Acute pain is the nerve system’s way of telling you that something is wrong and needs to be fixed. When you feel pain, you should take your hand off the burner or go to the hospital if you think you’ve broken a bone. On the other hand, chronic pain is not the same. It can be brought on by an injury or illness, or it may have no clear reason. Fear and worry are normal feelings that can last for weeks, months, or even years.
If you’ve been feeling bad for a long time, you’re not alone. One hundred million people in the United States are always in pain.
Doctors say that chronic pain is a difficult condition because the way the brain processes pain signals is a part of it. No one but the person in pain can properly describe it. The brain is a big part of how we feel pain, but it can be retrained to help us deal with and change how we think about chronic pain.
Here are five ways to deal with the mental, social, and physical parts of chronic pain that don’t involve drugs.
1. Stay Hydrated
Chronic pain may get worse if you don’t drink enough water. Drink enough water to keep the amount of water in your body steady. If you don’t drink coffee, tea, or booze, you’ll become even more dehydrated.
2. Check your diet every so often
Your food can either help you deal with chronic pain or make it worse. Eat more leafy greens, omega-3 fatty acids, asparagus, cherries, cranberries, and soy products, which all help lower inflammation. Foods that cause inflammation include tomatoes, eggplant, cheese, red meat, eggs, and chocolate.
3. Give yourself time to do yoga and meditate
Yoga and meditation are good ways to treat chronic pain because they focus on the body and the mind. One of the main benefits of yoga is that it makes your muscles stronger and more flexible. It helps with constant pain and teaches you how to relax your muscles in a planned way. Meditation and deep breathing can help you calm your body and mind, which can help you deal with the mental response to chronic pain.
4. Workout
Pain from a long-term illness can be eased by exercising regularly. It has a lot of the same health benefits as yoga, like being able to strengthen and stretch muscles, increase blood flow, and loosen up stiff joints. Swimming and cycling have many of the same benefits as high-impact sports like running, but if you have chronic pain, they may be better for you.
5. Use Visualization and Pain Management Techniques
The mind is a very useful tool. After you’ve warmed up by taking deep breaths, try using your thoughts and ideas to deal with the pain. “Mental anesthesia,” in which the person imagines a drug being put on the painful spot, can help people with chronic pain. This technique has been shown to relieve pain without drugs.
Chronic pain treatment requires a full plan that takes into account both the patient’s physical and mental needs. Your primary care doctor will work with a neurologist, physical therapist, counselor, and maybe even others to help you deal with your chronic pain. During therapy, it’s important to keep a positive mood and remember that you’re not alone and that your support system is there to help you get better.
