You have a headache, or a muscle ache, or any other type of ache. Life doesn’t wait for you for nurse your pain, honor it and move past it. It asks you to continue powering through, pretending that you feel better. Our jobs and our lives expect us to operate at that same speed and output, no matter what we are feeling.
This is hardly realistic. Yet this is how our current culture operates.
If you are tired of turning to pill bottles for those little aches and pains that pop up occasionally, you may want to try some natural remedies. Any chronic pain should be discussed with a doctor (as should any acute pain that you feel is concerning). But if you are dealing with the typical aches and pains of life, then some of these natural remedies may be worth trying.
1) Essential oils. You may have a social media friend who totes the healing properties of essential oils so often, you want to roll your eyes. Yet there are a fair number of studies that suggest that oils, ranging from peppermint to lavender, can help with things like tension headaches and arthritis. (1) Aromatherapy can also reduce stress, which can be one of the roots of pain. Even if it isn’t the natural solution for you, at least you will smell really nice.
2) Capsaicin. Many pain-relieving products contain this substance, which is also found in chili peppers. It is believed to reduce the skin’s sensitivity to pain and can be found in gel or cream form. (Better that than eating hot wings in the name of pain management.)
3) Ginger. Many of us know to have ginger at the first sign of nausea, but this isn’t the only power of this root. A study suggested that it can help accelerate recovery and reduce exercise-induced inflammation. Raw ginger can be added to smoothies for one heck of a muscle recovery drink.
4) Turmeric. No natural list was going to be without this spice, one of the most popular healers of 2019. It is a common herbal remedy in reducing inflammation. (1) It also can be as effective as Ibuprofen when used for knee arthritis, according to one study.
5) Cloves. If you have ever added cloves to your baking, you will know that a little goes a long way. Cloves can help with nausea and treat colds and can even be used as a topical pain reliever. (2)
6) Acupuncture. This centuries-old tradition may help to relieve pain by releasing endorphins, the body’s natural pain-killing chemicals, through the tiny needles. In addition, the process of getting acupuncture is usually quite relaxing. Lie on a table, let yourself begin to fall asleep and try not to feel better just from that alone. (3)
7) Meditation. There are a whole host of studies that need to be done to figure out the reason behind meditation’s pain reduction. However, as a meditation teacher I can tell you that mindfulness can help significantly with the suffering of the mind. All of the questions that arise, “What if it gets worse?” etc. make you want to fight back against pain and illness. There is a freedom in allowing yourself sensation (even difficult, uncomfortable ones) without allowing yourself to predict where it will go. Letting go of the toxic thought patterns that come along with pain may leave space within for the real work: the healing.