by Penny B

Created on: September 29, 2007

First of all, alternative therapies should never be practiced in place of conventional therapies or without a doctors consent, nor should one self-prescribe any therapy without doing some research first, especially when it comes to "chronic" pain. One needs to find out the underlying specifics and causes of any pain, as it might be due to something very serious.

Some suggestions one might try, along with present therapies they might be involved with, are:

- Water therapy. Water is a natural, healing element and can be very therapeutic.
While swimming, your body is very bouyant, and any movement does not become an added strain on the bones or muscles. Sitting in a jet spa can also help to relieve, soothe and relax stiff, aching bones and muscles as the water is in a constant rush over the body, acting in a sense as a massage.

- Vitamins and minerals are very important to the health of our bodies. We need our daily requirements to help sustain good health while our bodies continue to regenerate and rejuvenate. Without the proper balance of vitamins and minerals, certain parts of our bodies will try to absorb them, when they might be intended for another part...thus certain areas will not get their fair share. In turn, it creates a breakdown in healthy body maintenance and even severe pain. So it's very important to always be getting enough vitamins and minerals.

- Reflexology, accupressure and massage therapy are also excellent forms of therapy that can help to alleviate a lot of body pain. The premise behind reflexology is to unblock the body's meridians of crystals that may have been built up and thus blocking the natural energy and blood flow within the body. Reflexology helps to promote free flowing energy and relaxation so that the body can heal itself, help to flush out toxins and maintain good health and harmony throughout all the organs. Accupressure and massage do much the same thing.
While the body is relaxed, it can more easily replenish itself by allowing energy to
flow freely. When you are tense, the blood cannot flow freely, thus health-giving nutrients are not reaching the different parts of the body to sustain good health. Any type of massage will help to alleviate that and bring much needed relief to anyone suffering from pain.

- A proper, balanced diet is always very important. With a proper diet, you again
benefit by getting all the right vitamins, minerals and nutrients into the body.
It will also help to keep one's weight at a proper level. Without a proper diet
and good nutrition, one can tend to either be overweight or underweight. Being overweight is very much an added strain on the muscles, causes the heart and lungs to be overworked, and puts extra stress on the bones, which in turn can create unbearable pain.
Being underweight is not good either as the bones and muscles are not getting
enough vitamins and minerals to keep them sustained as well.
Over use of sugar in your diet can also create a lot of chronic pain, especially
if one is prone to arthritis. Sugar has a way of exacerbating bone pain, so it's
always a good idea to curb your intake.

One can never underestimate the benefits of good nutrition, proper rest, exercise
and stress reduction to keep the body fine tuned. We should never take our bodies
for granted. If we take care of our bodies, our bodies will take care of us.

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