Pain and inflammation anywhere in the body can be uncomfortable and even debilitating for some. Conventional medicine may prescribe a medication to relieve pain and reduce inflammation, but these symptoms are likely to return when the medication stops. Holistic medicine treats the whole person rather than just the symptoms, in hope of eliminating or greatly reducing the symptoms in the long-term. Holistic treatments for treating pain and inflammation include exercise, acupuncture and dietary supplements.
Exercise
Physical activity is highly recommended in holistic medicine for the treatment of many conditions. Physical exercise can help the body move more easily, which is helpful in relation to joint diseases, which can significantly stiffen the joints, causing extreme pain. Exercise improves blood circulation which can help with inflammation, swelling and pain. If pain and inflammation affect the joints, a low-impact form of exercise can increase freedom of motion without causing much stress to the joints. This would include something like swimming or water aerobics.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is one holistic treatment that is growing in popularity and credibility for its ability to treat pain and inflammation in the body. This ancient Chinese procedure involves the insertion of very small needles into certain areas of the body to help realign the body's energy. A major advantage of acupuncture is that it does not cause troublesome side effects like many of the prescription medications prescribed for pain and inflammation. NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), for example, are very popular prescriptions for painful and inflammatory conditions, and are known to create a host of side effects.
Supplements
Nutritional supplements are also widely used in holistic medicine to treat disorders and diseases, usually in conjunction with other treatments. Antioxidants are one type of supplement often used to treat pain and inflammation. Multivitamins and vitamins C and E are also used to treat inflammation. Herbal supplements such as SAM-e, MSM and shark cartilage may be used as well.
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