Pain. It’s frustrating, debilitating, and can be downright depressing.
The constant nagging of never being fully comfortable and always making sure you have medication on hand can be demanding on your body and your life.
Do you ever wonder if your life will always be filled with chronic pain? Is it something you’ve been told you have to live with and your life revolves around your pain? Or, is the possibility of addiction to prescription medications concerning to you or surgery too distressing?
Then it may be time to consider naturopathic treatments for your chronic pain.
We work with clients with chronic pain regularly and are well versed on the variety of ways one can tackle his or her pain. Due to the high volume of chronic pain clients, we want to share questions that we receive and naturopathic treatment answers we have seen work first hand.
Can acupuncture really take pain away?
Yes!
We find most of our clients come in after a few months of constant, chronic pain or they have been dealing with it for years with no satisfying outcome.
Typically, we see clients with pain issues in the areas of, but not limited to:
– neck
– shoulder
– back
– tendonitis
– carpel tunnel
– migraines
– headaches
– arthritis
– inflammation causing soreness in muscles, joints, or tendons
These and other chronic pain challenges can be due to stress, old or new injuries, and even everyday lifestyle habits such as posture, driving, and computer activity.
Acupuncture can be a new found lifesaver for people with chronic pain and one reason is because it takes into account the entire body, not just the one area of pain.
When treating chronic pain, acupuncture is a full body treatment to balance meridians from top to bottom in addition to the localized pain location. This perspective encourages balance of energy (or chi) within the body and moves stagnant energy that may be blocked in the area of pain.
Specifically, acupuncture interrupts the nerve signal for pain. It helps to reset the nerves, relax the muscles, and calm the inflammation.
It’s important to give the body time to heal itself from chronic pain through acupuncture. One session a week for 3-4 weeks followed by treatments spreading out from there can be an incredibly therapeutic and natural option for clients. However, it’s important to keep in mind that some people may require more or less treatments depending on the location of the pain, the intensity, and the time length the pain has been around.
Are there home therapies that can help as well?
Definitely.
Acupuncture paired with home therapy can be a long desired relief from chronic pain. Not only are there lifestyle changes that can be made, but diet can also play a crucial role in finding respite.
Changes in lifestyle may seem simple, but can make a big impact in pain management.
Depending on the type and location of pain, we recommend things such as:
– cupping in combination with an acupuncture appointment
– massage
– stretching of muscles
– strengthening of muscles
– working from a standing desk in which a computer screen is in front of your face rather than looking down at it
– using foam rollers
– movement as simple as walking
– yoga
– changing posture habits
– epsom salt baths
Now, we understand that these lifestyle habits alone may not change everything, but they are critical in pairing with acupuncture for long term relief.
In regard to eating habits, we recommend an anti-inflammatory diet.
This can include an abundance of:
– greens
– vegetables
– whole, clean foods (limited or no processed foods as well as added sugars)
– fiber
– water
In addition, supplements such as:
– Omega 3s
– Magnesium
– Curcumin
– Boswelia
can help decrease inflammation in the body.
What about over-the-counter pain relievers like NSAIDS?
Be careful.
NSAIDS such as ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen may temporarily relieve pain, but they can do more damage than good if overused.
These medications can be responsible for gastrointestinal bleeding, which can be serious.
Always be mindful of how your body reacts to the amount of medication you take.
Can naturopathic therapy cure my pain altogether?
In naturopathic medicine, it is always the goal to heal the body and restore it back to optimal health.
Sometimes, this means the issue is cured permanently once the underlying cause is treated appropriately.
Sometimes, this means at the very least, making chronic pain more manageable.
Our determination at Colorado Natural Medicine + Acupuncture is to find the right therapies with the most benefits for your specific chronic pain issue.
If you live in Castle Rock, Castle Pines, Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Parker, Centennial, Larkspur, Monument, Colorado Springs, or the Denver Metro Area, please contact us for a free 15 minute phone consultation with Dr. Graves to discuss your chronic pain journey.
Let us know what you are dealing with, for how long, and what you’ve tried thus far. Dr. Graves can then discuss options that may just be the healing treatments you’ve been searching for.
We are grateful to have helped so many patients already, you can read some of their stories by clicking here.
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