Living with pain impacts your quality of life. It can reduce your quality of sleep, affect your mood & mental health & influence your food choices. How you experience pain is unique to you. Your perception & response to pain input, your recovery time & your ability to “carry on”, all differ from person to person.
There are many types & causes of pain
Pain types include nerve, bone, visceral & somatic. You can also experience multiple types of pains at once. Acute pain is usually short term & has a known cause, perhaps you have stubbed your toe or sprained your wrist. When pain lingers for longer than three months it becomes classified as chronic.
Three of the most common pains that people seek help for:
Back Pain: Topical oils or creams that are warming may help relieve lower back pain. An Epsom salt or magnesium bath can be a good way to soothe a sore back. Choosing the correct supplement can relax a tight feeling back.
Arthritis: Kunzea balm may feel very soothing on arthritic joints, while adding collagen that includes fortigel can be a longer acting solution.
Headaches: Aromatherapy – a combination of lavender & peppermint oils may be very helpful to some or try placing an icepack at the base of your neck. Retreating to a dark, quiet space & focusing on your breath may be exactly what you need.
Inhibiting & suppressing inflammation is key to managing your pain
Inflammatory mediators include cytokines, neurotransmitters, growth factors & neuropeptides. They activate pain receptors & transmit pain signals. Inflammatory processes result in further degradation of tissues & progressive damage results in increased pain.
Pain can even rewire your brain.
Looking at your life holistically, discovering what can be contributing to pain & improving them, can really improve your quality of life.
Natural medicine has some wonderful remedies to reduce pain & inflammation. Herbs that can help include Turmeric, Boswellia, SPMS, White willow, Ginger, Jamaican dogwood & Devil’s claw.
Nutraceuticals like magnesium, PEA (Palmitoylethanolamide), collagen, vitamin C & antioxidants can be both anti-inflammatory & reduce free radical damage to cells.
Topical treatments like Arnica, Emu Oil, PEA & magnesium can help provide relief too. Supporting collagen & connective tissue is very important, especially after injury. Vitamin C & copper are two essential ingredients in supporting the bodies production of collagen. Fortigel & Tendoforte are two very specific collagen peptides that help support healthy tendons, ligaments & cartilage.
A Naturopath’s Top Remedies for Joint Pain and Inflammation
- Curcumin, one of the active constituents in Turmeric, is highly studied for its anti-inflammatory actions. Ayurvedic medicine traditionally combines ginger & black pepper with turmeric to soothe & cool the tissues.
- SPMs or “Specialised Pro-resolving mediators” are compounds that are naturally produced by omega 3 fatty acids & help relieve inflammation.
- PEA or Palmitoylethanolamide occurs naturally in protein rich foods. Taking it as part of a pain & inflammation reduction plan can really help reduce pain especially for chronic & nerve pain. It requires a bit of persistence to feel the benefits, as you need to load up & saturate your receptor cells before you feel the difference.
- Boswellia, Turmeric, Celery Seed and Gingerhave proven anti-inflammatory activity. Turmeric is an antioxidant and Ginger is a circulatory stimulant aiding the transport of active constituents to target organs. Celery Seed has a strong traditional use for the treatment of arthritic conditions.
Knowledge, power & a bit of help from natural medicine will allow you to manage & resolve your pain. The importance of good nutrition & anti-inflammatory food is a vital element to good health and wellbeing.
Always consult with your healthcare professional or speak to us in-store before taking new supplements.
Cheree Sheldon
Adv Dip Naturopathy, Adv Dip Western Herbal Medicine & Adv Dip Nutritional Medicine
*Kunara Members SAVE 20% off Vitamins & Supplements on the first Wednesday of the month.
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