Pain relief without taking painkillers?
Posted , 5 users are following.
Hi. Diagnosed with Fibro in December after having ME / CFS for 20+ years. Been trying to manage the fluctuating pain levels with ibuprofen but its causing me massive IBS flare-ups. I have just discovered Nurofen 24hr pain relief patches which do appear to help to a degree, but at £7.99 for two it isn't really something I can use every day (going to use them for days out / special events). I'm also going to try Tiger Balm but it says its not for long term use.
Any suggestions for non-tablet pain relief please?
0 likes, 5 replies
loxie Klp77
Posted
I've tried a multitude of things to try to avoid pain meds, I too have issues with ibuprofen (by the way Nurofen is ibuprofen based and in fact probably has the same 200mg dose as the cheaper generic stuff - the only difference is likely to be the addition of some caffeine and codeine . A lot of people cant tolerate codeine due to the issues with constipation etc. I also cant take any opiods (Tramadol etc) so resort to bog standard paracetamol which most of the time doesnt touch the pain.
I've had a lot of success with ginger - the fresh root not powdered. I grate it and steep it in boiling water then strain it and drink like tea - add lemon juice/honey to taste. I also grate it up and mix it with hand cream and slaver it on painful joints, then leave it say overnight. It really lowers the inflammation. One other thing that helps with fibro and any pain syndrome that is aggravated by stress is Mindfulness meditation - have a look on youtube there's plenty of stuff on there about it.
Klp77 loxie
Posted
I'll definitely try your ideas with the ginger. I already try mindfulness techniques which does help to a certain extent. I've also been advised to try Tiger Balm too. Thanks for your help 🙂
loxie Klp77
Posted
The thing with the ginger is if it doesnt work, it's not harmful in any way so nothing lost - plus its great for calming stomach problems too - ie after taking anti inflamms. I find stress and anxiety causes me massive flare ups of pain - trying to keep my stress levels down is a constant battle. When I go on holiday and just sit on a beach or by the pool and read or nap, my pain drops immensely. Roll on retirement when I dont have to deal with work nightmares anymore.
miriam65408 Klp77
Posted
Ibuprofen and other NSAIDs (e.g. Nurofen - you'll have to look up all the names) are not ideal to be taken long term as they can mess with your heart and also cause metabolic disruptions that actually cause more pain. Paracetamol isn't great for long term use either as it messes with your liver while opioids just aren't great - so where does that leave you?
Ginger is good for inflammation as Loxie says, as is turmeric. CBD oil works for many people but it can be trial and error until you get the dose right. Have you looked at eliminating certain foods? Try this:
"Eliminate or radically reduce most grains and sugars from your diet. Avoiding grains and sugars will lower your insulin and leptin levels and decrease insulin and leptin resistance, which is one of the most important reasons why inflammatory prostaglandins are produced. That is why stopping sugar and sweets is so important to controlling your pain and other types of chronic illnesses.
Also get plenty of Omega 3 and Vit D, both help reduce inflammation.
Evening Primrose oil, also blackcurrant or borage oil, contain GLA which is helpful for pain.
Look these things up and see if any might work for you.
loxie miriam65408
Posted
I saw a TV documentary about removing grains from the diet - it was very enlightening. All sorts of problems can be reduced or even eliminated by cutting down on grain intake - apparently humans arent designed to consume them, it's just evolved that we do. Consumption of grains equates to an increase in blood sugar levels (see Maltose) so reducing grain intake can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes also. If you're considering turmeric - go for Curcumin - it's the active ingredient in turmeric that is a powerful anti-inflammatory but there is only about a 5% concentration in turmeric so it's much better to go for the extract instead. It is however quite expensive for the good stuff. I was told to remove nightshade foods from my diet to see if that reduced inflammatory levels - eg eggplant, peppers, potatoes and tomatoes, etc. However, countries that have a lot of those in their natural diet - for example mediterranean countries - dont suffer the same level of arthritis that we in the UK do, plus eating all varieties are excellent sources of vitamins A and C, potassium, folic acid, and fiber. red peppers being slightly better - compared to green bell peppers, the red ones have almost 11 times more beta-carotene and 1.5 times more vitamin C so I ditched that idea. Pain is the body's natural reaction to it being under stress - either from illness, inflammation or adrenal overload - reducing inflammation is key either by diet or by stress relieving activity - I'm working on it 😃