Natural Pain Relief

[Guest guest]

Natural Pain Relief

JoAnn Guest Jun 15, 2003

14:36 PDT

 

 

 

Pain is your body's way of telling you something is wrong. That

said, nobody wants to put up with chronic pain for weeks on end - so

if you are in pain, use a natural pain-relief remedy to tackle the

symptom.

 

If the pain persists, go to your doctor or natural health

practitioner to find out more about the underlying cause.

 

The word drug comes from the German word droge meaning `to dry', as

in drying herbs. It is estimated that up to half of all prescription

drugs come either directly from plants or are a chemical imitation

of the active medicinal ingredient found naturally in plants.

 

This means that the idea of relying on a herb to take away the pain

is not as silly as it might first sound.

 

Herbs can be just as potent as prescription medicines, which is why

(of course) they work.

 

For general pain relief I use an Indian herb called boswellia, which

is every bit as powerful as Ibuprofen or other over-the-counter

painkillers.

 

Produced from the gum of the Boswellia serrata tree, the

key active ingredient is Boswellic acid.

 

This is a powerful anti-inflammatory and vascular-supporting herb

that can help relieve headaches, for example, by opening up the

blood vessels that are constricting and causing the pain.

 

Do not confuse Boswellia serrata with Boswellia carteri. Both are

often called frankincense, but they have different actions in the

body.

 

This is an excellent general painkiller, but you can also use

different natural remedies to tackle specific types of pain, from

migraines to stomach cramps.

 

Migraine Headaches-

 

The best remedy for an excruciating migraine headache is the

everyday herb, feverfew.

 

You need to take one x 125mg standardised dose (or 50

drops of tincture) every day - and since the active ingredients can

take almost a month to really kick in, you need to be patient.

 

Sufferers report different types of migraine headaches and

homeopathy, which has proven highly effective for many sufferers,

keys in to these differences, making a point of prescribing remedies

according to not only the type of pain but also how it starts.

 

If the headache is worse on the right side, for example, and if

trying to concentrate makes the pain worse, you need Lycopodium 6c

(this figure denotes the strength or potency of the dilution.)

 

Blurring of the vision and vomiting would suggest Iris 6c, while a

throbbing, blinding headache with a feeling of congestion in the

head would probably be best treated by Natrum mur 6c.

 

All of these remedies are widely on sale in good health stores.

 

*Do not use Feverfew if you are pregnant or taking Warfarin

 

Period Pains-

 

Females who suffer from cramping have been shown to produce greater

levels of prostaglandins (the hormones secreted by the uterine

lining). Evening primrose oil is rich in Gamma-Linoleic Acid (GLA)

an anti-inflammatory prostaglandin that can counter the inflammatory

hormones causing pain.

 

If you suffer, take the equivalent of 250mg of GLA a day for three

months and monitor the relief.

Nutritionists also

recommend niacin (vitamin B3), which triggers a dilation of the

blood vessels to improve blood flow to the contracting uterus. Look

for a non-flushing form and take, as directed on the bottle, for

five days from the onset of symptoms.

 

Stomachache-

 

Stomach pains, especially after eating, are often caused by

inflammation of the lining of the gut.

 

The single best healing agent for this part of the body is aloe

vera, a bitter-tasting juice that you will need to mix

with fruit juice to disguise the taste.

 

Aloe vera is rich in substances called mucopolysaccharides, which

help counter griping pains.

 

It does

this by blocking the inflammatory agents, thromboxanes and

bradykinin, which would otherwise cause pain, inflammation, and

tissue swelling.

 

Sports Injuries/Arthritis/Rheumatism-

 

One of the best anti-inflammatory painkillers for the joints and for

sports injuries is an substance called bromelain, which is actually

an enzyme from fresh pineapple juice.

 

Bromelain reduces inflammation by first breaking down fibrin, a

substance that would otherwise work in the body to cause local

swelling.

 

It has also been shown to be as effective as antibiotics in

treating a variety of infectious and painful

conditions, from bronchitis to pneumonia.

 

Five Star Tip: Vets give horses B vitamins to strengthen their

hooves - and so when Swiss researchers decided to see whether the

same nutrients would work wonders for human nails they were very

pleased to find the answer was a resounding Yes!

 

They gave biotin - one of the B vitamins, which you can buy from

your local health store - to women complaining of

brittle nails and found that after six months, their nail thickness

had increased by 25%.

 

For the same results, take 2.5 mg of biotin every day.

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

DietaryTi-

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/AIM.html