Holistic Therapies for Pain Harness the Mind-Body Connection

People experience more pain as they age, women are more prone to pain than men, and the areas responsible for the most pain are knees, hips, and lower back, according to the International Association for the Study of Pain. When a person is diagnosed with pain, the first line of treatment is typically medication. While prescription and over-the-counter drugs may work for some, for others, the potential side effects—ranging from nausea to intestinal bleeding to dependence—far outweigh the relief.

The use of nonpharmaceutical healing methods is popular among people who want to avoid the potential side effects of pain medications and instead manage pain with natural treatments that rely on the mind-body connection. Mindbody therapies are treatments that harness the mind’s ability to impact the functions and symptoms of the body.

“Two people can have the same injury or trauma, but how they experience pain and cope with it is often different,” says Chiti Parikh, MD, Integrative Health and Wellbeing specialist, Weill Cornell Medicine. “How the body experiences pain is very much determined by how the mind processes these signals. This is why an integrative approach to pain focuses not just on the physical aspect of the pain but also prioritizes optimizing the mind-body connection,” she explains.

Examples of mind-body therapies include acupuncture, massage, meditation, relaxation techniques, tai chi, and yoga. “Countless studies demonstrate the effectiveness of these integrative mind-body techniques. They often confer their health benefit by optimizing the mind-body connection, which is central to how someone experiences and heals from pain,” says Dr. Parikh.

“Now prior to using any medications such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen, antidepressants, or opioids, some of the nondrug therapies that American College of Physicians (ACP) recommends include acupuncture, exercise, mindfulness-based stress reduction, tai chi, yoga, and progressive relaxation, among other things,” she explains.

For people interested in holistic pain management, whether alone or in combination with traditional medicine, some options to consider are described here.

Acupuncture

Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners believe acupuncture balances the flow of energy known as qi or chi. Western medical practitioners see it as a way to stimulate nerves and muscles in a way that promotes pain relief and healing. In acupuncture, disposable, stainless steel needles are used to stimulate the body’s 14 major meridians, or energycarrying channels, to resist or overcome pain or illness by correcting imbalances. Acupuncture is also thought to decrease pain by increasing the release of endorphins—chemicals that block the message of pain from being delivered up to the brain. Types of pain treated with acupuncture include joint pain, muscle pain, headaches, and low back pain. “There is ample evidence that acupuncture can be beneficial in addressing chronic low back pain,” says Dr. Parikh. “That is why the ACP updated its evidence-based guidelines on managing chronic low back pain to include acupuncture.”

Exercise

Exercise is one of the most important ways you can manage pain, while improving your overall health. Some good examples of exercise for those with chronic pain include walking, swimming, tai chi, yoga, and strength training. If you have limited mobility, consider finding small exercises you can do while seated or lying down. Talk to your doctor or a physical therapist about which exercise best fits your pain management needs and physical capabilities.

Massage

In addition to relieving pain by relaxing painful muscles, tendons, and joints, massage can help decrease stress and anxiety, which can increase pain. There are a wide range of massage styles, including deep tissue, shiatsu, trigger point, and reflexology.

Mindfulness Based Stress‑Reduction

Mindfulness and meditation help quiet the nervous system and lower stress, which decreases muscle tension and can lead to lower pain levels. There are many styles of meditation and mindfulness training, such as techniques that focus on breathing, progressive relaxation, or engaging in guided imagery.

Talk to Your Doctor About Integrative Care

Although things like acupuncture, meditation, and massage have good safety records for their use in the treatment of pain, that doesn’t mean that they’re risk-free for everyone, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. So if you’re considering a holistic approach to pain management—such as herbs, which sometimes accompany acupuncture– remember that natural doesn’t always mean safe and that some dietary supplements may have side effects or interact with medications. Always talk to your doctor before trying an alternative health-care approach, and tell all your doctors about any integrative therapy you are using so your medical records will be up to date and accurate for everyone on your health-care team.

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