Pain is helpful from an evolutionary and "keeping safe and healthy" standpoint. Pain is also quite the pain. Let us help you understand pain better as well as give you some ideas of how you can successfully manage it for less pain. Let's go!

What is pain?

Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging stimuli. An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage. Injury, infection, emotions, memories, fears, and more can all cause pain. 

Acute pain is a sudden, sharp pain that lasts less than 6 months. This type of pain is caused by something specific – a broken bone, burns or cuts, or even labor and childbirth.

Chronic pain is an ongoing pain that last longer than 6 months. Many types of chronic pain are headaches, arthritis, cancer, nerve pain, back pain, and fibromyalgia.

What are 10 facts about pain I should know?

1. Morning pain is more commonly found in people with inflammatory conditions, including migraine, rheumatoid arthritis, and toothache. But people experiencing neuropathic pain, as in postherpetic neuralgia, diabetic neuropathy, or cancer are more likely to have worse pain in the evening or at night.

2. The healthcare industry is a 9 trillion dollar market, a large portion of which involves fixing and managing pain of all different types. 

3. Pain tolerance is a real thing, some people can just take more pain and not have as much of a problem with it. Interestingly, red headed people have been proven to have a genetically lower pain tolerance. 

4. People who have pain insensitivities can't feel pain and frequently get injured and die sooner. So, yes, pain is good for you in many ways. 

5. High carb, high processed oil, and high sugar diets increase pain by increasing body inflammation. Also look into decreasing inflammation with our beet juice products and essential nutrient powder and multivitamin supplements/vitamins. 

6. Rubbing a painful area helps distract your mind from the pain by giving it a different stimullus to interpret. 

7. Working with point #3, you can actually learn to feel less pain with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This therapy gives you tools to frame pain in a different way and empower you to work to change your behavior and habits. Cold showers/exposure is a form of CBT that everyone can do. Music therapy (listening to music) is also beneficial.

8. If you think you've got pain now, the future doesn't look good for you: over 80% of people over 80 years old report severe chronic pain. 

9. Those who eat a healthy diet and regularly exercise report less pain with fewer to no underlying chronic conditions. 

10. Increased screen time (TV, phone, computer, etc) has been linked with increased physical and emotional pain and stress and lowered pain tolerance with more sedentary injuries and muscle imbalances.

How do I get out of pain?

The best pain relief method varies depending on what is causing the pain. Got a dislocated shoulder? Probably have someone put it back in. Got an infection? Perhaps antibiotics. Muscle strain? Rest and PT. Heartbreak? Time. And so on.

Now, for general pain relief, here are 10 ways you can consider.

NOTE: This list is for educational purposes only!

1. RICE. Rest, ice, compression, elevation. Hs become the standard for general acute injuries: helps reduce swelling, ease pain, and speed up healing.

2. Pain medications. NSAIDS like Aspirin and Tylenol can work for minor to medium pains and aches. Corticosteroids are more aggressive anti-inflammatory drugs. Opioids and narcotics, reserved for major traumatic injuries and pains. Anesthetics.

3. Nature-based pain medications. Cannabidiols, arnica, magnesium, plant herbs, herbal mushrooms, sunlight exposure, and others.

4. Hands-on Modalities. Massage, stretching, red light therapy, acupuncture, physical therapy, chiropractic, trigger points, surgery. 

5. Technology. TENS unit, Marc Pro, PEMF, biofeedback training, cryotherapy, hot/cold tubs, hyperbaric chambers, sensory deprivation, ice packs, and more.

6. Meditation, Yoga, and other forms of active body awareness training.

7. Supplements (nothing magical for pain relief but good for support). vitamin d, b, omega 3, amino acids, probiotics, boswellia, CoQ10, curcumin, ginger, MSM, cat's claw, and more.

8. Simply eating healthy and regularly exercising. 

9. Rest, sleep well, and relaxation. Laughing and other forms of pain distraction, like watching TV or even playing video games, too. 

10. Reduce stress. 

Bonus: GABA, NuCalm

The experience of pain comes with being human. Everyone has it, no one really wants it. Yeah, it sucks. But it's there for a reason. Listen to your body, develop healthy habits, and use the above tools to work with (instead of against) it. Good luck!