Back and neck pain can really put a wrench into your lifestyle. Pain in your spine can stop you from working out, keep you from performing well at your job, and even prevent you from playing with your kids. Unfortunately, back and neck pain can also be difficult to diagnose and treat, which often leaves sufferers feeling like they have no choices other than depending on painkillers or learning to live with the pain. However, there are non-drug options that can help. Take a look at some surprisingly effective treatments that you may not have thought of.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is sometimes called "the talking cure". How can talking help your back pain? For one thing, talking to a therapist is a good way to unload your stress and find new ways to cope with it, and stress can contribute significantly to back pain. Talking about the pain you're experiencing can also help you adjust the way you view your symptoms and come up with more creative ways to manage them.
In a nutshell, therapy can help you put mind over matter. You'll feel less pain because you'll learn how to think about pain in a different way, and how to control the things that trigger pain and stress in your life.
Yoga
At first glance, twisting yourself into pretzel-like contortions may look more like a way to cause pain than a way to get rid of it. However, yoga is about more than seemingly impossible body positions. Above all, yoga is a way of relaxing, and if your body is relaxed, that means that the muscles in your back that are normally tight and achy have also relaxed.
Like therapy, yoga is also a stress-reducer. Many forms of yoga incorporate some type of meditation or guided imagery. Not only does the practice of yoga relax your body, it relaxes your mind and helps you let your stress go, which may result in less body pain overall.
Herbal Supplements
It's not just what you do with your body that matters. What you put into your body matters as well. Making some changes to your diet may be just what you need to help relieve your pain. Pain in your muscles and joints is often caused by inflammation, so adding anti-inflammatory supplements is a good start.
Try omega-3 fish oil and turmeric for inflamed muscles, or ginger and black pepper to ease achy joints. You can take the fish oil in pill form, but the spices can be added to your food or mixed into a smoothie for easier absorption into your system.
You may need to think outside the box to find a solution to your back and neck pain, but there are non-drug options out there. A chiropractor or naturopath can help you find less traditional pain relief options that will help your back and neck pain. Sites like http://www.swfna.com can offer more information about back pain management.
Share26 May 2015
My parents taught me healthy eating habits and I played outside a lot as a kid. Once I was old enough to work, I got a job as a waiter at a restaurant and kept waiting tables throughout high school and college. After college, I got my very first desk job, and my health started declining. I soon realized that even though I had never stepped foot in a gym, I was living a sedentary lifestyle for the first time in my life. I wasn't getting exercise playing outside or running around at work, so I decided to commit to going to the gym. My health began to improve and I now greatly enjoy bodybuilding. I know many other people are in ill health and can't figure out why, so I decided to start a blog to share my health tips and inspire everyone improve their health!
