Are you in pain? And I dont just mean the pain after banging your shin on the corner of the coffee table or thumping your head on the cupboard door or after exerting yourself at the gym. Im talking about chronic pain. If youve been dealing with chronic pain it may be difficult for you to live your day-to-day life. But there are naturopathic solutions available. Contact us at the Mindful Healing Clinic to find out more. But first lets talk about what chronic pain is. What Is Chronic Pain? Chronic pain is any type of pain that consistently affects your body for an extended period of time. The vaguest definition is any pain that exists longer than the expected healing period. Opinions differ on the length of time required to consider a pain chronic. Some believe 3-6 months is the marker with shorter but persistent pain being considered acute. Others qualify anything less than 12 months of consistent pain as subacute pain and only after the 1-year mark is it deemed chronic. What Causes Chronic Pain? There are a number of different causes of chronic pain and they can vary widely. Some of them include: Fibromyalgia Nerve damage Muscle or joint damage (musculoskeletal pain) Certain types of arthritis Cancer pain Post traumatic injury These are just some of the ways chronic pain can begin. Symptoms Of Chronic Pain There are so many different causes and origins of chronic pain that symptoms can vary widely. It is often divided into two categories of pain called nociceptive and neuropathic. Nociceptive Chronic Pain Nociceptive pain is a side effect of inflamed or damaged tissue that reacts with pain sensors called nociceptors. There are two sides to this categorization the first being superficial which is an activation of nociceptors in the skin or external tissues. The second is deep somatic pain which exists in internal parts of our body and flares up when nociceptors are activated in our ligaments tendons bones muscles etc. A further distinction of the deep somatic category is visceral pain which happens within your organs (viscera). Nociceptor pain is often distinguished as a dull throbbing and difficulty locating the origin point due to pain in the surrounding areas. Neuropathic Chronic Pain Neuropathic pain is also split into specific distinctions. The first is central pain meaning it originates in the brain or spinal cord. The next is peripheral pain which exists in further parts or our nervous system. This pain is commonly categorized by sensations of burning tingling stabbing or pins and needles. Natural Solutions For Chronic Pain There are many natural solutions that can be recommended by The Mindful Healing Clinic. Here we will list just a few options to begin your search for solutions to chronic pain. 1. Acupuncture Acupuncture is a type of treatment that involves triggering certain points in the body using small needles. It originated in Traditional Chinese Medicine and is now becoming a widespread accompaniment to western treatments. It has been known to work for fibromyalgia osteoarthritis and back amp; sports injuries. Acupuncture may be useful for a number of other conditions as well. For more on acupuncture read our previous article on the subject. 2. Capsaicin Topical Cream Capsaicin is the substance within chili peppers that gives them their fiery sensation. You might not think putting spicy stuff right onto your skin sounds like the best idea but believe it or not it can help relieve chronic pain. It comes in cream gel or patch form and applying it directly to the spot where it hurts causes a soothing sensation. This can be particularly helpful with back pain or pain caused by arthritis. Be careful though! Just like adding chili peppers to your meal moderation is key. Too much capsaicin can irritate your skin. Capsaicin has other uses too including as a supplement to help with diarrhea and intestinal cramps. But thats a subject for another article. 3. A Yoga Practice Yoga is a form of exercise that stretches the muscles in the body with particular moves an emphasis on focused breathing and an awareness of the connection between mind and body. Theres evidence that regular exercise helps with chronic pain but if youre in pain you may feel like avoiding physical exertion is best for you. This is why yoga is so helpful its one of the gentlest ways to exercise helping you stretch your limbs and ligaments without pushing yourself harder than youre comfortable with. Sufferers of chronic pain often experienced heightened depression anxiety and impaired cognitive function as well. Yoga has been shown to improve all three of these side effects. A 2013 study by Cramer et. al found that patients who were given a yoga routine experienced a significant reduction in the intensity of their neck pain. So if youre experiencing chronic pain yoga may be the way to go. 4. Meditate There are many different variations of meditation such as guided imagery attempting to achieve mental clarity and emotional calm using aides like prayer beads or different types of religious and spiritual practices. Like yoga the exploration of the connection between mind and body has been shown to improve things that stem from chronic pain like depression anxiety and cognitive function. It has been said to assist with conditions like headaches osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia. 5. Eat Turmeric Turmeric is a root that is part of the ginger family. Youll find it used commonly in Indian cooking its what gives curry its yellow colour. Its also what gives mustard its yellow colour. In fact it gives just about everything it touches your clothes your hands your cooking utensils a yellow colour so be mindful of that. Anyway you can find turmeric in natural root form (which looks a lot like ginger) powered spice form as a supplement or even a tea. What gives turmeric its real potency though from a health perspective is its anti-inflammatory properties. This is thanks to its active ingredient curcumin. Turmeric and curcumin supplements have been shown to help with a wide range of different health conditions including depression Alzheimers disease heart disease and you guessed it chronic pain particularly from arthritis. Weve written an article in the past about turmeric too. Read that one for more information. Contact The Mindful Healing Clinic If youre living with chronic pain you dont have to suffer through it alone. There are treatment options available. Contact me Dr. Maria Cavallazzi here at the Mindful Healing Clinic and lets talk. If youre new to naturopathic medicine I offer FREE 15-minute introductory health consultations to all first-time patients. During that session youll get a chance to sit down with me and talk about your health concerns. Ill answer all your questions about your health and about naturopathic medicine in general and youll walk away with a better understanding of how you may deal with your chronic pain. Contact the Mindful Healing Clinic to book your FREE 15-minute health consultation today. Until next time Dr. Maria Cavallazzi N.D Mindful Healing Integrative Naturopathy 251 Queen St S Unit 4 Mississauga ON L5M 1L7 - https://goo.gl/maps/KYspifT7J232 Dr. Maria Cavallazzi is a medical doctor from Colombia where she practiced as a family physician for 8 years until she moved to Canada 16 years ago. To discover additional info on health wellness and alternative medicine please visit us here: naturopathy