When I am asked the same question several times in one week, it must mean that there's a desperate need to share the information far and wide. So, Here I am.
I have had others ask me this week, in several venues, about natural help for pain - usually Fibromyalgia pain, but pain in general a couple of times. And I must confess that there is no one right answer to that, because everyone is different. However. There are items that help pain at a deep, internal level, and there are a lots of things one might try for the flare type of pain. Here I have provided a list of several possibilities for the latter.
Fibromyalgia pain is not like headache or shoulder pain where one can take aspirin a few times a day and it goes away. Fibromyalgia pain is pain on a cellular level AND on a flare level!
For dealing with the deep, on-going, cellular level pain, I believe that Omega 3 EPA-DHA and Magnesium are essential. They can get to the root of a problem. These work on the cellular level and as such need to be put into the body on a daily basis because we use it UP on a daily basis. Omega 3 is an essential fatty acid that comprises the outer membrane of each cell in our body, making it pliable and permeable so that nutrients can get into the cell for efficient functioning. Magnesium is the key to helping make the ATP molecule (energy molecule) in each cell. It is also responsible for 325 other biological processes. And Omega 3 is necessary for the magnesium (and all other nutrients) to get into the cells to make that energy molecule!
So these are the basis of pain relief - essentially they enable your cells to work properly and make that energy molecule, ATP.
~Here's further info on Omega 3 and why it helps pain: http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/790349/056f9c5a43/1470670689/df13eed2b5
~Here's further information on Magnesium and why it helps pain: http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/790349/056f9c5a43/1470670689/df13eed2b5
Note: Magnesium oil, rubbed into the feet at night, absorbs into the body very well, and is an excellent way to get magnesium into the body while bypassing the digestive system and stomach - much like a 20 minute soak in a bathtub of 1-2 cups Epsom Salts. (Some people experience a diarrhea problem with certain brands of magnesium tablet they are taking.) Magnesium Oil is available online at Swansonvitamins.com, VitaminShoppe.com and others - check Google > "Magnesium Oil".
NATURAL Cox-2 INHIBITORS (acting in the same way as Celebrex, e.g. but without any side-effects)
Turmeric: Dr. Weil says, "Turmeric contains more than two dozen anti-inflammatory compounds, including six different COX-2-inhibitors (the COX-2 enzyme promotes pain, swelling and inflammation; inhibitors selectively block that enzyme)." http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART03001/Three-Reasons-to-Eat-Turmeric.html
Tart Cherries: Ann Hart, Health writer for Examiner.com says, "What the cherry juice does is act as anti-inflammatory food by attacking the Cox-2 enzymes better than some drugs. But with drugs, the Cox 1 also is attacked. You don't want that because Cox-1 protects the lining of the stomach." http://www.examiner.com/article/seniors-and-athletes-turn-to-cherry-juice-to-lessen-osteoarthritic-pain
Gingko, Green tea, Ginger, Boswella and more herbs: Dr. James Duke on MotherEarthNews.com in 2001 provides a whole list of herbs containing Cox-2 inhibitors. Then he says, "One bottle of 200mg-dose Celebrex (60 pills) costs between $150 and $200. A 60-pill bottle of 25mg-dose Vioxx will run you $100 to $125. Sales of both drugs are expected to reach $5 billion annually by 2003." I'm sure it's a LOT more by now! And of course, Vioxx has been taken off the market due to all the damage it had caused!!!
Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-health/herbs-containing-natural-cox-2-inhibitors-zmaz00djzgoe.aspx#ixzz2ep2ZjyfH
Resveratrol: found in grapes and other dark red berries http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15465334
Omega 3 EPA-DHA is also a Cox-2 inhibitor:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11421736
Bromelain: Bromelain..."is a pharmacologically active compound present in stems and fruits of pineapple (Ananas cosmosus), endowed with anti-inflammatory, anti-invasive and anti-metastatic properties." http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19339108
Holy Basil (Tulsi): Tulsi is an adaptogen, and from personal experience, I know that 3 cups of Tulsi tea per day or more is an excellent pain-reliever and energizer! From Herbalmentor.com, "In scientific studies, holy basil has been shown to be a COX 2 inhibitor (many modern pain medications are COX 2 inhibitors), making it useful against arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. Tulsi is high in eugenol, a constituent also found in cloves, which is helpful to decrease pain." http://www.herbmentor.com/holy-basil-tasty-tulsi-tonic-tea/
White Willow Bark: Nature's aspirin - salicin. According to Sherril Sego, FNP-C, DNP at ClinicalAdvisor.com, "The active salicin in white willow bark acts primarily as both an analgesic and an antipyretic.3 The actual mechanism of action of salicin is very similar to that of modern prescription medications in the cyclo-oxygenase-1 and 2 (COX-1, COX-2) pathways. Salicin is a nonselective COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitor, effectively acting as an anti-inflammatory by blocking prostaglandin release." http://www.clinicaladvisor.com/willow-bark-relieves-pain-and-inflammation/article/204756/#
OTHER PAIN RELIEVERS - Topical
Capzasin: This is the brand name of a topical analgesic - I use the roll-on bottle for safety sake. It's action is different than that of a Cox-2 inhibitor. It suppresses Substance P - neutralizes it in fact (Substance P, remember, is that pain-maker signal sent out from the brain). This topical ointment must be used with caution, however. It has only one ingredient - 0.15% capsaicin - the stuff that makes hot peppers HOT! Use a very thin even layer of the roll on liquid to the painful area. In my case it is usually the neck and shoulders. I do NOT put it on at night before bed, because I don't want it rubbing off onto the pillow case and getting in my eyes!!! For night time neck and shoulder pain, I use...
Salon Pas Pain Patches: These patches are a "peal and stick to the area of pain" thing. They contain "cool menthol" ingredients, rather than the hot ingredient. They come in a variety of sizes, the smaller 2.65" X 1.65" is ideal to place on an angle at the neck/shoulder area. Note: even though only one side of my neck may hurt, I always put one patch on each side. It seems to work better in a balance. The larger size is great for the low back area or between the shoulder blades.
Arnica or the brand Arnicare: This is a benign, but powerful cream ointment. No menthol, no hot. Just an effective cream with an active ingredient called Arnica Montana - a homeopathic cream/ointment that works very well on bruise-type pain or sore-muscle-type pain, for example on the sides of your thighs or the upper arm area. (These are also good places to use Magnesium oil, by the way.) http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/arnica
These natural pain relievers should give you a good start to choose from. *:) I pray you find one or some that help relieve your pain! *:) Pati*
