Reducing Pain and Inflammation Naturally

Experiencing long term pain that you can not seem to shake?

The Burden of Pain

20% of New Zealanders suffer from chronic pain and pain is the most common reason someone will visit a healthcare Practitioner in New Zealand. There is no question that we’re a nation in pain. To understand how to reduce pain, we need to look at its main cause, inflammation, which is triggered in response to tissue injury or infection. The inflammatory process is designed to initiate healing and also to keep you resting while healing occurs. For this reason, the swelling that comes with inflammation stimulates nerves around the affected area, sending signals to your brain that something is wrong by causing you pain, and consequently restricting your movement.

Pain: friend or foe?

Pain is your body’s way of telling you ‘something’s up’. More specifically, pain is a major symptom of the inflammatory response, a normally short-lived process with one sole function: to protect our bodies from infection and injury. The redness, heat, swelling, pain and loss of function experienced during acute inflammation is your body’s way of telling you to take it easy while it recovers.

The inflammatory process consists of two phases –onset and resolution. During the onset phase, your body detects injury and responds by sending a clean-up crew of immune cells to clear the injured tissue, prevent the onset of infection, and guard against further damage. Once the clean-up crew has contained the damage from the injury, your cells shift into anti-inflammatory mode to promote resolution and a return to normal function.

Pain, pain go away…

Most people address pain with pain killers, including analgesics, opioids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs). Analgesics and opioid medications may provide some much needed symptomatic relief, however these agents mask the pain rather than resolving it; they act upon the sensation of pain rather than the inflammation that creates it. More often than not, once these medications wear off, the pain returns with the same ferocity as before. Whilst NSAIDs can reduce inflammation, long-term use is associated with unwanted side effects, the most prominent being gut pain and discomfort. Often when I see people who have been using painkillers long term we need to treat a gut issue such as SIBO and the pain can worsen.

Here are 6 natural ways to reduce your pain:

Natural medicines:

1 Magnesium This mineral helps relieve pain by reducing inflammation, soothing tight muscles in inflamed areas, and by reducing the firing of pain pathways in the brain. It does this by regulating nerve signalling, muscle contraction and the production of brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) that influence pain perception (the way pain is recognised and interpreted by the brain). A highly bioavailable magnesium combined with corydalis and California poppy acts on various neurotransmitter, nervous and musculoskeletal pathways to reduce pain.

2 Specialised Pro-Resolving Mediators (SPMs) These are lipid (fat-based) compounds that flick the switch from the inflammatory initiation phase to the anti-inflammatory healing resolution phase, while also reducing pain by altering pain perception. SPMs are normally produced by the body, however, when inflammation and pain become chronic, the capacity for the body to produce SPMs becomes compromised. In these cases an SPM supplement may help to turn on the resolution phase.

3 Algae oil Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil are found in the algae that they eat. Algae is lower than fish on the food chain and therefore has less toxicity. Omega 3 fatty acids regulate the activity of inflammatory cells, minimising the severity of inflammation and pain in the initiation phase of inflammation, without preventing the resolution phase from engaging. Supplementing with algae oil is especially important if you don’t regularly consume omega-3-rich foods (e.g. wild-caught fish, hemp seeds, flaxseed), as your body may be lacking in these anti-inflammatory fats. Recent research has proven the ability of a high potency practitioner only algae oil to prompt the release of resolvins, an omega-3 metabolite that instructs immune cells to go from pro-inflammatory to anti-inflammatory activity. This promotes the body’s natural ability to restore homeostasis and is a key component of any anti-inflammatory prescription.

4 Turmeric A potent anti-inflammatory herb with multiple benefits for inflammation and pain, Turmeric acts upon a number of the body’s cells which are involved in inflammation, reducing their activity to decrease pain and prevent further damage.

5 Devil’s Claw Helps to reduce the reliance on analgesic medications (and the side effects occurring with their prolonged use), devil’s claw carries the capacity to reduce the sensation of pain in the brain, whilst also reducing inflammation – a powerful combination!

6 PEA PEA is found in certain foods and is endogenously produced in the body, with levels declining during chronic disease, tissue damage, inflammation, pain syndromes and aging. Clinically trialed, sustainably sourced vegan PEA relieves pain including nerve pain.

Natural diet and lifestyle interventions:

Diet The body cannot work to resolve pain if inflammation is being continually initiated by the consumption of inflammatory foods such as sugar, refined carbohydrates, vegetable oils, trans fats and preservative-rich processed foods. Instead, swap these for a diet rich in colourful vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, whole grains, and legumes. This will provide your body with a bevy of anti-inflammatory and tissue healing nutrients which will work to put out that painful inflammatory fire.

Exercise Whilst chronic pain may have you thinking rest is important and exercise impossible, your body may be craving some movement. A large scientific review examining the use of exercise in chronic pain suggested that exercise “may improve pain severity and physical function, and consequent quality of life”.

Sleep Research examining people with fibromyalgia (a condition of chronic musculoskeletal pain) found 90% of subjects experienced a sleep disorder directly correlated with their pain. Unfortunately, poor sleep also decreases your pain threshold!

Stress Did you know that psychological stress can increase your perception of pain? If you’re in pain, but also tend to feel stressed or anxious, a stress management technique below may help to reduce your pain intensity.

Meditation Whilst meditating may feel like the last thing you wish to do when in pain, evidence supports its usefulness in improving the psychological complications of living with chronic pain, such as depression and stress. Developing a daily mindfulness practice may therefore help to improve overall feelings of wellbeing, quality of life and contentedness.

The overall goal when inflamed and in pain is to assist the body in resolving inflammation. Remember, although pain-relieving medications reduce your symptoms, some may actually inhibit inflammation resolution. To reduce and resolve your inflammation, and therefore your pain, try the natural tools above. By addressing inflammation naturally, you can reduce your reliance on medications, increase your quality of life, and finally resolve your pain.

For support with pain and access to any of the tools above, get in touch with me.

Be pain-free ASAP

Whilst it’s important to listen to your body’s signals and take time out when needed for healing, you can accelerate the healing process and utilise natural anti-inflammatory medicines to help you be pain-free ASAP. For those of you wishing to fast track your recovery, consulting with a Naturopath can help. In addition to building a natural medicine regimen, Practitioners are equipped to identify and remove any triggers that may worsen your pain. A holistic approach, bolstered by use of natural medicines, provides a safe and effective solution to pain and inflammation, enabling you to start living a happier and pain-free life.

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