Alternative medicine like this functional medicine in Chicago, IL or Meliora Integrative Medicine in Evanston, IL refers to the treatment of physical and mental health conditions without traditional pharmaceutical medicine. At least half of adults in the United States use some form of alternative medicine. Its efficacy depends entirely on the type of treatment, however. Some alternative medicines and therapies are more effective than others are.
It’s a good idea to run potential methods of treatment past your doctor before you begin self-treatment. Your doctor might be able to advise a better alternative medicine for you.
In this article, we will tell you what six of the most effective alternative medicines and therapies are for pain management:
CBD
CBD is an abbreviation for Cannabidiol, which is one of Cannabis’s primary non-psychoactive components. It is an anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant, which makes it very effective in the treatment of chronic pain disorders. It can also be used to relieve the anxiety that people with these disorders typically experience. CBD is also used topically to relieve muscle and joint pain.
One of the problems with pharmaceutical medicine is that there are usually side effects. With CBD oil for pain, there are none. This is because CBD is entirely natural and doesn’t contain any chemical components.
Full-spectrum CBD (which also includes Cannabis’s chief psychoactive component, THC) has been shown to have the same efficacy as codeine as an analgesic. If you’re comfortable using THC products, then full-spectrum CBD is definitely worth looking into. If not, regular CBD is still very effective.
Mindfulness Techniques
Another very popular alternative treatment for pain is mindfulness. Mindfulness techniques include meditation, breathing exercises, and meditative walking. Mindfulness techniques help you to develop a sense of control over your body. They allow you to control your body’s fight or flight response in particular, which can worsen the pain.
It’s worth combining mindfulness techniques with other types of alternative medicine and therapy. When you combine these therapies, they become much more effective. Mindfulness techniques are also a great way to combat anxiety and other mental health disorders. Mental health disorders can often make chronic pain seem worse.
Biofeedback
Biofeedback is a very effective alternative therapy. It’s endorsed and recommended by a number of leading scientists and healthcare professionals. Biofeedback helps you to learn to breathe properly and relax.
During biofeedback, you’re connected to a biofeedback machine. Biofeedback machines tell you information about your body. The information is then turned into visual cues. When you watch back these cues, you’re able to control your body’s response to pain. It can be very complicated and take a while to master, but biofeedback therapy is very effective. It can also help you to overcome stress and anxiety.
Therapeutic Massage
Everybody loves a good massage. Massages are particularly effective in the treatment of chronic pain. They can also be used to work the tension out of muscles and joints, which ultimately relieves stress, anxiety, and even depression. During the therapeutic massage, your body’s temperature increases, which removes waste products and increases the creation of serotonin and dopamine.
If you’re going to pursue therapeutic massage as a method of treating your health problems, then you need to make sure that you go to a licensed and qualified masseuse. Unqualified masseurs can cause a lot more harm than good. Don’t be ashamed to ask a masseuse to see their license before they give you a massage.
Acupressure
Acupressure is similar to acupuncture, which is also a very effective method of pain relief. Acupressure practitioners use their hands, feet, elbows, or arms to apply pressure to specific points in the body. Acupressure is deeply rooted in traditional Chinese medicine. Scientific research has found that acupressure can help to relieve pain and help people suffering from insomnia to fall asleep faster.
When you’re seeking out an acupressure therapist, you may visit an integrative medicine clinic and make sure that they’re licensed and well-reviewed. An inexperienced practitioner can waste your time and your money.
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy refers to the use of essential oils in the treatment of physical and mental health conditions. Aromatherapy utilizes high concentrations of essential oils to promote bodily healing and pain management. It’s a method of treatment that has been used for thousands of years. The oils are typically inhaled using a diffuser or are massaged into the skin using a carrier oil. Aromatherapy is also very useful in the treatment of inflammation and infections.
Research has shown that aromatherapy is effective and does work. In one study, it was found that lavender oil was a very effective analgesic and could be used in the treatment of pain.
You don’t have to take harmful pharmaceutical medicine to relieve pain. This article contains very effective methods of treatment and pain management that you should definitely consider if you’ve been experiencing frequent pain and discomfort.