Alternative Treatments for Chronic Pain

Canada Goose Parka If you have chronic pain and are looking for alternatives to medication and surgery, you have a lot of options. Alternative pain treatments that doctors once scoffed at are now standard at many pain centers. Canada Goose Parka

canada goose coats on sale “That phrase ‘alternative pain treatments’ Canada Goose Outlet doesn’t mean much to me,” says Seddon R. Savage, MD, incoming president of the American Pain Society. “I think the line between them and mainstream treatment is pretty blurry now.” canada goose coats on sale

cheap Canada Goose However, not all alternative pain treatments work. Some can even be risky. Some alternative treatments may help with pain from canada goose uk black friday bad backs, osteoarthritis, and headaches, but have no effect on chronic pain from fibromyalgia or diabetic nerve damage. cheap Canada Goose

canada goose store “You have to do your homework when you’re considering alternative treatments for pain,” warnsAnne Louise Oaklander, MD, PhD, an associate professor uk canada goose of neurology at Harvard Medical School and director of the Nerve Injury Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.”Make sure that you’re trying a treatment that is likely to work in your case.” And always discuss any alternative pain treatments you want to try with your regular doctor. canada goose store

Canada Goose canada goose uk outlet Jackets Here’s a rundown of the most commonly used alternative treatments for chronic pain. Canada Goose Jackets

canada goose clearance Acupuncture. Once seen as bizarre, acupuncture is rapidly becoming a mainstream treatment for pain. Studies have found that it works for pain caused by many conditions, including fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, back injuries, and sports injuries. canada goose clearance

canadian goose jacket How does it work? No one’s quite sure. It could release pain numbing chemicals in the body. Or it might block the pain signals coming from the nerves. canadian goose jacket

“I think there’s good scientific evidence for acupuncture and I prescribe it,” says F. Michael Ferrante, MD, director of the UCLA Pain Management Center in Los Angeles. “The nice thing is that even if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t do any harm.”

Marijuana. Setting aside the controversy, marijuana has been shown to have medicinal properties and can help with some types of chronic pain.

canada goose deals There’s strong evidence that marijuana has a modest effect on certain buy canada goose jacket types of nerve pain particularly pain canada goose outlet caused by MS and HIV, says Steven P. Cohen, MD, associate professor in the division of pain medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. Since it also relieves nausea, marijuana can help people who are suffering side effects from chemotherapy. canada goose deals

canada canada goose coats on sale goose clearance sale However, marijuana does have risks. For some people, Cohen says, those risks can be serious, including addiction and psychosis. Because of the dangers and the obvious potential for abuse, experts generally only turn to marijuana when all other treatments have failed. canada goose clearance sale

Canada Goose Outlet On a practical level, you also need to be aware of the laws regarding the use of medical marijuana in your state. Could you be arrested for smoking marijuana for medical reasons? Talk to your doctor. There are also two prescription drugs, called pharmaceutical cannabinoids, that are derived from the active ingredient of marijuana. They are sometimes used for pain, although they are only FDA approved for nausea caused by chemotherapy and HIV related weight loss. Canada Goose Outlet

canada goose Exercise. Going for a walk isn’t a treatment, exactly. But regular physical activity has big benefits for people with many different painful conditions. Study after study has found that physical activity can help relieve chronic pain, as well as boost energy and mood. canada goose

If you have chronic pain, you should check in with a doctor before you start an exercise routine, especially if you have any health conditions. There is evidence that certain dietary canada goose uk shop supplements and vitamins can help cheap canada goose uk with certain types of pain. Fish oil is often used to reduce pain associated with swelling. Topical capsaicin, derived from chili peppers, may help with arthritis, diabetic nerve pain, canada goose coats and other conditions. There’s evidence that glucosamine Canada Goose sale can help relieve moderate to severe pain from osteoarthritis in the knee.

canada goose black friday sale But when it comes to supplements, you have to be careful. They can have risks. Oaklander says that high doses of uk canada goose outlet vitamin B6 can damage the nerves. Some studies suggest that supplements such as ginkgo biloba and ginseng can thin the blood and increase the risk of bleeding. This could lead to serious consequences for anyone canada goose clearance getting canada goose factory sale surgery for chronic pain. canada goose black friday sale

“Supplements can cause real harm,” says Ferrante. He points out that people with chronic pain can be at higher risk of side effects from supplements. Why? They’re more likely than the average person to be taking other medications or getting medical procedures or surgeries.

So treat supplements and vitamins warily, like you would treat any drug. Always check with a doctor before you start taking supplements, especially if you have any medical conditions or take other medication.

canada goose coats Therapy. Some people with chronic pain balk at the idea of seeing a therapist they think Canada Goose online it implies that their pain isn’t real. But studies show that depression and chronic pain often go together. Chronic pain can cause or worsen depression; depression can lower a person’s tolerance for pain. canada goose coats

Canada Goose online So consider giving therapy a try. Cohen says he’s seen particularly good results with cognitive behavioral therapy, a practical approach that helps people identify and change the thought and behavior patterns that contribute to their unhappiness. Canada Goose online

Stress reduction techniques. “Reducing stress canada goose is really crucial in pain management,” says Savage. There http://www.mycanadagoosejacket.org are number of approaches, including: Yoga. There’s good evidence that yoga can help with chronic pain, says Cohen specifically fibromyalgia, neck pain, back pain, and arthritis. This is actually a category of techniques that help canada goose black friday sale people calm the body and release tension a process that might also reduce pain. Some approaches teach people how to focus on their breathing. Research Canada Goose Online shows that guided imagery can help with conditions like headache pain, cancer pain, osteoarthritis, and fibromyalgia. This approach gets people to either perform or listen to music. This approach teaches you how to control normally unconscious bodily functions, like blood pressure or your heart rate. It’s undeniably relaxing. And there’s some evidence that massage can help ease pain from rheumatoid arthritis, neck and back injuries, Canada Goose Coats On Sale and fibromyalgia.

Risky Alternative Pain Treatments

Obviously, you need to be skeptical of any unproven or risky alternative pain treatments. What else should you be wary of?

Experts say you should keep your expectations for alternative pain treatments modest especially when it comes to “miracle cures.” Controlling chronic pain is not simple. A single supplement, device, or treatment is not going to make your chronic pain disappear. Good chronic pain management usually requires time and the collaboration of experts, says Savage.

buy canada goose jacket cheap Savage says you Canada Goose Jackets also need to be suspicious of anyone pushing a treatment when the canada goose clearance sale financial motive is blatant. That doesn’t only apply to pain treatments advertised on dubious Canada Goose Parka web sites asking for canada goose store your credit card number. buy canada goose jacket cheap

“I think people should be careful whenever a person is making a living off of an untested pain remedy,” says Savage. “So I’m concerned whenever I see providers selling their own expensive and unproven remedies. You need to be very careful.”

Alternative Pain Treatments: Working With Your Doctor

buy canadian goose jacket canada goose jacket If you’re living with chronic pain, considering alternative treatments makes a lot of sense. But remember that even if a treatment is alternative, it has to be integrated with your overall pain management plan buy canada goose jacket.