When is your pain chronic?

Your pain is chronic if it last for more than a period of six months. Chronic pain is a long-term pain whose nature can vary from mild to excruciating, and it may trouble you either continuously or at short and regular intervals. Chronic pain is so dangerous that it does not only cause discomfort and inconvenience but also robs you entirely of your capacity to work for a long time.

Chronic pain can occur in a number of organs of the human body like head, joints, back, shoulders, neck etc. In fact, pain in any part of your body can turn into chronic pain. Here are a few symptoms that can help you identify if what you are going through is, in fact, chronic pain:

- persistent and severe body pain

- burning sensation accompanied by the body pain

- fatigue and sleeplessness

- weak immune system

- stiff and sore joints

The 4 types of chronic pain disorders that you should be aware of are:

1. Nociceptive pain

The pain that affects the soft tissues of the body such as the skin and the muscles or the organs that have sensory nerves present in them is called nociceptive pain. The sensory nerves, known as nociceptors can detect the stimuli of pain and send information to the brain and the spinal cord for interpretation. The pain could be either somatic (originating in the outer body) or visceral (originating in the internal organs).

2. Neuropathic pain

This pain is caused when the nerves stop functioning normally. It is caused due to nerve disturbances that result in pain stimuli being spontaneously transmitted to the brain and spinal cord. If you are suffering from this type of chronic pain disorder, you will feel a sharp, shooting and stabbing pain. Neuropathic pain can also be caused due to the formation of neuroma (abnormal growth of the nerve tissue).

3. Psychogenic pain

The pain that is caused by psychological disorders like depression and anxiety is known as psychogenic pain. Sometimes this pain can be accompanied by physical complications like fatigue, body pain and muscle weakness.

4. Idiopathic pain

The pain that exists even though there is no physical or psychological cause for it is known as idiopathic pain. This pain is more common in people who have suffered from a pre-existing painful disorder. Some common examples of idiopathic pain are fibromyalgia (intense pain all over the body) and tmj disorders (pain in the jaw area).

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Related Tip: Why does PAIN occur? Understand the Mechanism of Pain

Your Pain is Chronic if it Falls Under These 4 Types of Chronic Pain Disorders!

Lower abdomen pain can originate from a range of medical issues. In some cases, the pain disappears just like the way it came, in some cases, it takes longer medical treatment to cure the pain. Once the origin and the root cause of the pain are diagnosed, there are plenty of medical options to cure the pain. In this piece, we will briefly touch upon the causes of lower abdomen pain:

Appendicitis: This is one of the most common causes of lower abdomen pain. It typically originates from the right side of the stomach and soon diverges into the other side as well. The pain can become unbearable in a matter of hours.
Pelvic inflammatory disease: This is an infection that is caused in the reproductive system of a woman. This is often characterized by vaginal discharge, fever, weakness, intercourse related pain and pain in the lower abdomen.
Miscarriage: In case there is a loss of fetus on or before the twentieth week, the mishap is termed as miscarriage. It results in acute pain in the lower abdomen pain, vaginal bleeding, back pain, fluid expulsion from the vagina etc.
Fibroids: This is a growth in the uterus that is often non-cancerous and is commonly characterized by symptoms such as heavy periods, constipation, pain in the legs and back area, pain in the lower abdomen area, frequent urination etc.
Cancer: A cancerous growth in the lower abdomen area can lead to very sharp pain in the back and surrounding area. The pain is dull in nature and slowly spreads to other areas in a short interval of time.
Cholecystitis: This is a disorder that results in swelling of the gallbladder area. It results in a sharp pain in the lower abdomen area. A doctor needs to be immediately consulted if a person is suffering from this disease.
Intestinal obstruction: When the lower bowl gets blocked due to the contents of the lower intestine, a person can feel a sharp pain in the lower abdomen area.
Salpingitis: When a woman faces stiff pain in the lower abdomen area due to an inflammation of the fallopian tube, Salpingitis is the culprit behind it. This is a sexual disease and needs a doctor s consultation to get rid of it.
PMS: A woman can face throbbing pain in the lower abdomen area during her monthly periods. Other symptoms include cramps, weakness, fatigue etc.
Endometriosis: When there is an extension of the uterus tissue just outside the wall of the uterus, it leads to symptoms such as lower abdomen pain, cramps etc.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome: This is a disorder of the hormone and can lead to symptoms such as heavy periods, a growth of facial hair accompanied with sharp pain the lower abdomen area.

Pain In Lower Abdomen - What Could Be The Causes?

Conventional medicine treats pain with the help of medications; by either blocking the transmission of pain signals in the body or by correcting the underlying problems caused by the pain in the first place. However, traditional and alternative forms of medicine such as acupuncture manage pain issues within the body through the means of redirecting disrupted energy flows. One of the very few forms of alternative treatments used in conjunction with conventional treatments, acupuncture is seen as a mercurial rise in popularity in the past few decades.


What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture dates back to ancient China, about 2500 years ago. It has been widely practiced there for a number of millennia, not only pain relief, but also for treating many ailments. Acupuncture isn t just considered a form of therapy, but a holistic form of medicine. Acupuncture works on the principle of the flow of energy within the body, also known as  Qi , in traditional Chinese medicine. Acupuncture strives to correct the disruptions in  Qi  that may cause pain by manipulating over 2000 of the specific pressure points within the body with the help of specially created needles.


