14 Natural Pain Relievers
Many who live with chronic back pain would really love to be less dependent on painkillers to manage their pain. But how? Natural pain relievers may be the answer. Here’s a list that might help – each of these won’t be for everyone, but any number of these natural pain relievers might help you be able to rely less on pain medications and feel more in control of your life.
Consumer Reports for Pain Medications?
Sure. Savvy consumers often look to the expertise of Consumer Reports before buying a car, a washing machine, or a video camera. But what about for pain medications?
Well, Consumer Reports is also in the medication rating business and has issued another report in their free medication series that covers drugs for Nerve Pain and Fibromyalgia.
Debate About Use of Opioids for Chronic Pain
Excellent point-counterpoint discussion of the effectiveness vs. risks of using opioids for chronic pain (non-malignant), with Dr. Donnell voicing his strong concerns about too much reliance on opioids.
Fibromyalgia: Cortisol May Help
New research shows that fibromyalgia symptoms of pain and fatigue may be alleviated by administration of Cortisol, a naturally occurring hormone in the body.
How Chronic Back Pain Gets Stuck in Your Brain
Dr. Vania Apkarian, a professor at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, published a study last year that revealed how chronic back pain actually registers in a different part of the brain (the prefrontal cortex) than acute pain (the thalamus). Dr. Apkarian also found that the longer a person has been suffering from chronic pain, the more activity there was in the prefrontal cortex.
How Pain Killers Sometimes Increase Chronic Pain
Becoming addicted to pain medication is a disease. This is because the painkillers (e.g. Vicodin, OxyContin,
Physical impact of pain killers
Doctor Clifford Bernstein, a pain management physician and author on Spine-health.com clearly outlines how these pain medications physically affect the body:
How to Prevent Osteoporosis with a Once-a-Year Injection
The need to take a once-a-day or even once-a-month osteoporosis medication may soon be eliminated. Recent studies indicate that a once-a-year osteoporosis injection of zoledronic acid like Reclast® can prevent spine fractures and hip fractures from Osteoporosis.
Is Your Pain Medication Prescribed Off-Label?
Lyrica Approved to Treat Fibromyalgia
On June 21 the FDA approved Lyrica (pregabalin) as the first drug specifically indicated to treat pain from fibromyalgia. Lyrica is an analgesic (pain relieving) and anit-convulsant medication that is also approved to treat chronic pain. The study results submitted to the FDA for approval showed that 30 to 60% of study participants experienced significant pain relief with Lyrica.
Lyrica Helps with Restorative Sleep
Just read about an interesting study that showed that Lyrica (pregabalin) helped the participants get more restorative sleep, not just fall asleep faster. Thanks to Dr. Steven Poceta, a neurologist, who explains on his Revolution Health blog:
