Non-drug therapy is a far better and healthier way out.
By Rakesh Agrawal, ‘Ridh
Almost everyone suffers with some kind of pain in life—be it headache, back pain or even sciatica—and most people take refuge to some kind of painkillers, mostly over counter drugs. While, people get immediate relief, the problem just subsides and reappears again and again.
Now, a new science and art of managing pain beyond drugs is emerging that advocates non-drug and long-lasting options of dealing with pains. There are effective treatments for pain, and you can put those treatment plans in place in advance. Some alternative therapies like the radiation therapy can be very useful in treating pain from tumor growth and in easing bone pain related to cancer.
Other therapies are:
- Massage: Many people find relief from gentle massage effective in relieving pain and other symptoms for people with serious illness.
- Relaxation techniques: Guided imagery, hypnosis, biofeedback, breathing techniques, and gentle movement such as tai chi are often very effective relaxation techniques, particularly when a patient is anxious.
- Acupuncture: Several studies have found that acupuncture can be helpful in relieving pain for people with serious illnesses such as cancer.
- Physiotherapy and yoga: Now, well-established therapies for many chronic pains.
- Pet therapy: If you have bouts of pain that last 5, 10, or 15 minutes, petting an animal’s soft fur to distract and relax yourself can be helpful.
- Gel packs: These are simple packs that can be warmed or chilled and used to ease localized pain.
Alternative pain management therapies are increasingly being used with modern medicine to treat people who live with chronic pain.
Spinal cord stimulator is another effective tool of non-drug pain therapy, in which a device is surgically placed under the skin to send a mild electric current to the spinal cord to block out the pathways of the pain signals.
Then, there is ozone injection in which ozone gas is injected directly to the knee, shoulder or other joints to relieve pain and repair damaged tissues and relieve pain. Botox therapy is one more such option, in which a neurotoxin is injected directly into area of pain to treat migraines.
Finally, there is radiofrequency ablation, where an electrical current produced by a radio wave is used to heat up a small area of nerve tissue, thereby decreasing pain signals from that specific area and can be used to help arthritis patients and patients with chronic low-back and neck pain.
Back pain is among the most common problems and it mostly affects women, so such a non-drug therapy could be very useful for them.
As, according to the World Health Organization, chronic pain affects 35% of the population in their lifetime; hence it is a far more common problem than diabetes and heart disease. In such a scenario, non-drug therapy is a far better and healthier way out.
1 Comment
It would be better if people with chronic pain can get immediate and long-lasting relief for their suffering. Normally, people would rely on anti-inflammatory, pain, steroid or opioid medication in order to end the pain, but according to primemedicalpain.com, a pain management clinic in AZ, there are other options than to rely solely on these medicines. Especially with the issue on opioid addiction, patients should explore alternative solutions to managing pain. Prime Medical Pain Management believes in a multi-disciplinary approach which includes both medication and alternative therapies to help patients achieve their desired result. Most of the procedures are less invasive, and it is kept that way, to save patients from the hassles of going through surgery.