I remember when my body was on fire.
Especially my right hip and lower leg.
Walking was excruciating. So I tried to avoid it.
Sleep was hard to come by. It was very difficult getting comfortable in bed. Because everything hurt.
Over-the-counter pain medication made no difference.
My quality of life was horrible. I couldn’t raise my family or take care of my home. Work was out of the question.
So what did I do? One thing I didn’t do was turn to drugs.
That’s because I was well aware that drugs (in general) don’t lead to healing. Especially in cases of chronic pain.
Medication may relieve symptoms. Temporarily. Until the next dose.
Don’t even get me started on the potential side effects, including the distinct possibility of addiction.
Also, drugs don’t hit the root cause of your pain.
So you’re still sick.
My goal was to get better.
So I skipped the drugs and went straight for natural healing.
I won’t claim it was quick or easy. Or free.
Natural healing did cost money. But it helped me a lot.
Insurance co-pays would have added up too.
I feel like I spent my money wisely, on skilled healers who helped. They didn’t prescribe drugs. Nor did they recommend supplements without a purpose.
I also had to take control of my health. So I could find the right remedies and the right practitioners.
It took years of research. It took a lot of trial and error.
I traveled down a number of blind alleys.
But, eventually, I reached the point where I could walk again. Without a lot of pain.
My energy returned too. Thanks to various lifestyle changes that included a dietary upgrade.
I’ll probably never have the same energy level as someone who’s never been sick. But that’s okay. I can do infinitely more now than I could at my sickest.
How To Deal With Chronic Pain Without Drugs
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First of all, let me state upfront that I’m not a doctor of a medical professional.
I can’t claim that what I did will help anyone else.
But I can share my story.
To at least let other people know that it’s possible to fight chronic pain naturally.
When my pain hit, I already knew a lot about natural medicine. I knew it was real medicine. Powerful medicine. I knew it could work.
However, I wasn’t putting my knowledge into practice.
My diet was terrible. I ate a lot of junk food and I ate pretty much whatever I wanted.
Dairy was one of my favorite foods. Did I ever eat a lot of it.
Ice cream, cheesecake and cheese. I also liked to cover my foods in butter.
How To Deal With Constant Pain
Deep down, I knew I had to give up dairy foods. But I think I was addicted to them.
Some conventional doctors may brush off the idea that dairy can increase chronic pain and inflammation.
But holistic healers often tell their patients to avoid dairy.
Because they do believe it causes inflammation.
(Getting rid of chronic pain is all about reducing excess, chronic inflammation. Everybody has inflammation. It’s a normal and natural part of the healing process. Without inflammation, we wouldn’t be able to fight a cold. Inflammation is also needed for wound repair. Inflammation is not a bad thing. Unless our inflammatory process kicks into overdrive. As mine apparently has.)
In my case, I noticed very good results giving up dairy foods.
It did sting at first. Because I knew I’d miss my favorite foods.
But eventually the milk cravings went away.
I was also able to find really good substitutes. For that occasional treat.
In the beginning of my healing program, sugar was out of the question.
But now I can eat a little bit of sugar without too many problems. (I make sure it’s cane sugar or sugar made from non GMO sugar beets. Genetically modified foods have been linked to inflammation in animals.)
As a treat, I can still enjoy gluten free and dairy free versions of my favorite foods, including gluten free dairy free cheesecake. (It tastes so much like the real thing.)
Gluten Free Dairy Free Cheesecake
Dealing With Chronic Pain Without Drugs
I didn’t view my condition as a set diagnosis, such as fibromyalgia.
Instead, I tried to see my body as just generally unhealthy. A body in need of healing.
The path to wellness would be the same. Regardless of what I had.
For instance, I would do the exact same thing if I had fibromyalgia, arthritis, multiple sclerosis or any inflammation condition.
I would work to reduce inflammation. Naturally, without drugs.
Also, I would strive to correct nutritional deficiencies and limit my exposure to toxins.
It’s believed that environmental toxins can feed inflammation.
Reducing my exposure to toxins meant getting rid of potentially toxic chemicals.
I tossed my cosmetics and switched to natural alternatives. (A growing number of skincare companies sell beauty products without toxic ingredients. I’ve purchased repeatedly from 100 Percent Pure cosmetics and I wouldn’t hesitate to do so again.)
How To Fight Chronic Pain Naturally
I took the advice of one of the natural healers I saw. I got my emotions under control.
Many people with chronic pain have experienced narcissistic abuse. At least judging by the numerous anecdotal accounts of developing fibromyalgia following emotional upheaval.
Here is an earlier post on Are Fibromyalgia and PTSD Related?
I know it was true in my case.
So I decided to limit my exposure to “toxic” people.
This meant putting up strong boundaries and cutting ties with certain chaos agents.
Unfortunately, narcissists are really good at drawing others into the drama.
So I had to temporarily distance myself from a close friend, because she had been drawn up into the narcissist’s web.
As much as it hurt to do this, I felt as if I had no choice.
Once the disordered person was out of the picture I picked up where I left off.
Not everyone develops chronic pain as a result of emotional trauma. But, apparently, a lot of us do.
Trauma of some sort seems to be an underlying factor, though. Some people report they developed chronic pain after a car accident or surgery.
In my case, it seemed as if the chronic inflammation switch got turned on. But no off button is available.
I’ll likely battle chronic pain for the rest of my life. But, thankfully, I have a good life. Now.
My pain level is usually a 2 or 3, on a scale of 10. Before, it often topped the charts at 10+.
Most days my pain is only in the background. I don’t think much about it because I have too much else to do.
Occasionally, I’ll even have a pain free day.
This is a gift, I realize.
Unfortunately, some people with chronic pain are so sick that natural remedies and lifestyle changes may not help.
But I hear from others who’ve healed to the point where they feel a lot better. They have their lives back, for the most part.
If my pain breaks through, I use a special essential oil formula designed for natural pain relief.
But no drugs.
Natural Healing From Chronic Pain
It’s been a long hard road. It’s taken years to feel better.
My pain did improve when I gave up milk. This was a quick and easy fix. But it didn’t solve the entire problem.
I’ve had to take a lot of natural remedies and use a variety of natural healing methods. All in order to keep my runaway inflammation in check.
Sometimes one thing stops working and I have to switch to another.
Pain still crops up in unexpected places from time to time. (For instance, it may surface in my fingers or even in my toes.)
I’ve tried to make peace with the pain. Mentally, it helps me to deal with it better.
Instead of spending energy trying to fight pain, I just try to accept it and find ways to relieve it. Naturally, of course.
That’s what works for me.
However, I know that everyone is different. But this is my story.
I think my condition was particularly extreme.
Not only was I in excruciating pain. But I could barely walk.
For me, I’ve needed to use multiple remedies and healing methods at once. Along with diet changes.
Some things didn’t work. Others did.
Still other healing methods made me feel worse before I felt better.
What I did was compile my experiences with natural health in an easy-to-follow online course. This course is designed to help healthcare consumers find the care they need, within their insurance network.
This information is meant to help you work with your own doctor to come up with a wellness plan that’s right for you. It describes my personal experience, as well as the approach taken by holistic healthcare experts.
