People from all walks of life suffer from pain. There are many types of pain a person can suffer from, which most people do not realize. Because prescriptions and over the counter drugs can be hurtful due to side effects and potentially damaging to your condition through long periods of use, it is worthwhile to try a natural approach first. Herbs are food whereas most medicines contain chemicals, hormones and other harmful properties.
Herbal Pain Killers: Different Types of Pain
So how do you find out what type of pain you have? Below are the listed “types” along with a brief definition. This will help you if and when you decide to see a doctor as this information is important for any diagnosis.
• Acute Pain- This usually come on suddenly and accompanies injuries or traumas.
• Chronic Pain- This is a pain that lasts for a long period of time (4 months or longer) well after an injury or trauma should have been healed.
• Fast Pain- This is something that is felt quickly when we poke or burn ourselves.
• Slow Pain- This type of pain is tricky, it is a delayed response. Cancer is a disease where often times this pain is present.
• Superficial Somatic Pain- This pain has to do with receptors in your skin.
• Deep Somatic Pain- This pain comes from a deeper pain in the muscles, joints and tendons on your body.
• Visceral Pain- It stems from a problem internally as with your organs.
• Referred Pain- This pain is also very tricky as you begin to feel it in a different area then that which is the problem. For instance, heart attack patients usually have a pain in their arm before they have the attack.
• Phantom Limb Pain- This odd feeling is present in amputees. They feel a pain in a limb that has been removed as if it were still in place.
Herbal Pain Killers: Inflammation and Pain
Inflammation and pain go hand in hand with injuries and trauma to our bodies. So, we’ll take a deeper look into the natural compounds that can relieve both symptoms.
Fish oils and polyunsaturated fatty acids are extremely important in restraining pro inflammatory prostaglandin production.
Turmeric is an Indian spice that is used in several excellent dishes. Adding this spice to food decreases and breaks down the pro inflammatory fat.
Amino acids such as isoleucine, lucine, valine and taurine stop the pain inducing activity of glutamate.
Magnesium, ginseng, vitamin D, and vitamin E all decrease both inflammation and pain so doubling up on these vitamins is important for recovery.
Herbal Pain Killers: Herbal Supplements
For pain due to all types of arthritis and other painful inflammatory conditions, the following supplements are known to have a positive effect on relieving these symptoms.
• Devil’s claw
• Stinging nettle
• Willow bark
• Boswellia
• Parilla seed
• Omega- 3 fatty acids
• Glucosamine
• Chondroitin
• Vitamin B3
• Phenylalanine
It is important to note that people who have stomach problems or who are taking heart medication should consult their doctor before using these herbs. Although there are no side effects, the herbs may reduce potency of some medication. As always, you should consult a healthcare professional to discover any allergies to these herbs and plants exist prior to use.
Herbal Pain Killers: Chinese Herbs
There are a few really good Chinese herbs that help with pain. If you have an herb shop close by I suggest you go in and browse for these items. If not, you can order them online at GNC or the herb Basin
• Corydalis, also known as Yan Hou Sou , this is great for chronic back pain as it helps circulation.
• Corydaline B, this helps relax your muscles and your central nervous system. It does great with chronic back pain.
• Peony, also known as Bai Shao, this has anti spasmodic and analgesic properties
• Licorice otherwise known as Gan Cao, this is often used with peony for severe arthritis and chronic pain.
Herbal Pain Killers: Conclusion
I hope this article was both informative and easy to understand. Sometimes it can be difficult to get the broken down Reader’s Digest version of pain and what to do to treat it form doctors.
