Many people find themselves living with pain for one reason or another. For some, it’s illness; for others, it’s surgery. But, it’s always a big problem. 

 

Here’s the issue: when you’re in pain, it’s hard to enjoy your life. You can’t be exuberant and care-free because there’s always this background tension in your body. You simply can’t enjoy yourself.

 

Pain-relief medications don’t really work either, as pointed out by experts, such as Sunshine Behavioral Health. They might numb it for a while, but create dependencies and addictions in the process. 

 

The trick here is to live naturally and find alternate means to dealing with pain, particularly if it is with you long-term. Medications should be a short-term strategy to see you through, not something you depend on all the time. 

 

Are you experiencing pain right now? Here are some of the things you might consider trying:

 

Therapeutic Massage Sessions

 

Some people experience pain because of chronic muscle tension. Either the muscle is firing when it shouldn’t be, or it can’t clear out waste products at a sufficiently high rate. 

 

If this sounds like you, you might want to experiment with therapeutic massage sessions. Masseuses use special techniques designed to help muscles recover and restore normal function. Some people find it extremely beneficial, but it depends on the condition. 

 

Music Therapy

 

 

If you’re experiencing pain after surgery or an accident, you might also try using music therapy. This involves listening to sounds played at certain frequencies through headphones, designed to help mask the pain centers of the brain and make you feel better. Generally, music therapy is distracting and encourages the pain to go away. 

 

Cold And Heat

 

Cold showers and saunas are good for your body in general. However, there is also ample evidence that alternating between cold and heat is good for pain management too. 

 

Cold has a numbing effect on the body. You’ll notice that if you take a cold shower, it hurts at first and then stops being as painful after a minute or so. This happens because your body essentially uses up all of its pain receptor chemicals quickly. 

 

When you apply cold compresses, it reduces inflammation, cutting swelling. 

 

Heat is also soothing. It’s often nice to apply heat after a bout of extreme cold. Heat gets deep into the muscle and helps to prevent it from becoming too stiff. 

 

Move More

 

 

Exercise is critical in most forms of pain management, particularly arthritis and fibromyalgia. The more you move, the better you feel. 

 

Lack of exercise can lead to a vicious cycle. You become too sedentary, and that makes pain conditions worse. 

 

If you really want to build flexibility into the body, do yoga and tai chi. These are spiritual practices and affect how your body functions. You find that you’re better aligned and more in touch with yourself when you engage fully in these activities. 

 

In conclusion, pain relief doesn’t have to be chemical-based: you can use many other strategies. Try these first before reaching for the pillbox under the direction of your doctor.