Chronic pain affects more than 100 million Americans every year. Recurring or chronic pain is often indicative of much larger health issues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, sciatica, and spinal stenosis.
In most cases, doctors help their patients to manage their pain, so they can live a productive life. With chronic pain, the cause is often progressive- it will continue to get worse over time.
When the diagnosis involves continuing and increasingly intense care, researching alternative health care can provide you with treatment options that can slow down or halt the progression of the disease.
- Pain Medications No Longer Work to Sufficiently Control Pain.Taking pain medications for long periods of time can cause the body to need more and more of the drug to remain effective. Many patients who continually deal with chronic pain may decide to choose alternative therapies and treatments to avoid increasing the amount of medications they take.
Once a medicine begins to become ineffective, the only recourse is to increase the dosage each time it is taken. Too many prescription drugs can cause other health issues on top of the chronic condition causing the pain. - Severe Side Effects from Medications or Other Treatments.Certain medications can have severe side effects. They can cause headaches, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, disorientation and drowsiness. The more medications a person takes, the higher risk of one or more medications counteracting another. This can be disastrous if not caught right away.
Side effects and contraindications are common among prescription medications. They can also occur with natural remedies as well, but the instances are few and far between. - To Avoid Surgery, If at All Possible.Some conditions progress to the point where surgery may be recommended in an attempt to control pain. The risks involved with having surgery, however, are often greater than the benefits of the surgery.
In some cases, surgery can create scar tissue that will end up causing just as much or more discomfort than the original condition. With chronic conditions, surgery may be recommended as a last resort. Chronic conditions can cause the body to weaken making surgery a risky choice. - Lost Faith in Conventional Care.When an individual is treated for the same condition for several years with little to no overall improvement, they can become discouraged with the level of care they are receiving.
When a person is no longer being helped by one type of medication or treatment, they will seek other forms of treatment. For example, a person who is suffering from debilitating forms of arthritis may choose to use massage therapy and herbal supplements to control their pain, inflammation, and discomfort. - Natural Remedies Offer Additional Benefits.Natural remedies offer many benefits over and above what they can do for a single issue. A person who takes a specific herb or combination of herbs to reduce inflammation and control pain will also get an abundance of vitamins and nutrients.
While a person is taking a remedy for a specific condition, the benefits of that remedy work on the body as a whole. Massage therapy not only reduces pain and inflammation, it also improves circulation and flushes toxins from the body.
Herbal supplements offer nutritional benefits without the need for additives and preservatives. - Alternative Healing Methods Address the Cause, Not the Symptoms.The main difference between alternative therapies and conventional forms of medical treatment is how they work.
Prescription medications are designed to serve a specific purpose and control a specific group of symptoms. Natural remedies also have properties that work to alleviate symptoms, but the difference is in how the person is treated.
A natural health practitioner looks at the person as a whole, and determines what is causing the symptoms to occur. By discovering and treating the original condition, the symptoms will eventually diminish.
If the condition is chronic the symptoms may not go away, but their progression may be dramatically slowed or halted altogether. - Alternative Therapies Takes into Account Mental, Physical, and Emotional States of the Body.Conventional doctors normally only take into account a person's physical symptoms. A natural health practitioner, on the other hand, considers the mental and emotional state as well.
A person who is under high levels of stress may be susceptible to chronic health conditions. By relieving stress and allowing a person to relax, symptoms associated with chronic conditions can be reduced.
