, and dysmenorrhea
[19].
White Willow Bark
The active
ingredient of white willow bark is salicin,
from which aspirin (acetylsalicylic
acid) is formed. White willow bark
has been a traditional native
American herbal agent, used for controlling
painful conditions like
osteoarthritis [20].
D-phenylalanine
The amino acid
D-phenylalanine, through its
promotion of the endorphin pathway,
has demonstrated positive effects in
relieving post-surgical lower
back pain, osteoarthritis, whiplash,
rheumatoid arthritis, fibrositis and
migraine headaches [21].
L-tryptophan
L-tryptophan, another amino acid,
has raised pain tolerance threshold
in numerous experimental and
clinical studies of acute and
chronic pain conditions [22].
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Learn More About Pain Relief |
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