Health Brief

SAFE ALTERNATIVES TO PRESCRIPTION PAIN RELIEF

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Prescription pain killers have serious side effects and if taken long-term, they can cause irreversible damage to the body. Some common side effects of prolonged use include ulcers, kidney and liver damage.

In addition to the physical problems, new research is showing environmental effects of the pharmaceutical industry. When drugs enter the sewage system and waterways, they dissolve. This pollutes waterways and wildlife and can cause many health problems.

Alternative approaches are available that are not only free of drugs' harmful side effects, but also dump less toxic byproducts into the water.

According to Janet Zand, a naturopathic physician, licensed acupuncturist, and Doctor of Oriental Medicine, herbs serve as a natural anti-inflammatory and help strengthen immune function.
"If you strengthen and balance the entire body, then the body often has less pain in general," she said.

Some herbs have anti-inflammatory properties that ease back pain and muscle aches (camphor and clove), while others reduce bruising and muscle soreness (arnica), relieve arthritis pain (capsaicin, an extract of cayenne pepper), etc.

Acupuncture is another alternative to drug therapy that results in significant pain relief for both chronic and acute conditions including, neck pain, menstrual cramps, migraines, carpal tunnel syndrome and kidney stones. Scientists believe acupuncture stimulates endorphins, the body's natural pain killers.

Physicians from Beth Israel Hospital in Seattle published a report which showed massage was effective for chronic lower back pain. Similar studies have shown massage helps reduce the pain and swelling in breast cancer patients. Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles also found massages reduce muscle spasms in patients following heart bypass surgeries.

According to Kathleen Miller-Read, licensed massage therapist, "about 80% of my clients come to me because they are in pain." She uses a combination of Swedish massage, deep tissue techniques, reflexology and acupressure and encourages her patients to make lifestyle changes, including diet, exercise, aromatherapy, and if possible, Chiropractic and Acupuncture care.

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SOURCE: "The Natural Alternative to Prescription Pain Relief," Melissa Knopper, Environmental Magazine.