6 Ways to Treat Pain at Home

You’re going about with your day when suddenly you experience a pain in your tooth. You’ve recently noticed that picking up your toddler pains your back like never before. You’re carrying your groceries up the stairs when your muscles start aching, or your knees start hurting, and the pain refuses to go away even after relaxing on the couch for an hour.

These are all examples of pain that an average person may experience in their everyday life. Pain is a major blessing in your life. It’s your body’s way of telling you that something is off and requires immediate attention. If ignored, these pains can deteriorate into something much worse. Luckily the early stages can be managed well at home, saving you a tour to the emergency room and a couple of bucks.

Chronic pains can be extremely exhausting and draining. They take their own sweet time to go away, leaving us desperate to find ways to ease them. Here are some home remedies that allow you to easily manage pain at home, speeding up your recovery.

6 Natural Pain Relief Methods

1. Essential Oils

Essential oils contain therapeutic and pain-relieving properties, with minor side effects. Lavender oil has calming properties and works wonders for individuals who struggle with anxiety and insomnia. Oils like rosemary and CBD, often found in CBD cosmetic products, are excellent antiseizure medicines. Additionally, fish oils and peppermint oils contain anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce pain significantly.

2. Heat and Ice Packs

The best way to treat pulled muscles, twisted ankles, or even headaches and back pains is to use heating and cooling packs. The key is knowing when to use what. Icing the trauma site helps relieve pain by lessening inflammation and swelling. It’s best to use it immediately after the injury. Using a heating pack helps in increasing blood flow to the affected area and lessens muscle stiffness.

The biggest advantage of heat and ice packs is how easily you can use them. If you don’t have gel heating and icing packs on hand, you can always just grab something out of the freezer, wrap it in a towel, and it gets the job done. Similarly, using a hot water bottle in place of a gel pad serves the same purpose.

3. Turmeric

Turmeric is a spice used in cooking. It was discovered that turmeric contains a compound called curcumin, the main active ingredient in the spice. Curcumin has medicinal properties. It acts as a good antioxidant and has effective anti-inflammatory properties. Curcumin is incredibly helpful for people with chronic joint pains or arthritis. A study showed that it was a better pain reliever than any other anti-inflammatory drug. It helps in reducing swelling, and its antioxidant properties provide safety against free radicals that have the potential to react with vital organic substances.

While you can incorporate turmeric into your diet through curries and smoothies, it is best to start taking curcumin supplements if you are experiencing chronic pain. Supplements contain a larger amount of curcumin and will be more effective for your pain.

4. Exercise

Our body demands to be moved to work to its full potential. Our joints work better when we exercise. Exercise helps our body stay active and avoid many diseases and chronic pains. Exercising regularly reduces your probability of developing serious health issues like type 2 diabetes and colon cancer by nearly 50%.

People who have incorporated working out into their lifestyle have a higher threshold of pain and a much smoother recovery than people who rarely move their bodies. Exercise helps increase the production of endorphins in our systems which help in managing pain and stress. It generally gives you a sense of comfort and well-being that helps speed up recovery. So the next time you experience pain in your joints, even though you haven’t done anything that may have caused it, take it as an indication from your body that it is getting rusted and requires movement.

5. Meditation

If your mental health is disturbed, it will automatically take a toll on your physical well-being. The first step to feeling good involves relaxing your mind and taking a moment to process all your emotions. Meditation helps you separate your physical pain from emotional trauma and then allows you to deal with them separately.

There is no blueprint for meditation. It can be done in a way that makes you feel peaceful. If you’re a beginner, try to sit or lie down in a quiet place, play some relaxing music, and practice deep breathing. Eventually, you can move on to incorporating physical exercises like yoga into this practice of mindfulness.

Meditation will help calm your anxiety. It will help you consider your pain as a chance to slow down rather than a loss of crucial working hours. You’ll be more self-aware and will be able to think of better ways to relieve pain rather than panic and cause chaos.

6. Cloves

Cloves have been used as a natural pain relief remedy for years. It specifically works best for toothaches, the exceptionally annoying pain of them all. Cloves, widely used as flavoring for meats, cakes, and teas, contain a natural compound called eugenol, which acts as a natural anesthesia. They numb the area to reduce pain caused by toothache. Cloves also possess anti-inflammatory properties that aid in reducing swelling.

Initially, people used to chew on whole cloves to ease the pain. This is still an effective approach, however, now we have easier ways to benefit from cloves, like clove oils, capsules, and powders. It is also incorporated into many OTC Medications.

Parting Thoughts

Chronic pain can be easily managed at home through some extra self-care and is best for individuals who want to prevent the side effects of pain relief medications. However, bear in mind that everything does not work for everyone, so consult a doctor before adding any new supplement to your diet.

If your pain and discomfort do not get any better after 24-36 hours of trying natural methods, or it keeps reoccurring after every few days, go and see a medical professional to make sure it’s not a major problem that requires proper medical help. Lastly, never overlook severe symptoms like changes in skin color, blurry visions, or bleeding, and immediately seek professional help.