Pain is a message from the body that you are having trouble in a particular area. Without pain, you would remain unaware of health problems and would never know when the body needed help with healing or repair.
Disease, injury and strenuous activity may cause pain in the affected body part, signaling that damage has occurred and regeneration is needed. It also signals that we need rest so that tissues can be repaired and further damage prevented. We also suffer emotional injury, which more times than not maybe at the root of disease and or injury. Ever know someone that was so distracted by their emotional pain or confusion about life that they seemed "an accident waiting to happen?"
It is well known and understood that to be alive means that we will suffer pain. What isn't as well understood is why some people seem to suffer more intensely with their pain than others. Pain produces a feeling of anxiety and this anxiety intensifies pain. Fear of a problem, physical or emotional, real or imagined, and anticipation of the pain can also heighten the sense of pain, therefore those with an uneasy mind will suffer more acutely and or chronically with pain. This is not to say that when someone says they are experiencing pain, just because they maybe appear anxious, they are not in pain- they indeed are. The question then becomes how can one relieve or or reduce the direct causes of pain and their feelings of anxiety that seem to be adding to their pain?
Of course if you are suffering some kind of serious chronic or acute pain from injury or disease it is important that you check in with your medical doctor. The answers may come from this source they may not, but it is important to not ignore this source.
Many individuals will repeatedly reach for a variety of over-the-counter pain relievers, aspirin, Tylenol or ibueprofins for pain relief. In spite of the fact that these pain relievers only mask symptoms, they are okay if used sparingly and not on a regular basis. These medications will not get at the root cause of your pain- so before you reach the point of needing professional help some self examination of your work, life style, play and habits maybe in order.
What does one take in their place? For headache try feverfew, especially for migraine pain, lobelia, fenugreek for sinus like pain or burdock root. Therapeutic massage is one of the best muscle relaxant and headache cures money can buy, regardless of the root cause.
For generalized aches and pains try bosewella. A unique Indian herb that addresses a wide variety of pain in the body. It is also good for arthritic pain, or try some glucosamine sulfate which not only relieves pain, but has been proven to help rebuild and regenerate joint surfaces.
For pain or distress in the gastrointestinal tract, try a digestive enzyme, ginger tea, or mint. All of these remedies have healing affects on the mucous lining of the gut. In the meantime, maybe take a look at what caused the indigestion in the first place?
Other natural pain relievers are vitamin C and digestive enzymes that act as natural antinflamatories, germanium an herb, and DL phenylalanine an amino acid that alters pain response in the brain.
Lastly, but certainly not least, massage has been known for centuries to relieve pain and its associated states of anxiety. The affects of a good massage can last for days, and does help alleviate the root cause of may ailments that plague the human body and mind.
Till next time, Rebecca.