By Kristen Alexander

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August 30, 2024

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Chronic Pain in Adults

It is estimated that over 25% of adults live with chronic pain in the United States, collectively spending over 100 billion dollars annually on expenses related to their chronic pain. 

When we think of chronic pain, we usually think of muscle or joint pains. However, we often overlook other types of chronic pain like endometriosis, migraines, fibromyalgia, and inflammatory bowel disease. We can also develop chronic pain after certain events like vehicle accidents or other physical traumas. No matter the cause of chronic pain, it can be debilitating and lead to a lower quality of life, as the pain often takes away the ability to do the things that we once enjoyed. 

 

Coping Strategies for Chronic Pain

While there are many different causes and types of chronic pain and various approaches to them, here are a few simple ways you can help reduce inflammation within the body and help reduce pain:

1. Eating an anti-inflammatory diet high in antioxidants is a great way to reduce inflammation. Likewise, reducing packaged or processed foods and refined sugars is another excellent step toward reducing inflammation and pain.
2. Working to reduce stress levels can help reduce overall inflammation. It can allow the body to exit from a hypervigilant state, where we often experience more muscle tension that can lead to worse pains over time. Stress management techniques can be very effective in reducing certain types of chronic pains, especially when there is a strong mental-emotional connection between the two. 
3. For conditions like osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and other joint and muscle pains, photobiomodulation (a process by which light stimulates living things to heal themselves), especially infrared light therapy, can effectively reduce inflammation and pain. Visiting an infrared sauna is a great way to help improve pain and inflammation.
4. Daily movement, stretching, or exercise can significantly reduce pain and inflammation. They keep the body in motion and reduce stress and tension on the muscles and joints. Walking, jogging, swimming, and cycling are a few easy and gentle ways to incorporate movement into your daily routine. There are also plenty of resources available for chair exercises, which allow for gentle movement in the comfort of your own space. 
5. Supportive therapies such as Cranial Sacral Therapy (CST) and Reiki have shown benefits for pain management, especially when chronic pain has mental and emotional components or symptoms. Both work together to release tension from the body and foster a deeper body awareness, which can help individuals better understand and manage their pain.

Naturopathic Approach to Chronic Pain

As naturopathic doctors, we are trained to follow six principles of naturopathic medicine, one of them being ‘tolle totum,’ which translates into ‘care for the whole person.’ 

Dr. Alexander notes, “As a naturopathic doctor, it is my responsibility to see each patient as a whole – to zoom out and see the big picture and to connect the dots that are often unconnected. When it comes to chronic pain, we often see a combination of different problems coming together and resulting in pain. During visits, I typically ask patients about any injuries or illnesses that may contribute to their pain, along with any family history of chronic pain patterns. When possible, I also like to discuss certain traumas that the patient may have experienced, as this may be a crucial element to unearthing potential root causes of their chronic pain.”

If you need support while navigating these different coping strategies for chronic pain, our practitioners at Richmond Natural Medicine are ready to help. They offer consults, Reiki, and CST. Contact our office today to schedule your appointment! 

 

References:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK553030/ 
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10381948/ 
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10531845/ 
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9980499/ 
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10815384/ 
6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31642490/ 
7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30982020/