Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 But you might also recall that the "antidote" that brought immediate pain relief was an oil made from cloves. The medicinal properties of cloves reside in the volatile oil, the same one that brought pain relief to Hoffman's character in the movie. Cloves have long been used as an effective toothache remedy.
A clove is actually the dried, unopened flower bud of a type of tree that originated in the Spice Islands (Indonesia). Cloves look like tiny little nails, which is actually what their name comes from (clavus, which in Latin means "nail"). |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 There's a reason people all over the world flock to hot sulfur baths for pain relief.) MSM blocks the transmission of impulses in nerve fibers that carry pain signals. Studies in laboratory animals whose diet included MSM showed less degenerative change of the articular joint compared to the control group. In the June 2004 journal Clinical Drug Investigations, scientists reported that glucosamine and MSM individually improved pain and swelling in arthritic joints; the combination of the two was more effective in reducing symptoms and improving the function of joints. |
| Patients with chronic lower back pain who underwent chiropractic treatment had higher levels of satisfaction with the care, lower disability scores, and higher pain relief than those who underwent medical treatment. To top it off, chiropractic care was more cost effective overall.
If you've never experienced bad back pain, you're one of the lucky ones. Back pain is the second most frequent problem that brings people to a doctor's office (the common cold is the first). Back pain is also one of the most common reasons for missed work. |
Anne Harrington
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 In short order, the commission filed an enthusiastic report in the pages of the Journal of the American Medical Association, in which they described seeing not just patients who experienced postoperative pain relief through acupuncture but patients who underwent surgical procedures with nothing other than a few slender acupuncture needles inserted in various parts of their bodies to protect them from pain and shock. |
Tori Hudson, N.D.
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 As each successive month of treating the chronic problem goes by, a measure of the success of that treatment will be a decreased need to use the pain relief medication.
It is important not to overlook the role of stressors in our personal lives that can be at least part of the cause of our pain and can also affect our ability to deal with pain. |
| It is possible that this uterine sedative effect extends to pain relief in the pelvic region in general. I have not used natural progesterone alone as a treatment for endometriosis, but it has been my observation that progesrerone is an important part of a comprehensive treatment plan.
Natural progesterone creams can be applied in various regimens. For some women I recommend lA teaspoon two times a day for three weeks on and the week of menses off, or apply twice daily from day 15 of the cycle to day 26. Other women just need to use it the week before their menses is due. |
Ray D. Strand
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 My greatest concern regarding the tremendous use of NSAIDS by arthritis patients is the fact that these drugs merely provide pain relief without attacking the underlying cause of the disease—oxidative stress. Patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis are also being treated with more potent antiinflammatory drugs like prednisone and gold or chemotherapeutic drugs like methotrexate or Imuran.
Peggie's Story
Peggie is an attractive lady I've had the pleasure of knowing over the past several years. |
Tori Hudson, N.D.
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| Even when acute pain relief is not accomplished with alternative therapies, a treatment plan for the interim days of the month is important in order to reduce the severity of the recurring
KEY CONCEPTS
PREVENTION
• Primary dysmenorrhea should be distinguished from secondary dysmenorrhea.
• Typical menstrual cramps are due to primary dysmenorrhea.
• Causes of secondary dysmenorrhea include endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, adhesions, ovarian cysts, celiac disease, thyroid conditions, congenital malformations, narrowing of the cervical opening, polyps, and uterine fibroids. |
Andreas Moritz
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 The corresponding neurotransmitters for pain relief are known as endorphins. Endorphins are about forty thousand times more powerful than the strongest heroin.
A patient who develops a cancerous growth may start producing extra amounts of Interleukin II and Interferon to destroy the tumor cells. Being products of the DNA, the body can make these anti-cancer drugs in every cell and eradicate cancer in a moment (spontaneous remission), provided the patient knows how to trigger their release. |
Tori Hudson, N.D.
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| Providing acute pain relief is one of the greatest challenges for natural medicine, whether it is pelvic pain, headaches, or musculoskeletal pain. Mild and moderate levels of pelvic pain are more treatable with natural therapies than is severe pain, although some women with severe pain will experience relief from the therapies that follow. |
| We will be focusing on primary dysmenorrhea in this chapter, although the treatments in this chapter for acute pain relief can be used in both primary and secondary dysmenorrhea.
