Path to freedom: natural alternatives for chronic pain.

Chronic pain can be one of the most destabilizing conditions a person can experience. It gnaws away at you--body and spirit. An otherwise positive, happy and thoughtful individual can become a cranky, snarling, hopeless victim.

I know about chronic pain. In 1992, I was in my last year of naturopathic medical school. Every joint in my body was inflamed. Even the joints between the bones in my skull hurt! It was exhausting, depressing and unremitting.

More than 12 years later, I have minor, rare occasions of pain and feel no connection with the autoimmune label placed on me--or its grim prognosis. I'm active, healthy and pharmaceutical-free!

With the safety of Vioxx and other NSMDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) being questioned, people are looking for safe and effective natural alternatives for chronic pain.

My first suggestion: Find a knowledgeable practitioner to work with. That's what I did in 1992. You can be educated about a subject, but, when it's you with the problem, it's often difficult to navigate through the myriad options. It's comforting to have a guide, and it allows you the space to experience and truly heal from your condition. Besides, sometimes relinquishing control can be therapeutic.

Conditions with chronic pain and inflammation as their primary symptoms usually have a multitude of causes. It's important to identify as many of these as possible and make the appropriate lifestyle changes. Lifestyle changes are my favorite therapies to work on with a patient. They are generally inexpensive and allow the patient to take an active role in healing.

Diet & Exercise