Description of the blog
Pain is a complex and subjective experience. It is an essential part of evolution that protects the body from danger and harm. When specific nerves called nociceptors detect tissue damage, or the threat of possible damage, they transmit information along the spinal cord to the brain. This communication causes the sensation of pain, which the brain interprets based on various factors including past experiences, beliefs and emotions. The brain may also release feel-good chemicals, such as dopamine, to counter the unpleasant effects of pain.
Effective pain management does not always mean total eradication of all pain. Rather, it often means achieving adequate quality of life in the presence of pain, through any combination of lessening the pain and/or better understanding it and being able to live happily despite it.†
Pain serves as a protective mechanism, alerting the body to potential harm. Pain receptors attached to fast and slow nerve types relay messages quickly (sharp pain) or slowly (dull pain). Immediate reflex reactions often occur before the sensation of pain is fully registered.
Pain can be either acute or chronic. Acute pain is generally intense and short-lived. It is how the body alerts a person to an injury or localized tissue damage. Treating the underlying injury usually resolves acute pain.
Acute pain triggers the body’s fight-or-flight response, often resulting in faster heartbeats and breathing rates.
There are different types of acute pain:
Chronic pain lasts for extended periods of time and there is often no cure. Chronic pain can be mild or severe. It can also be continuous, such as in arthritis, or intermittent, as with a migraine episode. Intermittent pain occurs on repeated occasions but stops between flares. The fight-or-flight reactions eventually stop in people with chronic pain, as the sympathetic nervous system that triggers these reactions adapts to the pain stimulus.
If enough cases of acute pain occur, they can create a buildup of electrical signals in the central nervous system (CNS) that overstimulate the nerve fibers. This effect is known as “windup,” which compares the buildup of electrical signals to a windup toy. Winding a toy with more intensity leads to the toy running faster for longer. Chronic pain works in the same way, which is why a person may feel pain long after the event that first caused it.
There are other, more specialized ways of describing pain, including:
Pain Management Approaches
Effective pain management often involves a combination of reducing pain and understanding it, allowing individuals to live better despite it.
Speaking with a healthcare professional about how to incorporate dietary supplements can be the start to a lower dependency on pain medications and a more natural approach to pain relief. They should be used alongside a healthy diet and under the guidance of a doctor to ensure they do not interact negatively with other medications.
Curcumin Complex and Curcumin Ultra provide curcumin as well as other ingredients that aid in resolution of inflammation, which may significantly improve outcomes in pain management.†
Migraine Clear is a unique vitamin and herbal formula synergistically designed to help reduce the frequency and intensity of cranial vascular disturbances. Migraine headaches may see improved management.†
PEAk Factor may be a useful supplement for some patients with chronic pain, providing benefits in the areas of pain, inflammation, immune support and sleep. This product may be a useful adjunct to low-dose naltrexone or CBD therapies.†
Resilience Factor may be helpful for anyone wanting to increase their production of specialized pro-resolving mediators to aid in resolution of immune responses such as inflammation.†
Ultimate Joint Complex may be a useful dietary supplement for individuals wishing to support skin, vascular, joint and connective tissue structure and function.†
Topical pain management has become a popular approach to treating localized pain. Whether the pain is due to arthritis, muscle trauma, neuropathic issues or a host of other possible causes, the topical pain approach can be very beneficial. The initial advantage of localized topical pain management was to minimize systemic distribution of opioids and other systemically-acting analgesics to minimize their adverse effects. However, the utilization of various oral nutritional agents, such as those found in some nutritional supplements, along with the topically-applied agents, may significantly improve overall pain management.
Finally, knowing all possible approaches to pain management can help with more awareness of overall bodily functions and what is needed to relieve pain. Creating a treatment regime customized to specific pain needs allows more control of one’s physical state leading to a healthier outlook on pain management.
REFERENCES
Medical News Today. Medically Reviewed by Martinez, Kevin, M.D. Written by Felman, Adam. (Updated 2024, January 11). What is Pain, and How Do You Treat It. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/145750#types Wikipedia. Pain Management. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pain_management Better Health Channel. Produced in Consultation With and Approved by Victoria State Government, Department of Health. Pain and Pain Management – Adults. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/pain-and-pain-management-adults Abdelrahman KM, Hackshaw KV. Nutritional Supplements for the Treatment of Neuropathic Pain. Biomedicines. 2021 Jun 13;9(6):674. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines9060674. PMID: 34199290; PMCID: PMC8231824. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8231824/ Pain Management and Injury Relief (PMIR) Nutrition. (2016, January 5). Dietary Supplements for Pain Management. https://paininjuryrelief.com/dietary-supplements-for-pain-management/
†The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.