Chronic pain is a problem that is faced by millions of people around the world. In America alone, it is estimated that around 20% of the population is dealing with chronic pain.
Continuous pain is more than just being in constant discomfort. Those who suffer from chronic pain are more likely to experience a lower quality of life. Not to mention, there is a greater chance of them becoming dependent on opioids. The affected people need to find more natural and better ways to deal with chronic pain.
Prevalent inflammation
A lot of medical experts are beginning to realize how problematic and widespread the issue of inflammation can be. In particular, there is a strong link between chronic inflammation and chronic pain.
Under traditional circumstances, inflammation can be a good thing. It is a response from the body's immune system and it is used to rid the body of foreign, harmful agents. In some cases, the immune system targets healthy cells. This results in continued inflammation and chronic pain. While there is no known cure for chronic inflammation, there are some things that you can do to cut down on the number of flare-ups. It can help reduce the risk of painful episodes too.
Diet
One of the major causes of inflammation in the body is diet. There are a lot of food that can cause a rise in the level of inflammation in the body. Some of the culprits are sugar, saturated fats, processed grains, and excessive amounts of alcohol.
The first thing that you should focus on is to minimize your intake of such foods. Depending on your body's response to these foods, you may want to cut them out completely. It is a matter of trial and error, as it will take you a while to discover just how much of a particular food you can consume before triggering inflammation.
You can substitute the foods stated above with plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, unprocessed grains and an adequate amount of healthy, unsaturated fats. It may take a while, but eventually, you will feel the difference. At the same time, make it a point to eat foods and ingredients that are known to have anti-inflammatory effects. These include pomegranates, blueberries, turmeric, blackberries, cinnamon, and ginger.
Sleep
Getting adequate amounts of sleep every day is another thing that you should be focusing on. The average adult should be getting 8 hours of sleep every day. If you skimp on this, you could experience an increase in unwarranted inflammation.
Sleep is involved in the regulation of the immune system. When you get enough sleep, you body's defenses are more likely to be able to detect threats accurately. If your circadian rhythm is off, however, there is a greater risk of it attacking healthy cells.
Because of this, you need to focus on adapting a proper sleep schedule. Make it a point to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day. This is something that you should try to do even on weekends. Your body will then find it easier to make and maintain a healthy sleep routine.
Natural pain remedies
Changing your lifestyle also helps reduce the number of painful episodes. Unfortunately, there is a great chance that you may still experience bursts of discomfort every now and then. You need to find a way to tackle these as well. Taking opioids continuously can be dangerous. This is because it is possible to become dependent on these substances. You must find a more natural approach to remedy the pain.
It is clear that pain management does not always have to be linked with opioids and other potentially harmful methods. Instead, there are a lot of natural approaches to help reduce chronic pain in the body.