Suffering from Chronic Pain? 10 Natural Pain Medication Alternatives

Did you know that Americans spend around $1,200 on prescriptions each year?

Although pain medication is effective at alleviating symptoms, long-term use can lead to lots of problems like liver damage or addiction.

Do you want to know how you can get natural chronic pain relief? Keep reading to learn about 10 powerful pain medication alternatives.

1. Eat More Anti-Inflammatory Foods

As tasty as comfort food may be, it doesn’t do a good job of helping your body feel better after you eat it. In fact, lots of foods in the typical western diet are responsible for causing even more painful inflammation. While it’s fine to treat yourself occasionally, the best diet should include as many whole foods as possible.

Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other essential nutrients. There are also lots of herbal remedies for pain that you can incorporate into your meals, such as cinnamon, turmeric, cayenne, and rosemary. When you give your body the fuel it needs, you’ll be amazed by how incredible you start feeling.

2. Do Yoga

Yoga is one of the best natural pain relievers because it combines stretching, meditation, strength training, and cardio. Since pain can be caused by all kinds of imbalances in the body, yoga can help you treat everything at the same time. If you don’t have the time or money to go to a yoga studio to take classes, you can find all kinds of free instructional videos online.

3. Treat Yourself to a Massage

Similar to yoga, massages can alleviate tension and improve your mood. Since massages also increase blood flow, your entire body benefits from having more nutrients available. Drinking lots of water after your massage can enhance your body’s ability to eliminate waste and toxins.

Massages may not be the most affordable pain medication alternative, but there are other ways you can improve your health. Laying on a tennis ball is an effective way to release trigger points and help you feel rejuvenated.

4. Try CBD

CBD may be a new trend in the health world, but its popularity shows no sign of slowing down any time soon. If you’ve never heard of CBD before, it stands for cannabidiol, which is the medicinal compound extracted from cannabis and hemp plants. Although more research is needed to understand CBD, some studies show it can be used to treat pain, depression, insomnia, and many more ailments.

If you’re interested in trying CBD, learning about the dosing for CBD oil can help you figure out how much you’ll need to reap the health benefits.

5. Experiment with Essential Oils

Smelling your pain away may sound like a joke, but there’s a lot of science that supports the benefits of aromatherapy. Aside from helping you relax, aromatherapy also reduces inflammation, improves your mental health, and causes your heart rate to slow down. Some of the best essential oils for pain include lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus, cinnamon, ginger, and lemongrass.

There are a few different ways you can experiment with essential oils. You can hold the bottle under your nose for 30 seconds, you can rub some on your skin, or you can use a diffuser to spray throughout your room.

6. Get Acupuncture

Many westerners are skeptical of acupuncture because it’s an ancient Chinese medicine that’s been used to treat dozens of different conditions for centuries. Even though it sounds too good to be true, there’s a lot of evidence that proves acupuncture is effective at treating pain. People who are afraid of needles will be relieved to know that acupuncture needles are so tiny that you can hardly tell when they’re being inserted.

7. Listen to Music

Who doesn’t love jamming out to some great tunes? If you suffer from chronic pain, you’ll be amazed to learn that music can actually help heal you. Numerous studies have found that participants suffering from pain felt significantly better after spending a few minutes listening to their favorite songs.

8. Eat Your Vitamins

We all know it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. In a perfect world, everyone would be able to meet their daily nutrient recommendations through diet alone without having to take a multivitamin.

Some of the most important nutrients you should focus on for pain relief include vitamin D, vitamin B12, and magnesium. Whole foods are the best resource for vitamins and minerals, but some minimally-processed foods like enriched cereals can also be part of a healthy diet.

9. Adopt a Furry Friend

Dogs may have a reputation for being man’s best friend, but adopting any type of furry friend can work wonders for your physical and mental health. Aside from giving you unconditional love, spending time with a pet causes your brain to release oxytocin. This hormone reduces stress and promotes overall wellness.

In addition to improving your mood, pets can also help you get outside and exercise more. You may not feel like going for walks, but adopting a dog will push you to get more fresh air and sunshine.

10. Don’t Forget to Sleep

When we sleep, our bodies go into a deep recovery mode. Sleeping at least 8 hours each night can give you natural pain relief in two ways. Since all of our cells repair themselves and our immune system gets stronger, sleeping can tackle pain caused by an injury or chronic inflammation.

To get the highest quality of sleep, try to avoid eating a few hours before bedtime. If you go to bed with a full stomach, your body will be more focused on digesting instead of maintenance. Refraining from drinking before bedtime will also help you sleep deeper because you won’t have to wake up to use the bathroom.

These Natural Pain Medication Alternatives Are Powerful

With these 10 natural pain medication alternatives, you can start your journey to achieving a healthier mind and body.

Do you want to learn more ways you can thrive? Explore our site to find more helpful lifestyle tips.