7 Effective, Natural Ways To Relieve Pain and Feel Your Best

Pain is one of the most pervasive and pernicious conditions that we face. We've all experienced pain in our lives and about 20 percent of the population lives with a chronic pain condition. From our joints to our muscles, to our nerves and beyond, all systems of our body are affected by pain. Fibromyalgia, arthritis, and sciatica have become commonplace words as we face these conditions ourselves or know someone we deeply care about who is suffering daily from them.

Billions of dollars are spent each year treating pain and researchers are equally invested in seeking out effective ways to relieve pain.

Today, let's go through some of the most effective pain treatments that you may not be familiar with and how they may help you to relieve your pain and find more ease in your life safely and naturally.

First, we must preface by saying this is for informational purposes only and always consult your physician before making any changes in your prescription or routine.

How We Normally Treat Pain

Billions of dollars are spent each year on over the counter and prescription pain medications to treat the slew of symptoms that affect us. While many people are dependent on the medications they are taking for pain management, most of us are aware that medications and even operations that we go through for treating our pain are not without their downsides. Over the counter drugs, like NSAIDs are known to cause gastrointestinal issues, prescription drugs like opiates carry addiction and dependency risks with them, and going under the knife always poses a risk as well.

When it comes to joint replacements and spinal fusions, we may be opting for limited mobility and strength while on borrowed time with nuts and bolts that don't stand the test of time in the same way as our organic parts do.

Research and technology are making miraculous changes in the field of medicine though and we will continuously see improvements across the board with safety in regards to medications and pain treatment procedures but it still comes down to the decision of the individual on what route they wish to go. Cost also becomes a limiting factor in many instances with medical interventions.

So whether it's because of the financial costs, or you're someone who prefers natural options wherever possible, let's now look at natural pain relief options that you may not be familiar with and how they may help in your case.

Why Natural Pain Relief?

Natural pain relief need not be ineffective pain relief.

Our bodies have innate systems in place to deal with blunting pain signals and healing injuries to our bodies.

The inflammatory response is an inherent defense system against attacks. When we are physically injured, inflammation signals the defenders to heal or kill and regenerate any cells in our bodies that were affected. This system is again activated by internal threats like pathogens when we get sick or contract a foodborne illness. Pain signals are produced as a way to protect ourselves from further damage during these attacks but also get produced by the inflammatory system as well. As most of us have experienced, short-lived pain is manageable but starts to take its more serious toll on us when it becomes a chronic and ongoing problem. Inflammation isn't supposed to linger in our body and it appears that a dysfunctional state of inflammation is linked to many chronic pain disorders. Pain researchers have shown that many of the common types of pain that we experience have a disorder with inflammation at the root of the issue.

By learning how to treat the root cause and taking proactive steps to keep up the treatments, many people can reduce their need for harmful medications or prevent the need for surgery through a holistic approach to pain relief.

Once again, always check with your doctor, but we'll go through these exciting and promising pain relief treatments and what types of conditions they may benefit you for.

Remedies You Can Use Right Now to Relieve Pain

Rule number one with making any changes is never pushing it and always check with your doctor.

Stretching or Foam Rolling

Stretching and foam rolling can often be beneficial for muscle or tendon pain. We've heard of people saying they've got a knot in their muscle or we've experienced it ourselves and there seems to be some truth to the statement. Often due to repetitive strain or injury, our muscles can form trigger points which are adhesions in the muscles. Other issues can include restrictions in the fascia that holds muscles together or scar tissue in muscles and tendons. These conditions are painful and often chronically so unless they are worked on, either on your own or with the help of a therapist. While you may not think that a simple knot in your muscle or repetitive strain could cause a debilitating issue, our body is so highly interconnected that this can often create a weak link effect where your most noticeable issue is further down the chain from where the problem originated.

Doing light stretching daily and including foam rolling in your routine are simple ways to create some more mobility in your system. Foam rolling involves putting your body weight into a soft foam tube on affected areas and rolling gently back and forth as a form of self-massage. Using props like a tennis ball, or Thera-cane can also help to access small or hard to reach areas. One area that we often neglect but can see dramatic results from is rolling out the soles of our feet. Because we are on our feet for so much of our lives and many people do not have perfect posture or wear improper shoes, researchers have shown that this can almost immediately improve the range of motion in our entire posterior chain. It's a testament to how interconnected our entire body is.

CBD Oil

CBD oil is a very promising natural remedy for many people suffering from inflammatory conditions. CBD is the non-psychoactive component of the Cannabis plant and is also often extracted from hemp. It is a powerful natural anti-inflammatory remedy that works to block pain signals through our endogenous cannabinoid system.

Both pets and people find incredible relief by including topical or ingestible CBD products. With the Cannabis industry becoming prominent, CBD research is starting to show effectiveness for a wide range of pain conditions, including arthritis, fibromyalgia, cancer-related pain, nerve pain, chronic back pain, and joint and muscle pain from sports. It also has been very beneficial for relaxing people and helping with anxiety and insomnia or sleep-related disorders.

