Chronic pain – and the search for fast and effective relief remedies – can affect every aspect of your life. Today, a growing number of people are turning to complementary and alternative medicine in place of expensive/ineffective drugs. In fact, pain is the main complaint among people who seek out such alternative treatments.
The following alternative medicine therapies have been shown to help manage pain:
1. Acupuncture
Theories differ on how long acupuncture has been around, but this ancient Chinese healing art has been in use for at least 2,000 years. The practice involves inserting hair-thin needles into various points on the skin in an attempt to regulate movement within the body’s meridian system.
Numerous studies have confirmed acupuncture’s effectiveness in treating pain, and the World Health Organization includes pain on its list of conditions for which acupuncture is beneficial.
Acupuncture can relieve discomfort associated with the following diseases and conditions:
- Chemotherapy-induced and postoperative nausea and vomiting
- Dental pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Headaches, including tension headaches and migraines
- Labor pain
- Lower back pain
- Neck pain
- Osteoarthritis
- Menstrual cramps
- Respiratory disorders, such as allergic rhinitis
- Tennis elbow
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2. Aromatherapy
This pain management therapy uses scents from essential plant oils that are either applied to the skin or inhaled. Aromatherapy for health purposes dates back thousands of years, playing an important role in the medical systems of the Chinese, Indians, Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks.
Today aromatherapy is one of the alternative treatments used for a wide variety of conditions, including pain. Studies have shown a decrease in pain symptoms in people with rheumatoid arthritis, headaches, and cancer who use aromatherapy.
3. Chiropractic
Although it’s now a mainstream option, chiropractic is still technically considered a form of complementary and alternative medicine.
Chiropractors look at the relationship between the structure and function of the body in order to decrease pain. The main focus is the spine, and most chiropractic visits involve adjustments that are designed to realign the body to promote self-healing.
Chiropractic has been shown to be effective for a variety of pain syndromes, including lower back pain, neck pain, carpal tunnel, headaches, and sports injuries.
4. Hypnotherapy
This complementary and alternative approach is used to promote relaxation and induce an altered state of consciousness. The resulting psychological shift is intended to help people gain control over their states of awareness, which theoretically can help