Treatment for secondary dysmenorrhea is directed to treating the underlying cause of the condition, whether it is endometriosis, fibroids, or another condition. Menstrual cramps are a significant personal and public health problem for women. Of the 50 percent of menstruating women who are affected by menstrual cramps, about 10 percent have severe pain that renders them incapacitated for one to three days each month. |
Mark Sircus
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 With acute myocardial infarctions there is often immediate pain relief, as either the obstruction is relieved or good collateral circulation restored. Furthermore, magnesium is antiarrhythmic. Trials with magnesium have clearly demonstrated benefit and magnesium is used as a front line drug in many hospitals. In acute stroke, function can be restored within a few minutes: most satisfying. However, if there is a possibility that the stroke is hemorrhagic (about 15% of cases) then magnesium should not be used. |
Benjamin H. Natelson, M.D.
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 If the patient is getting partial pain relief on Neurontin or Lyrica, I will add a second antiepileptic working on a different pain-relieving system. In the past, I used a drug called lamotrigine
(Lamictal). But because it has a rare risk of serious skin allergy, I usually first use a more benign drug such as oxycarbazepine (Trileptal). The advantage of both these drugs is that they need to be taken only twice a day. When the patient is overweight and requires pain management, I often try topiramate (Topamax) or zonisamide (Zonegran). |
| Duloxetine is the first in that class of drugs shown by double-blind placebo-controlled trials to have two separate and independent actions: pain relief and depression relief. Specifically, it has proven successful in relieving both widespread FM-type pain as well as the neuropathic, burning pain that occurs in feet and hands due to the effect of diabetes on peripheral nerves, and it does this whether or not depression is present. |
David W. Grotto, RD, LDN
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 The people of India believe that chewing on a cinnamon stick will help to regulate the menstrual cycle, and their midwives and physicians use the spice for pain relief during childbirth. Gargling with a mixture of one teaspoon each of cinnamon and honey mixed into hot water has been used to battie bad breath.
Throw Me a Lifesaver!
ARTHRITIS: Researchers from Nanjing University in China evaluated 122 Chinese herbs for their effectiveness in reducing uric acid, the trigger for gout and arthritis flare-ups. |
Tori Hudson, N.D.
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| Having a natural therapeutic treatment plan for the chronic problem and using over-the-counter or prescription conventional medicines for acute pain relief can turn out to be the most effective plan. Over time, hopefully, the need for pain medications will decrease.
Many alternative practitioners have experience with natural therapies not included in this book such as acupuncture, homeopathy, and hands-on techniques that may offer effective help for many women with menstrual cramps. I often encourage women to try an herbal or nutritional product for a couple of hours during acute pain. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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| No surgery, no drugs, but plenty of pain relief. Why? Because chiropractic adjustment treats the root cause—a misalignment of the body's structure that ultimately produces a painful inflammatory response. By realigning the vertebrae and other bones, the cause of the inflammation is removed. Back pain is gone—not because its symptoms were suppressed with drugs, but because the body no longer needs to send a message to your brain saying "Pay attention! Something is deeply wrong down here! |
Neal Barnard, M.D.
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 In several cases, the best pain relief did not come until three to four weeks of use. Two other studies yielded similar results.42
Capsaicin cream is sold at drugstores under the names Zostrix and Dolorac. To use it, simply apply it to the skin four to five times per day for three to four weeks. If it stings too much, you may wish to apply it to a small area at first and gradually cover a larger area, or you can pretreat the area with a lidocaine spray such as Solarcaine. After a week or so of regular use, the stinging usually goes away. |
Andreas Moritz
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| Cayenne {Capsicum annuum) cream. For pain relief, apply to the affected area two to four times daily.
• Devil's claw {Harpagophytum procumbens) may improve knee and hip pain. Dosage: 1,500 to 2,500 mg powdered extract daily, or 1-2 ml of the tincture three times a day. Do not take devil's claw if you have a history of gallstones, heartburn or ulcers.
• Evening primrose, black currant and borage oils reduce joint inflammation. Dosage: Up to 2.8 g of Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA) daily. Avoid any refined oils or margarine.
• Fish oils to reduce joint inflammation and promote joint lubrication. |
| Besides taking supplements, there are of course, other options for pain relief that you may wish to explore. These include dietary adjustments, exercise, physical therapy, stress management, massage therapy, acupuncture, acupressure and yoga.
