Managing Pain With Homeopathic Preparations

Over the past ten years scientist and doctors have learned that all pain is not the same. For instance, the pain from a laceration (cut) is thought about acute (quick to hurt for a short period) but in a cheap time frame the pain goes away.

Finger Joint Swelling

Whereas, if one compares that type pain to say a long term low back pain or diabetic neuropathy (burning feet) we refer to them as continuing pain or sometimes neuropathic pain. Most population deal with acute pain well. But, when we have pain in the same place for months with very little relief, we come to be down right irritable, sleep deprived and then depressed.

Unfortunately, all of this emotional stress and the added corporeal stress from poor sleep aggravates the pain even more. If we do not break the pain cycle swiftly (in a few weeks) our pain can come to be continuing and life long. continuing pain costs Americans $billions every year in the form of lost wages, lost productivity, healthcare costs and disability payments.

Scientist have also found that we send these pain signals to our brain by the way of at least three dissimilar nerve types. We do not realize pain until the pain message reaches our spinal cord and then the brain. They have also found that these three dissimilar nerve pathways acknowledge to dissimilar medications, treatments and yes herbs.

Lets look at an ankle sprain as an example. Ankle sprains are usually only acute pains if sufficient medicine is received quickly. When we sprain an ankle, often we stretch or slightly tear a ligament. This results in immediate pain, tenderness and swelling. Much of the cause for the pain and swelling is from inflammation. Rest, ice, elevation and an ace wrap help a lot, but they are all temporary relief. One can take ibuprofen, aspirin or naproxen sodium to deliver anti-inflammatory relief via the blood and these work well if you do not have stomach problems, high blood pressure or kidney/liver disease.

Unfortunately, since these medications are sold without a designate and sufficient warning by a curative practitioner is not usually given, many invent stomach bleeding or their blood pressure soars and they end up in the accident room. I am a curative practitioner and I see person with these side effects every week. If you talk with an accident room practitioner, they will tell you they see this every day.

Initially, when the ankle is injured the pain is transmitted to the brain over at least two of these dissimilar types of nerves. One type is a very quick responder to the pain (like when we burn the tip of a finger) the other is a more steady persistent pain transmitter. Fortunately, both of these nerves are calmed down quite well by applying topical herbal pain relievers to the skin.

When educated properly, I find most patients prefer topical herbal pain relievers over pills because they work well without side effects. In the past, most topical pain relief products did not jab the skin barrier well and most only contained menthol. Menthol alone simply does not ease pain. If it is mixed with a known anti-inflammatory and is able to jab the dermis (top layer of skin) then some real relief will occur.

For a topical pain reliever to be sufficient it must first smell good... Yes smell turns many population off. No one enjoys smelling like a sports locker room. Secondly, it must jab the dermis and reach the basement membrane of the skin. The basement membrane contains veins, capillaries and nerves on which these herbs have a suitable effect. Thirdly, these herbs must be absorbed by the blood circulation and then transported to the injured tissue. Once they reach the injured area they begin to infiltrate colse to the injured tissue (ligament, tendon, muscle, disc, joint cavity and etc.). Once the nerves are calmed and the inflammation is being relieved the pain, tenderness and swelling begin to leave. This near immediate relief (usually minutes) allows the injured person to rule down emotionally by not stimulating two very bad chemical mediators (glutamate, substance P). If these bad actors can be controlled then our simply produced (feel good) chemicals which come from the spinal cord and brain allow us to modulate down the perceived level of pain as well, (Gaba, Glycine, endocannabinoids, endorphins, monoamines, serotonin and norepinephrine).

When pain is not relieved swiftly the glutamate and substance P levels are allowed to over furnish and compete dramatically with our "feel good chemicals. Then the person starts getting irritable, sleep disturbance occurs and then depression sets in for the duration.

I could go into exactly each herb that is important to the control of pain, inflammation and healing, but it would take several articles to interpret all the details. I can tell you that each herb has been wholly studied and was found safe and effective. The herbal ingredients are; arnica, Msm, glucosamine, capsicum, emu oil and aloe vera.

My intended take home messages are; prosperous pain and inflammation control from the very starting of any injury is monumental, and oral anti-inflammatory /narcotic pills should be used only when the topical herbs fail.