Whether it’s shoulder or knee pain, headaches, joint pain, menstrual cramps, back pain, or IBS gut pain, chronic pain can be very difficult to live with.
In today’s video, I discuss pain, the body’s inflammatory response, and some natural remedies we can use to get some relief.
Unfortunately, many people live with chronic pain. Listen in to learn what you can do.
Natural Remedies for Pain and Inflammation
When you experience pain, it’s often due to inflammation. Your body becomes inflamed to bring your awareness to an area that needs attention.
Pain is definitely a signal.
An injury or imbalance of some sort is causing inflammation, which then leads to pain. So your first step is to determine the cause of the pain. Of course, as much as possible, you need to step back and give your body time to heal. If you continue to aggravate the inflammation with further activity or triggering behaviour, the inflammation and pain will continue.
Inflammation doesn’t just happen on its own. It happens and gets worse when the body’s immune response is disrupted. Contributing factors can range from poor sleep, stress, past injury, poor posture, a sedentary lifestyle, nutrient deficiencies, food intolerances, adrenal or hormonal imbalances, and chronic viral infections, to name just a few.
You can think of the body’s inflammatory response like fire. If left unchecked and becomes chronic, it can lead to a cascade of more serious inflammatory conditions in the body. As always, you must receive a diagnosis from a medical professional if you’re experiencing chronic or severe pain so that you can rule out more serious conditions.
Pharmaceuticals are sometimes a good option for temporary relief, but when taken regularly, they can really lead to many more serious concerns. Studies show that NSAIDS (these are medications like ibuprofen) can cause stomach ulcers and gastritis after as little as 5 days in a row. Because of this, it can be helpful to turn to more natural remedies for relief.
Many categories of herbs help with pain. But for today’s video, I’m going to focus on reducing overall inflammation. As you implement these lifestyle changes and herbal remedies, it may take some time, but you should notice a reduction in your chronic pain levels.
Basic lifestyle changes can make a profound difference. First, it’s important to get solid sleep, rest and reduce stress. Make sure you watch my other video on sleep for some tips there. I’d also recommend having an Epsom salt bath at least once a week to help relieve stress, tension and pain. You could add a few drops of pure lavender or another calming essential oil to your bath to help.
It’s super important that you eliminate inflammatory foods. These are things like sugar, white flour and alcohol. Eat lots of veggies, stay really hydrated with pure water, and get omega-3s – this can come from food like wild fatty fish, flax, walnuts or chia. Or you can get them by using a supplement.
Turmeric
Turmeric is such an incredible herb! It’s probably most well-known for its yellow colour and its use in curries and other Indian dishes. But this plant can be used for so much more than flavour and colour.
The active constituent in turmeric is a carotenoid called curcumin. Curcumin has been shown to stop or inhibit many inflammatory compounds. It’s particularly helpful in relieving the symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, but can also be used for a huge range of inflammatory conditions.
The easiest way to use turmeric is to add it to your food. Use about 1/4 – 1/2 a tsp of the ground root every day for the best results. You could also use capsules; in that case, use the dosage and contraindication recommendations on the packaging.
Ashwagandha
The next herb I’d like to highlight is Ashwagandha. Ashwagandha could even be taken at the same time as turmeric.
Ashwagandha is a stress-relieving herb with anti-inflammatory effects. It’s energy-building while also deeply nourishing. One of my favourite ways to take it is mixed into warm milk, like coconut or almond milk. The fat helps to deliver the herb and has a nourishing effect on the nerves.
If you’d like to learn more about Ashwagandha, make sure you check out my video on adaptogen herbs.
Well, I hope that helps you reduce inflammation in the body, leading to deeper ease. Let me know in the comments below which suggestion you plan to adopt and whether you found this video helpful.
