By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    learn to recognize and treat yeast infections
    Most Commonly Asked Questions About Yeast Infections
    November 17, 2021
    Advanced lung cancer diagnosis systems used by doctors
    Advanced Lung Cancer Diagnosis Systems Used by Doctors
    March 6, 2022
    The Top Benefits of a Wearable Blood Pressure Monitor Watch
    The Top Benefits of a Wearable Blood Pressure Monitor Watch
    June 13, 2022
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Life Expectancies and Lethal Injections
    May 6, 2015
    The Future of Healthcare and Big Pharma is in Big Data Analytics
    February 5, 2021
    Financial Assistance for Clinical Trials
    September 16, 2015
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Drug-Free Methods for Alleviating Chronic Pain
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Wellness > Drug-Free Methods for Alleviating Chronic Pain
Wellness

Drug-Free Methods for Alleviating Chronic Pain

KelliCooper
KelliCooper
Share
5 Min Read
Image
SHARE

Image

Contents
  • Quit Smoking
  • Acupuncture
  • Meditation

Image

We all experience pain from time to time, but for some of us, it can become a frequent visitor that lingers; whether you suffer from a condition that can cause chronic pain, such as arthritis, or you suffered an injury that caused some sort of permanent damage, constantly experiencing pain can severely impact quality of life by limiting physical activity and causing significant mental distress. If medications are leaving something to be desired or you want to reduce your dependence on them, there are many drug-free approaches which may help and here are  a few.

Quit Smoking

There are a million good reasons not to smoke and reducing pain may be another one to add to the list. According to a study published in the December 2012 issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, people undergoing surgical or non-surgical treatment for severe back pain, who never smoked or quit smoking, experienced lower pain levels than patients who continued to smoke. Researchers found that no matter what the treatment, people who never smoked or quit smoking during the course of the study (8 months) experienced clinically significant improvements in their condition, while people who smoked did not. While other factors may be at play, these results suggest that smoking cigarettes appears to significantly impact pain levels and recovery.  If you suffer from chronic pain and you smoke, it looks like this nasty habit may be a major barrier to relief; one more good reason to quit.

More Read

A Beginner’s Guide To CBD: Everything You Need To Know
If Only I Knew – September Is Gynecologic Cancer Month
3 Doctor’s Telemedicine Questions Answered
The Evolution of Medicare Telehealth Reimbursement
A Guide to First Aid Response Treatment

Acupuncture

Acupuncture has been used in Eastern healing traditions for thousands of years and currently, millions of Americans seek treatment each year for a host of conditions ranging from cancer side effects to obesity. In recent years, the West has been researching the effects of this treatment on a host of conditions, and while the results have been generally favorable, it was hard to draw definitive conclusions since so many studies were small and of low quality. But, a well-designed, comprehensive study that was published in the September 2012 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that acupuncture is highly effective for treating pain; the study gathered data on more than 18,000 patients over more than half a decade and found that acupuncture was more effective in relieving pain in all sorts of conditions than sham acupuncture –where needles are inserted randomly rather than in actual acupuncture points—and standard forms of care. 50 percent of patients treated with acupuncture reported improvement while only 30 percent using standard treatments, such as pain medicine, reported feeling better. Acupuncturists are also well-versed in Chinese herbal medicine and other aspects of TCM that may be able to augment your acupuncture treatments. 

Meditation

Like acupuncture, meditation has been a core tenet of promoting mental and physical health in the East; while most closely associated with mental benefits, such as relieving stress and adopting a more positive outlook through changes in perception, it appears to offer benefits for physical conditions, such as pain. Many studies over the years have found meditation to be effective for relieving pain. It may work in a variety of ways to do this. Brain scans suggest it reduces activity in the part of the brain that registers where pain is occurring and how intense it is. It also appears to increase activities in areas of the brain, which may positively impact how the body perceives pain. This low-impact activity –you are just sitting there after all—may be a powerful weapon in your pain-fighting arsenal. If you have never meditated before,  start slowly; you will likely find it difficult due to feelings of boredom and the discomfort that comes with sitting with your thoughts and feelings without doing something to distract you from experiencing them. Commit to five or 10 minutes and work your way up.

 photo:alternativemedicine/shutterstock

TAGGED:acupuncturealternative medicineChinese medicine
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025
physiotherapist at work
How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
Health care
August 20, 2025
Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs
7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
Health News
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

find affordable hearing aids
Wellness

Finding Quality Affordable Hearing Aids That Fit Your Lifestyle

November 29, 2023

Address Workplace Stress with Help from a Digital Coaching Program

May 29, 2013

Urinalysis Via Mobile App

February 28, 2013
wearable tech ling tan
eHealthMedical DevicesMedical InnovationsMobile HealthTechnologyWellness

Self-Tracking Is Just the Beginning for Wearables Applications

June 3, 2014
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?