Because of the anti-inflammatory effects with CBD, it's best to check with your doctor if you are on any other anti-inflammatory medications before trying CBD.

We sell CBD products at Flow Spa and have seen many customers able to avoid the need for medications or reduce medications by adding CBD to their routine.

Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is one of the most exciting fields of research from the past decade. This buzz-word worthy term includes things like meditation and enlightenment or transcendence but there's nothing mystical about the science of mindfulness; it is simply a way to think of present state awareness or non-judgemental thinking. Not only is mindfulness effective for reducing stress and anxiety, but research has also shown that a regular practice of mindfulness can help us to become more resilient to pain and suffering in our life. People who are trained in mindfulness are better able to block and ignore pain signals in their body, which can lead to higher levels of happiness and perceiving life more positively.

There are many free or inexpensive courses and apps for practicing mindfulness. Some that we recommend include the Waking Up app, Oak, Headspace, and Insight Timer. At Flow Spa, we also have a Muse Meditation headband which is a biofeedback device that guides your brain into a calm state using cues from nature sounds. It's free for anyone to use at the spa.

Learning how to become more mindful is a challenge for many of us, which is why several of the other safe and natural treatments for the pain we're going to suggest may help to ease you into regular mindfulness practice if it doesn't come naturally to you.

Nature Exposure

One of the ways to make mindfulness more accessible to you if you struggle with it is through getting into nature, which has also been called forest bathing. When we breathe in the fresh air of natural surroundings like in the woods or a park, the fragrances that are released from the plants and trees around us have been shown to reduce blood pressure and stress. Stress is a pro-inflammatory condition in our body, so by reducing stress in our body, we are also able to reduce a major source of chronic inflammation.

To get the greatest benefit from nature exposure, leave your phone and other devices behind, breathe deeply, and enjoy your presence in nature. If you need a phone with you for emergencies, you can put it on airplane mode.

Nature exposure can work well to help you into a mindful state because of the calming effect but also due to being a more active form of walking meditation. Try counting your paces or breathing on pace with your steps as you walk through the woods.

Treatments Worth Trying for Deeper Pain Management

Infrared Sauna

Chronic stress is pro-inflammatory and a pervasive problem in our bodies but a complete absence of stress is also not ideal for our well-being. Short, intense bouts of stress like with a hard workout, heat, or cold exposure, make our bodies adaptable and more resilient. Infrared saunas and other sauna use have been shown to help with joint and muscle pain like arthritis, as well as create a beneficial response for coping with and reducing stress. When we get exposed to intense heat like with sauna for a short period, our body responds with the same defense system that is activated during injuries, which helps us to heal and regenerate. Furthermore, the sweating that is caused by the heat helps to rid our bodies of other stressors that build up in our system, like the toxic byproducts of chronic inflammation or heavy metals and other environmental toxins.

Sauna use seems to help a lot of people who struggle with joint paint like arthritis and some circulatory conditions that lead to pain and discomfort. To get the most out of a sauna treatment protocol, it needs to be done ideally 2-3 times per week and at least once per week.

Acupuncture

As we talked about with foam rolling and stretching, adhesions throughout our bodies can lead to pain and dysfunction. Acupuncture can help to stimulate blood flow and relax adhesions to allow our bodies to move better again and reduce inflammation. While this treatment modality may not appeal to everyone, it has a wide range of benefits that may be worthwhile for you to consider looking further into. Treatments will usually start with a more frequent schedule until the pain and tension have diminished at which point less frequent maintenance sessions may be performed to prevent pain or injury from recurring.

Floatation Therapy

Floating or float therapy goes by many names, like sensory deprivation or R.E.S.T for Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy. It's the Dead Sea experience harnessed in a comfortable and private room with a pod or a float tank that's designed like a bathtub big enough for you to lie down flat on your back in without touching any sides. Within the float tank, there are only 10 or 11 inches of water with 1,000 lb. of Epsom Salt dissolved into it, allowing our bodies to float like a cork on the surface. The float rooms are dark and quiet, with optional music and lights, and the experience of laying in the super-saturated saltwater decompresses the entire body and lets the mind relax and quiet to reduce stress and anxiety. Experiences usually range from 60-to-90 minutes in length as the body needs time to decompress and reduce tension once the pressure is taken off your body.

Float therapy is one of the safest and most effective treatments for a wide variety of conditions which is why much research has been going into this amazing and relaxing experience in recent years. Clinical evidence for float therapy includes treating chronic neck and back pain, pain related to depression, reductions in stress, anxiety, and blood pressure, and ongoing research is further validating the benefits for arthritis, fibromyalgia, concussion therapy, and PTSD.

This bucket list experience for many people becomes a regular part of their routine once they realize how much it helps with reducing pain not only right after the treatment but for days and weeks at a time. Many doctors regularly rank float therapy at the top of their list of recommended treatments because of its safety and efficacy with little to no side effects. Typical frequency of treatments ranges from one to four times per month depending on the severity of pain and the need for relief.

At Flow Spa, we specialize in float therapy and have seen countless customers come in again and again for relief from pain. If you're interested in learning more about how float therapy can help you, book your first appointment today or give us a call for more information.