The Surprising Truth About Chronic Pain

How Pain Changes You  

Chronic pain changes everything. It impacts every part of your life, making simple tasks more difficult, and difficult tasks seem impossible. Quality of life is dramatically reduced. 

Under these circumstances, it’s easy to see why so many people would do anything to put an end to the pain—even if it means enduring long-term health risks that come with taking painkillers.   

A Look Inside the Opioid Crisis   

Over the last two decades, there has been a steep rise in prescriptions for highly addictive opioid pain medications of varying strengths.  But as the number of prescriptions increased, so did the number of overdoses and deaths.² Not to mention the lives derailed by dependency and overuse of these incredibly powerful and dangerous drugs.   

To complicate this epidemic: opioid drugs don’t stop, prevent or heal the source of pain.³ In fact, they actually slow healing, actively prolonging your pain.⁴ Plus, these drugs come with devastating side effects and complications, including: ^5,6  

• Heavy sedation   
• Respiratory problems  
• GI problems (vomiting, constipation)  
• Depression  
• Increased pain sensitivity  
• Immune suppression  
• Neurological impacts  
• Liver problems 
• Addiction and dependency  

Another complicating factor is that because of the widespread opioid crisis, many doctors are increasingly sceptical of pain patients who may need medication, at least temporarily. Meanwhile, many others with chronic pain are looking to avoid addictions and heavy side effects—so they turn to OTC pain killers. 

But these drugs too, are shown to cause problems.   

All Pain Drugs Come with Side Effects  

The truth is, there is no completely safe pharmaceutical pain reliever.   

The dangers of prescription painkillers are well documented, but they warrant a reminder just how problematic they can be—especially when used over time. Vioxx for example proved to be so dangerous it was pulled from the market. Other forms, like the drug Celebrex⁷ continue to be prescribed regularly despite their well-known risks, including heart attacks and strokes. 

Let’s take a look at OTC (non-prescription) pain medication like ibuprofen or aspirin.   

These are called NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and they’re by far the most commonly used pain medications. When used sparingly, NSAIDs can offer important relief from chronic pain. For optimal safety, use the lowest possible dose for the shortest possible period of time, to get relief. It’s also very important to cycle off of these drugs and take breaks for 7 to 10 days each month.   

However, increasing research shows that NSAIDs can actually be quite dangerous – even deadly.⁸ Specifically, NSAIDs are shown to increase your risk of:  

• Cardiovascular problems, including heart attack^9,10  
• GI inflammation and bleeding^11,12  
• Liver damage¹³  
• Kidney disease¹⁴  

Then there’s acetaminophen, sometimes called the “safest” pain medication. However, this specific drug can be devastating for your liver. In fact, acetaminophen plays a role in nearly half of all cases of acute liver failure! It’s the reason behind 20% of all liver transplants.¹⁵   

Fortunately, there are many safe, effective, natural options to turn to that won’t put your vital organs at risk. Studies show that the right natural painkillers can make a big difference over time… by addressing the root causes of chronic pain, while modulating neurological pain pathways and supporting greater strength and vitality.   

What’s Underneath Chronic Pain?  

Chronic pain can be traced back to a root cause, like an injury, infection or a disease. The most common causes of chronic pain include:  

• Lower back injury  
• Arthritis  
• Headaches  
• Nerve damage  
• Conditions like fibromyalgia, cancer, and multiple sclerosis (MS)  

The root source of pain, whether acute or chronic, is inflammation.¹⁶ A normal and necessary immune system response to threats, inflammation is part of a healthy response system—but that means it’s supposed to shut off when the threat has subsided. But with chronic pain conditions, inflammatory signals rage on, leaving you trapped in a cycle of destruction. 

9 Ways to Naturally Ease Chronic Pain  

These nine natural approaches can offer both short term relief and long-term pain management and reduction—something prescription drugs generally won’t do. By addressing the pain process, these safe, effective choices stop pain and inflammation in different places along the path, allowing you to be in control of your pain. And unlike prescription and OTC drugs, you can safely use these eight natural pain-relieving methods in any combination … for your perfect pain management plan.  

1. Gentle movement — yoga, tai chi and qi gong, have all been shown to offer significant relief for chronic pain conditions including arthritis and lower back pain.¹⁷  
2. Meditation — mindful breathing and meditation can reduce pain intensity by engaging areas of the brain associated with pain processing.¹⁸  
3. Visualization — alone or part of guided meditation, visualization has been shown to help relieve pain, and reduce stress and depression in chronic pain patients.¹⁹  
4. Honokiol — a highly active extract purified from magnolia, honokiol plays multiple roles in pain management: Reducing inflammation, supporting neurological wellness, and actively quieting pain signals for effective pain relief.^22,23,24  
5. Curcumin — the key active compound in turmeric, curcumin extract relieves pain and inflammation in patients suffering from conditions such as arthritis and migraines.^25,26,27  
6. Modified citrus pectin (MCP) — this super-nutrient ingredient is extensively researched and shown to block the alarm protein galectin-3, that triggers the inflammatory cascade.^28,29 By blocking galectin-3, MCP reduces the inflammation and fibrosis behind chronic pain, delivering lasting relief.³⁰  
7. Boswellia — extracted from frankincense, Boswellia stops pain by controlling the 5-LOX inflammation pathway, as well as increasing pain threshold and tolerance.^31,32 
8. PEMF therapy — pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF) targets your body’s electromagnetic field to relieve deep, chronic pain, as well as body aches, arthritis, and other pain-related conditions. PEMF involves using a device that emits electromagnetic waves through your body, stimulating healing and cell rejuvenation. It’s completely safe, with no known side effects. In addition to pain relief, PEMF is also known to strengthen the body overall, enhance sleep, ease anxiety, optimize memory and boost mood.

Pain-Free and Healthy 

The truth is, pain is a natural part of our biological survival system. But like so many other alarms in the body, pain signals can become trapped in a destructive cycle of inflammation, and further damage and degradation of joints, tissues and organs. With these natural solutions, however, you can address the underlying causes of pain, while reducing inflammatory signals, supporting neurological wellness, and promoting greater long-term health in the process.