Aches & Pains

Pain pills such as opiates and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) temporarily reduce inflammation, but they may also lead to stomach problems, strokes, bleeding ulcers, heart attacks, liver and kidney damage, and even death. Pain relievers are a major cause of death (click for studies) and/or hospitalization in the United States.

Symptomatic treatment may be appropriate for acute or emergency conditions where life is threatened, but in the long-term it can result in addiction, especially with opiates. In fact, some drug pain relievers slow healing of tendons and soft tissues, speed joint degeneration and increase the likelihood of recurring injury.

*Source: P.M. Brooks, S.R. Potter and W.W. Buchanan,"NSAID and Osteoarthritis-- Help or Hindrance,"

Few hospitals in the United States use natural or alternative medicine at all, despite its widespread usage in the hospitals of other countries around the world, including homeopathy in the UK and herbal medicine in China. Holistic approaches using natural and alternative medicine are often very helpful for chronic painful conditions such as migraines, headaches, kidney stones, lower back pain, knee pain, shoulder pain, carpal tunnel, post-operative pain, fibromyalgia, and arthritis. Tissues and sinews of the joints and spine can be improved naturally, without side-effects.

There are many useful approaches to pain management, certainly an important aspect of treatment. Yet, it is also important to locate the cause of the pain for each individual and reverse the causal condition if possible. Treating the underlying cause provides both pain relief and a truly long-term solution.