Where is acupuncture effective?
Acupuncture is very effective in treating a host of ailments, especially in relieving the associated pain. Some of the areas where acupuncture has proven its effectiveness are:
1. Treating nausea and vomiting caused due to chemotherapy treatment for cancer patients
2.  Very useful in treating post-operative pain caused due to dental procedures
3.  Rehabilitating patients who have suffered strokes
4.  Fibromyalgia (musculo-skeletal pain with fatigue accompanied by sleep and memory issues) 
5.  Effective in combating withdrawal symptoms caused due to addiction
6.  Pain from menstrual cramps
7.  Tennis elbow
8.  Osteoarthritis (a type of arthritis caused due to the erosion of tissues present at the ends of one s bones)
9.  Pain of the lower vertebrae within the spinal column
10. Asthma


How does acupuncture work within the body?
According to modern medicine, the specific pressure points utilized by acupuncture within the body help in releasing chemicals that can block or at least reduce pain. It encourages the flow of chemicals from the brain, which act as nerve and pain blockers. It also helps stimulate the muscles and nerve endings, which can lessen inflammation and thus help in reducing pain.

Acupuncture - Why Should You Use it to Combat Pain?

Ayurvedic treatments are mainly based on maintaining a perfect balance among the three doshas of the body, namely vata, pitta and kapha. Ayurveda has numerous healing techniques to provide individuals with proper relief from pain and one such amazing and effective pain relieving technique used in Ayurveda is called the Kizhi treatment.

What is the Kizhi Treatment?
The term Kizhi is taken from the Malayalam language and it basically is a therapy which aims at protecting as well as enhancing the health and wellness of the entire human body. However, it can also be particularly used for relieving various kinds of pains and aches in the body. In this technique, the heated oils, herbs, powders and the other prescribed items are tied into bags of muslin and then applied to the body, based on the area of pain.

Kizhi is of many other types also like Pozhikizhi and Elakizhi. Navrakizhi is specially used in case of Polio and muscle wasting.

A varied degree of pressure is applied on different body parts with a special focus on the nerve points. The nature of the ailment or the spot decides the amount of pressure to be applied using palms, fingers or heels of the hand. The entire therapy includes perspiration inducing body scrub, which is consecutively followed with a very special bath.



Kizhi - The Effective Treatment for Pain Relief!

Pain in the joints continues to bug mankind till this very day. There are different types of joint pains, which might occur all of a sudden, with no signs of receding. The most common of them all are arthritis, tennis elbow, frozen shoulder, back pain and repetitive muscular strain. These joint pains are sometimes impossible to diagnose properly by the regular modes of diagnosis. In those cases, resorting to the homeopathic mode of medication might be a good idea as it is a medication based on treating the actual cause of the disease and sustained use might result in complete remission of the pain.

Some commonly used homeopathic medications for pain in the joints are as follows:
1. Rhus Tox: This is the most commonly used in homeopathic preparation for severe joint pains, the symptoms of which include severe pain after relaxation, pain triggered by slightly wet weather and pain after walking or running for a long time.

2. Arnica Montana: When the symptoms are pain in every joint of the body resulting in body aches and pertaining injuries due to accidents, Arnica Montana serves as the perfect medication.

3. Actea Spicata: This medicine is primarily used as a remedy for pains in the small joints of the hands. The symptoms for which the medication can be implemented are rheumatoid arthritis in the joints of the finger and swollen wrists after usage of the hand.

4. Colchium: This medicine can be used in case of Rheumatoid Arthritis (inflammatory and chronic form of arthritis).

5. Bryonia Alba: This medication can work wonders if the symptoms include severe pain in the knee joints while walking, severe swollen joints and osteoarthritis (affects the flexible tissues present at the bone ends).

However, it is always advisable to take medication as prescribed by your doctor, as the potency and frequency can only be decided by your doctor.

Homeopathic Treatment for Pain in the Joints

Panchakarma is an ayurvedic technique which is used to detoxify the body, boost the immune system and restore the balance in the body. Due to lack of exercise and a poor diet, the waste material generated by the body is not effectively discharged. This causes accumulation of toxins in the body that can result in diseases.

Panchakarma can be used to treat and heal the pain in the joints and the spine. There are specific treatments in panchakarma that targets these regions, they are:

1. Abhyanga - Abhyanga is a technique where warm oil is used to cover the entire body. The oil is then gently massaged so that it can penetrate the underlying tissues. It is used to lubricate the joints, muscle toning and to increase blood supply around nerve endings.

 2. Pindasweda - In this technique hot cotton bags consisting of herbs, rice, and sand or medical powder are used to massage the body. This rejuvenating therapy induces perspiration in the body by which the herbs and the heat penetrates into the body. It is used to treat problems of the joints such as gout, arthritis, and sciatica.

 3. Upanaha - A combination of herbal medicine is applied to the affected part and then covered with medicinal leaves. The herbs help in easing the muscles and tendons of the affected part. It relieves pain, reduces swellings and improves mobility in the joint.

 4. Kati vista - In this treatment, medicated oil is pooled into a collar made from dough and then placed on the lower back for a specific amount of time. It strengthens the lower back, lubricates the spine and acts as a muscle pain reliever.

Soothe Your Joint and Spine Pain with Ayurvedic Panchakarma

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