Medication vs. Natural Health Care for Pain

Here is some of the research about pain and the use of natural health care. A common misconception that many patients have about treating pain is that the drugs they are taking are actually doing some good. Pain medication does not heal or repair a problem—it only offers temporary relief. That relief comes at a price. Pain medication causes problems.
Arthritis patients take NSAIDs regularly without realizing that they actually interfere with cartilage repair. These drugs are linked to high blood pressure, kidney failure, heart failure, ulceration of the GI tract, and some drugs even interfere with bone repair.
According to research appearing in the American Journal of Medicine, “Conservative calculations estimate that approximately 107,000 patients are hospitalized annually for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-related gastrointestinal (GI) complications and at least 16,500 NSAID-related deaths occur each year among arthritis patients alone. The figures for all NSAID users would be overwhelming, yet the scope of this problem is generally under appreciated”
The drugs have side effects and some would even say that they are dangerous, but what are we to do? Many people have pain, and relief is a priority for them. Chronic pain is the most costly health problem in America, with an estimated annual cost of about $90 billion per year. This cost includes lost productivity, legal costs, doctors’ visits and medication; 80% of all visits to the doctor are pain related. An estimated 40 million Americans have arthritis or other rheumatic condition. That number is expected to climb to 59.4 million, or 18.2% of the population, by the year 2020, according to a new report published as a collaborative effort between the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Arthritis Foundation, and the American College of Rheumatology. Approximately 12% of all Americans suffer from migraine headaches. Nine out of 10 migraine sufferers report they can’t “function normally” during days in which a migraine strikes. Three out of 10 migraine sufferers require bed rest when suffering from a migraine.
In 2001, over 13 million people saw a physician for the treatment of back pain. According to the NIH, 65 to 80% of all people have back pain at some time in their life. Half of all working Americans admit to having back pain symptoms each year. Back pain costs an estimated $50 billion each year.
Our politics and the FDA seem to favor drug therapies. For example, there is a product made from a patented extract of skullcap that would have been worth mentioning in this article. The manufacturer is worried about any claims being made about the product—because it may cause problems with the FDA.
It has outperformed COX-2 inhibitors in clinical studies, but the manufacturer can’t compare the product head-to-head with drugs. It has improved WOMAC scores on arthritis patients, but the manufacturer can’t say that the product treats joint pain. They can say that the WOMAC score is improved, but can’t say what WOMAC is—because it contains the word “arthritis” (it is a pain-rating scale).
In the mean time, products that are linked to high blood pressure, kidney failure, heart failure, and death can make claims. Maybe the reason so many older Americans take so many drugs is because they start young—with pain medication (that help to destroy joints—making sure that they continue to need them) and safe alternative products are not allowed to make claims.

SLEEPING can get you into trouble – so can getting up.

NEVER sleep on your stomach (unless you have cut out a hole in your mattress to keep your head in neutral.) This may be good for your lower back but will certainly cause neck problems. The best sleeping posture is in a semi-fetal position with a pillow between your legs/knees. The pillow reduces the risk of rolling the top leg over the bottom causing twisting of the lumbar spine and straining the hip joints. This will allow for all kinds of nasty things to happen. Also make sure the neck is properly supported with a curve-facilitating pillow, such as our Tempur-Pedic millenium pillow.


If you are a back sleeper support the lower back with a small thin pillow or loosely rolled up towel. This will maintain the inward (lordotic) curve of the small of the back which will flatten either on a firm or soft mattress and put you at risk.


Have you ever gotten stuck getting out of bed? I see these patients often. No matter how you sleep the most important step you can take getting out of bed is to perform 5-6 Extension Push-Ups just BEFORE you swing your legs out of bed and stand up. When you are sleeping, even in the best posture, things can slide around. This helps the facet joints (joints between the vertebrae) to “track” like they are suppose to and prepares your back for weight-bearing. To perform the Extension Push-Up, roll onto your front, push up with the arms while you push your pelvis and stomach into the bed. If this bothers your arms, shoulders or wrist, simply cross your arms under your chest rather than trying to straighten your arms. Develop this as a habit every time you are getting up, even in the middle of the night for a bit of bladder relief.