Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna! Please accept my humble obeiscences! All glories to Srila Prabhupada and all devotees everywhere!
I have arthritis in my neck and upper back, and problems with my lower back as well. I also have occipital neuralgia from my C1 vertebrate being so out of place. I get chiropractic adjustments as much as possible, and I've also used just about every pharmaceutical painkiller you can think of over the years, but none of them work very well. NSAIDS make me sick in the stomach, opiates/oids don't work for more than a few weeks, and then my tolerance makes them ineffective. Other atypical painkillers such as Tramadol don't work very well. I've recently tried an herb called Kratom that seems to help a lot, but it is pretty expensive to use all the time, and it has withdrawals when I stop it.
Basically, I'm wondering if there are any herbs that are decent painkillers or muscle relaxers, but are also cheap and not addictive? The amount of pain I'm in constantly is very debilitating and impairs my ability to do physical things. Also, when I first wake up in the morning, my back is so stiff that I can hardly get out of bed. I can't sit or stand in one position for longer than a half hour without getting really stiff and having difficulty moving. I'm only 38 years old, but physically feel like I'm 80!
I've gone to physical therapy recently, and do stretching exercises daily as well as periodic chiropractic adjustments, but the pain and stiffness just keep getting worse.
Thank you in advance for any suggestions you may have. Hare Krishna!
Replies
hare krsna prabhujee.. dandavat pranam..
it is indeed very sad to know about your suffering.. according to what you have described, you supposed to have rheumatoid arthritis.. and you have tried most of the allopathic medicine.. basically NSAIDS are the first line drugs for pain relief in RA.. although they have long term adverse effects like gastritis, peptic ulcer, and deranged kidney function..you also have tried opioids,.. actually the scope of allopathic is very limited.. as u have asked, i went through some useful website to find out some remedy.. hope you will get little benifited by them..
There are natural alternatives to NSAIDs that have a similar mechanism. They include turmeric, green tea, ginger, rosemary, cat's claw, devil's claw, and willow bark.
A number of studies have linked low levels of vitamin D with increased levels of chronic pain.vitamin D levels of people with chronic pain who were using opioid painkillers. Those who had a deficiency of vitamin D needed almost twice as high a dose of medication to control their pain
Capsaicin comes from chili peppers and may soothe pain when applied to the skin.Topical capsaicin seems to be helpful for all sorts of pain. Your pain may worsen for a few days before it improves when you use capsaicin. And there's a risk of skin irritation. Wash your hands very well after applying capsaicin. Don't touch your eyes or other sensitive areas when you have traces of capsaicin on your hands. For arthritis or neuropathy, try 0.025% or 0.075% capsaicin cream one to four times daily; best results can take up to 2 weeks
Turmeric has been used in traditional medicines for easing the pain of sprains, strains, bruises and joint inflammation, as well as for treating skin and digestive issues. No need to eat turmeric by the spoonful! Just keep a jar of the powdered spice in your kitchen and add a little to your cooking in place of salt and pepper. Turmeric is also sold in supplement form.
Ginger, a natural anti-inflammatory, has been used for thousands of years by the Chinese to cure pain. Ginger helps relieve nausea, arthritis, headaches, menstrual cramps and muscle soreness. During colder days, ginger can help spice up your circulation, too! A perfect compliment to vegetables, marinades and sweets, ginger is also delicious in herbal tea. To make fresh ginger tea, you can cut up the root, boil it for 10 minutes, then strain the water and sip as tea. In a pinch, you can use ginger tea bags, available in health food stores.
You can also reap relief from pain by applying a ginger compress to the affected area. Grate the root; wrap the ginger in cheesecloth; place it in hot water for 30 seconds; let it cool and place on the affected area for 20 minutes.
Inflathera or zyflamend, Both supplement brands contain ginger, turmeric, and holy basil, all of which have anti-inflammatory properties. Turmeric (a curry ingredient) may be the best.
Methylsulfonyl-methane(MSM), Start with 1.5 to 3 g once daily and increase to 3 g twice daily for more severe pain
Acupuncture is a good tool for chronic pain… For acute pain, try 5-8 treatments; experts say you’ll need 8-15 sessions for chronic pain
Aquamin capsule which are rich in calcium and magnesium.
Glucosamine sulfate. "SAM, magnesium, acetyl-l-carnitine, alpha lipoic acid, bromelanin, riboflavin(vitamin b2).
Valerian root and eucommia bark are also helpful in pain relief..
thank you..
will try to update the page as i get further information..
Wow, thank you so much! I had heard of a few of these before, but most of them, like the Ginger and Tumeric, I wasn't aware of. I have both of them in my kitchen, so I will try them tonight.
The last time I had bloodwork done, they told me that I was vitamin D deficient, and gave me 4000iu pills to take, but they haven't raised my levels back to normal yet. But the doctor never mentioned that the D deficiency increases the pain.
Thank you again for the wonderful ideas! May Krishna shower you with blessings! Hare Krishna!