Symptomatically speaking, pain can be the most basic indicator that something isn’t quite right with the body, and yet the reason it can be so difficult to treat is due to the highly complex network of nerves, electrical impulses and stimuli that are perpetuated by a particular, or a multitude of stressors.
Many of us may take supplements for various reasons whether it be for prevention, therapeutic treatment, addressing deficiency or just helping to maintain optimal health. But what about pain? Do you take supplements to help ease your pain? Not many of us do. So let’s find out what we can do to help manage our pain naturally.
Help relieve pain with these top 5 ingredients
- We can implement measures to help reduce our sensitivity to pain and increase our natural pain inhibitors such as our serotonin levels and endorphins.
- We can use herbs that provide analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity.
- We can use nutrients that nourish our nervous system, thereby increasing our resilience to stressful stimuli.
- We can combine these measures to help manage pain in a more natural and holistic way.
Natures Pain Killers
1. Magnesium:
This vital mineral is a major player in the body - involved in numerous biological actions, its deficiency can exacerbate the symptoms of pre-existing conditions. The exact link between Magnesium and pain has yet to be fully elucidated, but evidence shows us that deficiency has a great effect on inflammatory processes, causing high circulating amounts of interleukins, tumour-necrosis-factor alpha (TNF-a), and neuropeptide Substance P, which can actually influence our perception of pain.
This doesn’t even take into account Magnesium’s effects on relaxing both smooth muscle tissue and the nervous system, thereby addressing cause of pain and supporting our tolerance levels of it!
2. Willow Bark:
Willow bark has been used for thousands of years as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic – actions attributed to its well-known constituent Sallicin. Its actions involve the down-regulation of inflammatory pathways including COX-2 –mediated prostaglandins, TNF-a, and nuclear-factor-kappa B, and as a weak inhibitor of pro-inflammatory cytokines. 240mg of Sallicin from an extract of the Willow bark has been shown to be the most effective dose in the treatment of pain.
3. Corydalis:
Corydalis is a potent analgesic herb, one of the most powerful in western herbal medicine. It contains dehydrocorybulbine (DHCB), this compound interacts with certain pain receptors to help alleviate a range of different types of pain and helps alleviate inflammation.
4. Devil’s Claw:
Being used for Arthritic conditions in Europe for over 50 years, this arthritic looking plant is indeed nature’s perfectly intended herb to treat the pain and inflammation of that very common complaint.
It has been found the analgesic and anti-inflammatory actions of Devil’s claw may suppress a variety of inflammatory pathways including COX-2 and nitric oxide production, as well as prostaglandin synthesis – all of which inevitably lead to pain.
5. Ginger:
Ginger just happens to be one of those herbs with a tonne of uses, and it’s great for us that one of those uses is pain-relief. Its ability to modulate many inflammatory pathways including interference in the arachidonic acid cascade, COX 1&2 inhibition, and suppression of prostaglandin and leukotriene synthesis is how this humble herb works to ease our pain.
Its circulatory stimulant and digestive actions are nothing to sneeze at either, sipping on a mug of strong tea made from a tablespoon of fresh grated ginger is a great way to incorporate all of the herbs virtuous properties into your daily routine.
There’s no doubt pain has a huge impact on our quality of life, so why not try some of these helpful herbs to help alleviate your pain today. If you are suffering from pain and haven’t had it assessed, please see your doctor for further investigations. If your pain and symptoms persist, please seek medical attention.
