Written by: Kat Gal
We all know what pain feels like. You and I both know it's no fun. But chronic pain is an entirely different story. Chronic pain can greatly interfere with the quality of your life.
To prevent, reduce and eliminate chronic pain, you need to tackle its main culprit...
Inflammation.
All pain comes from inflammation. But when do inflammation and pain become a problem? First, you have to understand that there are two types of inflammation: primary and secondary inflammation.
Primary Inflammation
As you are living your daily life walking, eating, exercising, breathing and doing everyday things, your body is hard at work. It is constantly cleansing and eliminating toxins and repairing any cellular injuries it needs to in order to keep you healthy. During this process, primary inflammation happens. This doesn’t cause any pain and you are likely not aware of it.
Secondary Inflammation
When primary falls short, secondary kicks in.
Secondary inflammation is painful. You may experience swelling, redness, discomfort and pain. When the root cause of the pain is not being addressed and triggers are constantly attacking your system, this inflammation can become chronic, resulting in chronic pain and health problems.
Some factors that may lead to chronic inflammation, pain and health issues:
- Mental stress
- Sugar
- Dairy
- Wheat
- Processed food
- Trans fats
- Caffeine
- Artifical sweeteners
- Smoking
- Pollution
- Alcohol
How can you eliminate inflammation and prevent pain and disease? Try these 23 powerful tips to regain your health:
- Sleep: Sleep deprivation causes an elevated immune response as well as increased inflammation. You should be getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night.
- Omega 3s: Taking Omega 3s in the form of fish oil or an algae oil supplement can reduce inflammation in your body.
- Get Your Greens: Green veggies and superfoods are rich in phytochemicals, enzymes and other vital nutrients. Start eating salads and drinking green juice.
- Gut Health: Probiotics can help rebalance your gut flora.
- Hydration: Your body is 85% water! Hydration is key to your health. Drink 8-10 8 oz glasses of water a day. Add some Celtic sea salt for extra trace minerals.
- Turmeric And Ginger Tea: Turmeric and ginger are both fantastic for reducing inflammation in your body (not to mention they make delicious teas!).
- Epsom Salt: Epsom is a naturally occurring pure mineral compound composed of magnesium and sulfate. Soaking in an Epsom salt bath not only can help reduce inflammation and calm the mind and body, but also help provide the magnesium that you’re likely lacking.
- Magnesium: Magnesium is fantastic for gut health and aiding in detoxification by relaxing the muscles with your GI and assisting with bowel movements.
- Essential Oils: You may want to experiment with a few different oils to see what you like best. Lavender is also a great option to induce a state of calm. Peppermint oil is also great because it cools the area, almost as if you had an ice pack on it.
- Tart Cherry Juice: Tart cherry juice can reduce inflammation and protect your body from disease.
- Infrared Sauna: The infrared technology helps stimulate and grow your body's mitochondria while reducing and eventually eliminating inflammation.
- Turmeric: If there was one super root I would bring to the pain relief party, turmeric would be this! It's not only great as a tea, but also in soups, juices and other dishes too.
- Cayenne: With its active ingredient, capsaicin and its origins all the way from South America (and is now grown all over the world), this wonderful red pepper is a destroyer of inflammation.
- Ginger: This little root contains chemicals that help with inflammation as well. Add it to your green juices and meals.
- Rosemary: Rosemary helps combat inflammation and is loaded with vitamin B6. It is a great spice for your cooked dishes.
- Sage: Rosemarinic acid in sage can be readily absorbed from the GI tract once it is inside the body. It acts to reduce inflammatory responses by altering the concentrations of inflammatory messaging molecules in your body.
- Devils Claw: This fruit is a native of South Africa and gets its name from the tiny hooks that cover the fruit. It has been used internally for years to help with many health conditions, such as pain, liver and kidney problems, malaria and fever.
- Cryotherapy: Cryotherapy is a special chamber that you step inside and get around negative 200 degrees Fahrenheit air blown all across your body. It has successfully proven to help reduce inflammation and pain.
- Cannabis: This powerful herb contains cannabinoids called cannabichromene, which have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. There are many different strains and if choosing one under the recommendation of a doctor, the effects are much different (you don’t have to get “high” for this stuff to work as a remedying therapy).
- Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: HBOT is the process of breathing in 100% pure oxygen while under increased atmospheric pressure. It increases oxygen concentration in all body tissues, stimulates the growth of healthy new blood vessels (improving blood flow) and aids in the prevention/combat of infection by increasing white blood cell counts.
- Acupuncture: Through needles stimulating your meridian points, acupuncture can help re-balance your body, decreasing pain and inflammation and remedying your whole system.
- Tai Chi: The focus of this exercise is slow movement and deep breathing, meant to help reduce stress levels and in turn, reduce inflammation (and disease).
- Matcha Green Tea: Matcha can reduce inflammation and enhance bone health in postmenopausal women.
Pay Attention To Your Pain
Pain is not a bad thing. It reminds you that you are alive and that you want to lead a healthy life. It’s a major signal in your body that's telling you something is off, like the warning light in your automobile. It tells you that something is going on and oftentimes, the pain is a manifestation of something deeper.
These warning signs help you to listen to and honor your body's needs for optimal health and happiness. If you challenge yourself to get deep and go places you have never gone before, I assure you, you will come out on top of any pain or disease you may be experiencing.
These 23 fantastic natural tools can help you reduce inflammation and pain and regain a healthy life. They truly can upgrade your life.
How will you use these tips to reduce pain and create health? Share away in the comments below. We would love to hear from you.
And remember, we're in this together.
Kat Gál is a multi-passionate writer, world traveler, nomad, runner, and cat-person. She is a lifelong learner who lives outside of her comfort zones stretching her boundaries and discovering beauty around the world. She is a Certified Holistic Health and Life Coach who encourages others to embrace their unique authentic selves, follow their heart and find their own version of freedom in life.