I read a staggering study the other day I’d like to share with you. The results made me sad, but they were a real wake-up call.
The study I’m referring to was a large-scale survey of 35,000 American households. It revealed that almost one-fifth (20%) of Americans are living with crippling, chronic pain on a daily basis.
Researchers define chronic, crippling, debilitating pain as constant pain that affects a person’s quality of life for three months or longer. Segments of the population that are most affected are women and people over the age of 60.
This kind of pain is estimated to affect the quality of life for 39 million Americans. It doesn’t even count people who suffer from conditions like arthritis, joint, and back pain, because they are not persistent or constant. Add these painful conditions to the mix and the number of those who suffer would surely increase drastically.
Along with severely lowering your quality of life and limiting your physical abilities, this kind of chronic, persistent pain can also impact you psychologically. Depression, anxiety, lack of motivation, and an overall negative outlook can accompany a life filled with pain, creating a doubly dangerous situation for many.
And unfortunately, much of the treatment people seek is in the form of pills in a bottle. This kind of treatment might cause some temporary relief, but it does nothing to fix the problem. In fact, the long-term benefits of a pharmaceutical-fueled approach to treatment are rather dangerous. Most of all, it can lead to tolerance and addiction issues, while never getting to the source of the pain.
As mentioned, the people who reported the most pain were women and the elderly, but they were also people who struggle with their weight or report to be in poor health. There are a number of causes for pain, but a big one is inflammation.
Dealing with chronic pain in a natural manner is a slow, time-consuming process, but it can be done with patience and hard work. The following can all help get to the root of the problem to help treat and hopefully eliminate your pain:
- Physical therapy
- Exercise
- Diet
- Weight loss
- Acupuncture
- Massage therapy
- Yoga
- Chiropractic care
Although it might seem difficult, getting exercise and stretching can also help relieve pain by promoting blood flow and activating and strengthening muscles.
If you’re one of the 39 million Americans living with daily pain, I recommend looking at how to best address your issues. Start slow, stay committed, and toss away the pills by embracing natural healing methods.
Sources for Today’s Article:
HealthDay, “Almost 1 in 5 Americans Plagued By Constant Pain, Survey Suggests,” MedlinePlus web site, October 31, 2014; http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_149202.html.