Alternative Pain Remedies

Humans don't like pain.  Whether it's physical, emotional, or a combination thereof, we don't deal well with it. It's instinctual to avoid pain. We have created a whole "anti-pain" industry. Just look through the contents of any drug store.  There is usually an isle marked "pain-relievers", but most of the contents of the other isles make claims about getting rid of pain as well.  We have created medications for relieving pain in infants, young children and adults. We even have medications for day time pain as opposed to night time pain!  Let's face it, we usually don't look for medications unless we have some kind of pain. It's the pain that makes us take notice and seek treatment and if we can't treat it with over the counter medications, we'll turn to a physician for a stronger pain reliever. Hmm...

In the world of alternative medicine, pain is looked at differently than it is in conventional modalities. Pain is considered a sign that your body is working on something and sending you a signal. Pain isn't something to be suppressed or ignored. Whether emotional or physical, it is a signal of dis- ease in the body. It isn't considered something to "get rid of", it's a sign to start looking to your core for the real issue, the root of the problem.

Because the aim of alternative therapy is not to "block pain", you won't find "alternative pain remedies" like today's title suggests. Instead, the focus is on where the pain is, what causes it to be better or worse, how your behavior is affected, how you feel about it, and what is going on in your life that makes it appear or disappear. You pay attention to the pain and monitor it's progress on the way to healing.

I don't think most people understand that when they start on the path to alternative healing. The first time you take Arnica for an injury and feel the immediate relief and rapid healing, including a decrease in pain, you're hooked on the idea. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2011/06/alternative-first-aid-for-abraisions.html When you take Ledum for painful, itchy bug bites and see the swelling go down and feel the soothing relief, you're ready to switch to this "new kind of stuff".  http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2011/07/alternative-treatment-for-bug-bites.html Hypericum for a crushed finger, a bumped funny bone, finger slammed in the door, or a toothache and you're ready to open up shop selling the stuff.  http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2010/10/crushed-fingers-homeopathics.html  A few sprays of Rescue Remedy when you feel a panic attack coming on and you're sold on the idea.  A lot of people understand the benefits of using homeopathic and alternative modalities in acute situations. The onset is sudden and identifiable, and the relief is as well.

However.. A lot of people "fall off (or "on" I'm never sure which) the alternative healing wagon", when they experience pain of a more chronic nature. Even some people that swear by natural medicine, organic foods, and alternative cures, reach for that conventional medicine "pain killer" when they have a headache, a backache, muscle and joint cramps, pains, and general soreness.  Usually they say they do this because they "had to go to work anyway", they "couldn't afford to rest any longer", they "couldn't take time off", or they "couldn't wait for the pain to go away".  Maybe that's a good case for truly complementary medicine and a combination of conventional and alternative modalities. But maybe there's something else that might work.

Magnesium Phosphate is a homeopathic preparation that is sometimes called the "homeopathic aspirin" because of it's success with aches and pains. It works for headaches, earaches, teething pain, neuralgic pains like sciatica, and menstrual pains, to name a few. If you've got the type of pain that is relieved by heat, such as a hot water bottle or a hot compress, Magnesium Phosphate just might do wonders for you. This remedy works best by dissolving it in warm water.  Add 4 to 7 tablets to a cup of hot water, stir vigorously to dissolve and sip frequently.  By the end of the mug of magnesium tea, you just might find your pains have subsided.  You can repeat as needed.  It usually comes in a 6DH or 6X preparation like today's picture suggests. You can find it on-line or in most health food stores.  If they don't have it, they should be able to order it in for you. 

If you can't think straight because of pain, or if the pain is a combination of emotional and physical (and most are), a few sprays of Rescue Remedy might prevent you from heading down the drug store "pain killer" isle. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2012/03/bach-flowers-for-crisis-events.html After a couple of sprays or drops, you might even remember that Magnesium Phosphate "tea" would be a good idea.  You might decide that in fact, you can relax for a bit and take the day off, or delegate your work to someone else. It you've been wearing your shoulders as earrings because the world isn't moving fast enough and you are  more than a little tense in your neck and back, Rescue Remedy might relieve your neck and headache pain. Then you might remember that Impatiens essence alone might do that as well.

If you're experiencing some strange electrical type pains that come and go in a fleeting nature and can't really be defined, described, or make sense, Perelandra ETS Plus might be helpful for you. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2011/08/getting-started-with-perelandra.html If this type of pain is something new for you and feels like it's due to an expansion or a connection to something you can't define, ETS Plus might do much more for you than a pain killer. If none of this paragraph makes any sense to you, stick with Rescue Remedy.  If it makes so much sense you're jumping out of your seat right now- ETS Plus if for you!

 I believe there is a place for complementary medicine and there may well be times when conventional medicine has the pain killer you need to heal.  http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2012/03/tiered-health-care.html But I personally think, we are overusing painkillers in an attempt to "get on with our lives" without making any concessions to how our bodies feel.  I think killing the pain, often kills the opportunity to heal. I also think it might just be a bit easier and actually seem more "natural" to reach for a painkiller instead of an alternative remedy. It's what we are programmed to think now.  You can get with a new program. Just add some alternative remedies to your first aid kit or medicine cabinet. Label them clearly so you don't have to think about how to use them and when.  Put them beside your "over the counter stuff" so you'll at least consider them when you have lost some cognitive thought because of the flight from pain syndrome. 

Relax, boil some water and make some Magnesium Phosphate tea.  Cheers!