Do you sacrifice your health to avoid pain?
It has been found that some medications, including Motrin, Naproxen, Voltaren also known as Diclofenac (and many others), increase the risk of stroke and heart attack, both of which can lead to death. This increased risk occurs even with short term use and even in individuals without preexisting heart problems. The FDA recently issued a somewhat strong warning about the use of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) which the above named and more fall under this class.
NSAIDs are broadly used over the counter for fever/pain/swelling and are broadly used across the country as household staples in the medicine cabinet. Thankfully there has been an increase in warning labels placed on a popular pain reliever, Tylenol, however unfortunately many Americans are likely at a loss for what to do for pain. There are solutions though that do not create new life threatening problems.
If you want to use natural supplements; here are 5 tips I may suggest to naturally relieve pain:
- Eliminate ALL refined sugar from your diet. Sugar is one of the most inflammatory substances you can ingest. Eating sugar is like throwing gasoline on a fire which is your inflammation. Saying no to sugar is the most important favor you can do for your body to help it heal.
- Eat less than 75 grams of carbohydrates per day. The human body turns carbohydrates into sugar. You can easily discover very high levels of pain and inflammation in people who take in refined carbohydrates in quantities beyond 75 grams. To eliminate the high intake of carbs first reduce the intake and replace them with high quality proteins and good fats which help rebuild tissues!
- Add essential oils: Essential oils are a phenomenal way to help reduce your pain. Whether topically but also internally many high quality essential oils can be used . A fantastic essential oil for lowering inflammation is Frankincense. There are also some pre-mixed essential oil products such as topical Deep Blue rub made by DoTerra.
- Use Natural Supplements: There is an art to determining what supplements are correct for you. This is best determined with the help of your practitioner. The supplements I find that have the broadest application to pain are the Herb Boswellia, Cataplex ACP by Standard Process (a must have in your medicine cabinet for pain and swelling) and Drenemin/Min-Tran from Standard Process.
- Get adequate sleep: We intuitively know that sleep is necessary for recovery, however the majority of patients we have seen do not getting adequate sleep. The majority of people need 8 plus hours of sleep a night for optimum regeneration of tissues, however this may vary slightly in a minority of individuals.
The majority of medications, including pain relievers, masks symptoms rather than treat dysfunction. Pain and inflammation is a warning sign that the body is in distress. Although taking a pill may provide short term relief, in the long run it can actually increase your level of pain and dysfunction over time.
Here I personally look for the Root Cause not the Symptoms for the reason you are in pain. We then offer Natural Interventions that will assist the body in healing and repairing, naturally. You don’t have to suffer! You also don’t have to sacrifice your health to avoid pain. If you are in pain, come in sooner rather than later. We can help.
Yours in Health
