The Everyday Pain That We Live With

Let’s face it folks, life can be a real pain in the neck…shoulder…elbow… back…knee…ankle. You get the picture. A busy weekend of softball practice, ceiling painting and gutter cleaning can leave you hurting feeling like your old cranky grandpa come Monday morning. You might be tempted to just pop a couple of pain pills and head out the door, but let’s think a minute about how we want to handle our ordinary aches and pains.

Did you know that even the common, non-prescription pain medicines have side effects? Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, headaches and drowsiness are all possible side effects of NSAIDS. Some people are actually allergic to these medicines; people with asthma are in a higher risk group for these allergies. NSAIDS can interact with other medications you take. Prolonged and/or excessive use can lead to gastrointestinal issues and kidney failure. Perhaps it is time to consider a more natural pain reliever for those ordinary aches and pains we all experience.

For more than a century people have been relieving aching joints and muscles with topical herbal ointments. A natural pain reliever will often contain combinations of camphor, menthol, clove oil and mints. These ointments work by providing warming and mildly anesthetic sensations and by encouraging increased blood flow to the affected area. Increased blood flow can reduce inflammation which can lessen the pain. By using an herbal ointment you may find that you can effectively manage the everyday aches and pains we all experience without resorting to systemic medications and their possible side effects.