Stimulants Make Strong People Weak
All stimulants are "sweet" when ingested but "bitter" in their effects. You can become addicted to them without even recognizing your dependency. |
| The first positive effects that are commonly noticed soon after the liver flush are pain relief and regained or enhanced energy, vitality and general well-being. Although liver flushes can be done by people of any age, including children over 10 (many children today have gallstones in the liver) and the elderly, I recommend doing the flush only after having followed the general guidelines for creating a healthy body for at least four to six weeks, as is described in the following chapters. |
| In return for the pain relief, however, the patient may die as a result of gastric bleeding caused by the extreme toxicity of the drugs. A warning placed on each NSAID prescription says: "Serious gastrointestinal toxicity such as bleeding, ulceration, and perforation can occur at any time, with or without warning symptoms, in patients treated chronically with NSAID therapy." If this doesn't sound like Russian Roulette to you, the death toll from taking these drugs may convince you otherwise. In the U.K., 4,000 people die each year from taking NSAIDS. In the U.S. |
Gerald E. Markle and Frances B. McCrea
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 Most have found that psychosocial support improves mood and self-esteem, and provides some pain relief. Again, this itself is a significant finding. But what about longevity? At least five clinical trials, in varying degrees, have supported Spiegel's original study. At least six others have not. In one of these studies which found no survival benefit,34 Dr. Spiegel was involved in training and then monitoring all the therapists. |
| But what about pain relief? What about allowing people to "work, walk, garden, and do all the little things that make life worthwhile?" We repeat two scientific findings: first, COX-2 inhibitors really do hospitalize and even kill people; second, amazingly, they are no better at relieving pain than over-the-counter medications, a finding which was published a full year before the Pfizer CEO's rhapsody.49
THE AMERICAN PHARMACY
Remember the millennial article in the New England Journal from the first page of this book. |
| The most common medications were for pain relief, the most prescribed being acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil) perhaps an indication of seriousness, or lack thereof. The third most often prescribed drug (8.1 million for emergency visits in 2000) was hydrocodone, mostly under the brand name, Vicodin. This drug is a powerful and addictive semisynthetic narcotic. In the chapter that follows, we will consider its appropriate (and inappropriate) uses. Taken together, pain relievers accounted for one-third of all medications. |
Joerg Gruenwald, Ph.D.
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 Countermeasures include gastrointestinal emptying, keeping the patient warm, cardiovascular and pulmonary support, magnesium and calcium infusions, administration of atropine to fight bradycardia, lidocaine for relieving the arrythmias, possibly artificial respiration, pain relief (no opiates).
DOSAGE
Mode of Administration: Administration of the drug is prohibited.
The use of the drug is nowadays judged to be too risky and inadvisable, especially as the active agent is available. Externally: Aconiti tinctura applied with a brash. Used in homeopathy. |
| In folk medicine, the root is used as an ointment for skin injuries and disorders; the dried root for pain relief and for pregnancy complaints.
CONTRAINDICATIONS
The drag should not be used in the presence of stomach or duodenal ulcers, due to the drag's stimulation of gastric juice secretion.
PRECAUTIONS AND ADVERSE REACTIONS
Health risks or side effects following the proper administration of designated therapeutic dosages are not recorded. The drag has a sensitizing effect.
DOSAGE
Mode of Administration: As comminuted drag for infusions and other preparations for internal use. |
| Trypsin inhibitors Lectins
Vitamins of the B-group
EFFECTS
Rice has been shown to be effective for pain relief and sedation of the digestive tract.
INDICATIONS AND USAGE
Rice is used during recovery from disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and diarrhea.
PRECAUTIONS AND ADVERSE REACTIONS
No health hazards or side effects are known in conjunction with the proper administration of designated therapeutic dosages.
DOSAGE
Preparation: Seeds boiled in water. |
| In folk medicine, it is used in the manufacture of children's cough syrup, as a tea for insomnia, for pain relief, and as a sedative.
PRECAUTIONS AND ADVERSE REACTIONS
No health hazards or side effects are known in conjunction with the proper administration of designated therapeutic dosages. Reports exist in the scientific literature of children being poisoned by intake of the fresh foliage (with blossoms), with symptoms including vomiting and stomach pain. The drug itself is non-toxic due to the low level of alkaloid content. |
| INDICATIONS AND USAGE
Internally, Beth Root is used for long and heavy menstruation and pain relief. Externally, it is used for varicose veins and ulcers, hematoma and hemorrhoid bleeding.
PRECAUTIONS AND ADVERSE REACTIONS
No health hazards or side effects are known in conjunction with the proper administration of designated therapeutic dosages. In higher dosages, the drug is said to be nauseant, and to have the effect of promoting menstruation.
Pregnancy: In high dosages, the drug is said to have the effect of promoting labor. |
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