In recent years, science’s understanding of pain management has undergone a remarkable shift. Where once it was a ‘one pill fits all’ mentality from the medical profession and beyond, now there’s increasing concurrence that a more holistic approach to pain management and reduction sees the most positive outcomes.
This isn’t what some unfairly assume to be a hippy-dippy approach, involving realignment of various energies, microdosing crystals and hoping for the best. Instead, it’s an all encompassing approach to lifestyle, health and ultimately, any discomfort you’re suffering, via physical, psychological and medical channels.
Though medical intervention is the only route to managing some pain, especially if you suffer from chronic pain that comes with serious conditions like spondylodysplastic EDS, fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis, some lesser pains can be managed with holistic methods. With that in mind, here are 4 natural ways to manage pain as part of a holistic approach.
ACUPUNCTURE
Harnessing the power of traditional Chinese medicine to treat pain has seen huge popularity in ‘the West’ in recent years, with acupuncture in particular available on high streets up and down the land, as well as via specialist practitioners online at the click of a button.
‘’But that’s just someone sticking needles in you, isn’t it?’’.
Au countraire. Or, as they say in China; ‘反之’. Dating back to 100 BC, acupuncture works by stimulating various sensory nerves which lie under the skin and muscles with a needle in order to trigger the release of endorphins which relieve pain.
Acupuncture is considered by those who practice it to be an effective means of restoring harmony between the body’s energy centres, and a useful tool in pain management for patients. According to the technique, the areas that appear to be lacking in energy are replenished.
Scientific understanding of acupuncture works on the hypothesis that every puncture of the skin produces a minute injury, barely perceptible, which invoke a response from the immune system that takes charge of wound healing and ultimately, pain management.
If you’re looking to try out acupuncture, make sure you do so with a medically licensed practitioner; the British Acupuncture Council are the UK’s regulatory body, and a simple post code search on their website will tell you of registered specialists in your area.
GUA SHA
This therapeutic practice which literally translates as ‘scraping’ also descends from Eastern Chinese Medicine. It focuses on attaining ‘sha’, the red complexion following a deep, scrubbing cleanse which indicates the flow of oxygen, blood and energy have been redirected to this region. This flow is said to promote healing in the body.
A qualified practitioner should administer the scrubbing technique as many factors could affect its efficiency. Also, when performed too vigorously, the person could injure their skin and underlying tissues.
Essentially a sports massage but using a specially designed scraping stone (which is carved from semi precious stone and has both curved and flat surfaces), a study on the NICE website concluded that Gua Sha appears to be an acceptable, safe, and effective treatment for patients with chronic low back pain.
THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE
Therapeutic massage is a general term which refers to any type of massage that’s performed with the goal of removing or alleviating pain, or to reduce stress. And that’s what we’re here for, right?
As the guys at Brixton Therapy Centre, providers of massage in Streatham, Clapham & Herne Hill tell us, when done professionally, massage has the potential to be a beneficial technique to alleviate pain, able to ”treat a specific injury or allow you to just float away”.
It also looks to promote relaxation and wellbeing in that holistic way, in order to prime the body to fight future causes of pain and stress. To get all scientific, therapeutic massage is a mobilisation of the soft tissues in order to induce relaxation, but you knew that already, right?
The massage’s deep pressure transmits impulses to the brain that encourage the muscles to relax. Proprioceptors are tiny pressure sensors in the skin and joints that detect pressure changes and feedback loops. The longer the massage lasts, the more information reaches the client’s brain, resulting in an overall soothing effect.
Other types of massage including sports massage, deep tissue massage and remedial massage can all be used for pain relief, too, with specialist equipment often used in the delivery of these disciplines. For example, massage guns can relieve tension in a concentrated area, whilst massage scrappers can provide deeper reach to massage tissues than some conventional methods.
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MINDFULNESS BASED STRESS REDUCTION
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR for short) is a meditative-like approach which encourages the user to be present in each moment and aware of their thoughts, emotions, environment, and the internal and external factors contributing to that.
For individuals, stiff muscles attributed to a stressful lifestyle may cause pain. When these individuals learn to regulate their stress and associated emotions, they are able to relieve their pain. Learning to handle these aspects could be extremely gratifying and motivating for the client, who now has some sense of control over their pain.
Though MBSR itself is a carefully designed, evidence based 8 week program developed in the 1970s and adopted by medical associations worldwide, its principles can be applied to everyday life succinctly.
In nurturing a greater awareness of the present, and dialing into and channeling our feelings more implicitly, it’s said that those adopting the technique develop and intuitive understanding of the triggers to their pain, particularly mental.
BOTTOM LINE
Though these approaches can be incredibly useful to some sufferers in the management of pain, and the avoidance of medication is appealing, it’s essential that you always consult a reliable medical practitioner before using any alternative therapies.
Not everyone will have the same level of success with each method, and some people choose to combine different approaches in order to get their desired level of comfort. Combined with prescriptions where necessary, we hope you find some solace in these methods.