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Pain is the No. 1 reason people seek medical help. Acute-onset pain suggests a medical emergency and immediate medical assistance is necessary. Chronic pain has a significant impact on human life. According to Dr. Zhaoming Chen, the best way to control chronic pain is a multidisciplinary approach that includes complementary and alternative medicine.
Chen, chairman of the American Association of Integrative Medicine and a physician at St. Agnes Hospital, offers several easy ways to help people deal with pain.
•Regular exercise, 20 to 30 minutes daily, can relieve muscle cramping and stiffness, as stretching muscles can accelerate local blood circulation and remove metabolic products. Tai Chi is one of the appropriate exercises that will relieve muscle cramping.
•Eating healthy food can reduce the frequency of migraine headache attacks. The list of foods that trigger migraines is long. The simple way to find out whether or not a specific food triggers an attack is to check the food you ate before each pain attack. You may be able to identify the troublemaker.
•The brains of patients with chronic pain may misinterpret or amplify the pain signal from distant parts of the body. Qigong (a system of breathing and movement) and meditation can help people stay relaxed. Additionally, small doses of vitamin B complex are helpful to decrease stress associated with pain and discomfort.
•If you have to take pain medication, try to minimize the dose, minimizing side effects or drug interactions. Sticking to the schedule of pain medications may reduce rebounding pain.
•It is believed that people with chronic pain may have lower endorphin levels and cerebral spinal fluid, which can be elevated after acupuncture treatment - electrically or manually. Stimulation on special points throughout the body with fingertips is also effective to control headaches, neck pain, shoulder pain, lower back pain, abdominal pain, etc.
•High-quality sleep will reduce morning headaches. Go to bed at the same time every night. Watch your body weight closely. Acupuncture and qigong are very effective in helping people sleep.
More information about complementary and alternative medicine is available at the American Association of Integrative Medicine Web site: aaimedicine.com.
Chen, chairman of the American Association of Integrative Medicine and a physician at St. Agnes Hospital, offers several easy ways to help people deal with pain.
•Regular exercise, 20 to 30 minutes daily, can relieve muscle cramping and stiffness, as stretching muscles can accelerate local blood circulation and remove metabolic products. Tai Chi is one of the appropriate exercises that will relieve muscle cramping.
•Eating healthy food can reduce the frequency of migraine headache attacks. The list of foods that trigger migraines is long. The simple way to find out whether or not a specific food triggers an attack is to check the food you ate before each pain attack. You may be able to identify the troublemaker.
•The brains of patients with chronic pain may misinterpret or amplify the pain signal from distant parts of the body. Qigong (a system of breathing and movement) and meditation can help people stay relaxed. Additionally, small doses of vitamin B complex are helpful to decrease stress associated with pain and discomfort.
•If you have to take pain medication, try to minimize the dose, minimizing side effects or drug interactions. Sticking to the schedule of pain medications may reduce rebounding pain.
•It is believed that people with chronic pain may have lower endorphin levels and cerebral spinal fluid, which can be elevated after acupuncture treatment - electrically or manually. Stimulation on special points throughout the body with fingertips is also effective to control headaches, neck pain, shoulder pain, lower back pain, abdominal pain, etc.
•High-quality sleep will reduce morning headaches. Go to bed at the same time every night. Watch your body weight closely. Acupuncture and qigong are very effective in helping people sleep.
More information about complementary and alternative medicine is available at the American Association of Integrative Medicine Web site: aaimedicine.com.
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