Pain Management through Herbs, Acupuncture and Fasting

Pain can be anything from an occasional sore joint or muscle discomfort to a chronic ache that just won’t go away. The body is notorious for sending out signals that may indicate something serious but if a medical assessment is made and there is little a conventional approach can do, pain management through herbs, acupuncture, and fasting could reap significant benefits.

Chinese Herbs for Pain

Pain management has grown to become one of the largest medical applications to date. Everyone seems to be in one type of pain or another and pharmaceuticals offer direct, fast relief with little concern for collateral damage, namely various side effects and sometimes even addiction. However, the application of specific herbs could offer pain management through a more naturopathic approach.

The study ‘Effects of Herbal Medicines on Pain Management,’ published in The American Journal of Chinese Medicine, researched three common Chinese herbs used for pain:

• Corydalis yanhusuo
• Ligusticum chuanxiong
• Aconitum carmichaeli

The study abstract stated,

“Chinese herbal formulation in treating common medical conditions associated with pain, such as headache/migraine, chest pain, abdominal pain, low back pain, neuropathic pain, osteoarthritis, and cancer pain, is presented. Chinese herbal medicines could be considered as a complementary and integrative approach in the modern armamentarium in combating pain.”

This is one example of how, under the care of a professional naturopathic doctor trained in Classical Chinese Medicine (CCM), botanical medicine using Chinese herbs offers pain management that can work systemically and in unison with the body.

Manage Pain with Acupuncture

Acupuncture for pain management has been increasing in use and availability for over a decade. Renowned hospitals now include acupuncture departments as an adjunct to pharmacological and physical therapy treatments. Many acupuncture applications have shown to be highly successful in alleviating discomfort during cancer treatment to pain reduction for something as common as a bone fracture.

A meta-analysis of seven randomized controlled trials showing the application of acupuncture to those patients recovering from upper arm bone fractures was conducted. The review took place from inception to January 2020 in a paper titled, ‘The Use of Acupuncture in the Management of Patients with Humeral Fractures’. This review was published in The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics and concluded that,

“Our meta-analysis shows that acupuncture reduced pain after proximal humeral fracture, in addition to common rehabilitative modalities. The meta-analysis showed that acupuncture improved the pain severity score compared with conventional therapies ”

Chronic pain doesn’t always present as structural but can also manifest as nerve pain as well as cognitively. Acupuncture has shown to help pain related to emotional as well as neuropathic pain.

A February 2021 study published in The Journal of the International Association of the Study of Pain stated,

“Chronic neuropathic [nerve] pain has multidimensional aspects, from nociception [sensory receptor pain] to comorbid [multiple] emotional and cognitive discomfort…Our results indicate that acupuncture improved nociceptive and emotional and cognitive impairment associated with PSNL [partial sciatic nerve ligation]-induced neuropathic pain. Acupuncture reversed the decrease in global DNA methylation [change DNA action without changing sequence]…These results demonstrate the effect of acupuncture on DNA methylation in mediating the sensory, emotional, and cognitive impact of chronic neuropathic pain, and suggested molecular mechanism in the PFC [prefrontal cortex – part of the brain].”

Utilizing an acupuncture treatment protocol with a licensed acupuncturist can be an excellent way to manage pain, especially when combined with herbal remedies and fasting.

Reduce Food, Reduce Pain

Most people have been taught to eat too much food. Social norms, cultural expectations and especially big business have all been proponents of pushing people to indulge way more than the body needs. In fact, the term, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day” came from John Harvey Kellogg during the 19th century simply to sell his cereal. This overeating combined with eating the wrong foods has been linked to a barrage of diseases, including diabetes, hypertension and obesity.

Science Daily reported on a past study by researchers at Mount Sinai Medical Center. Christoph Buettner, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine (Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease) and his research team found that overeating impairs the ability of brain insulin to suppress the breakdown of fat in adipose tissue.

“When you overeat, your brain becomes unresponsive to these important clues such as insulin, which puts you on the road to diabetes. We believe that what happens in rats also happens in humans”

Dealing with diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity can entail a lifetime of related pain management through pharmaceuticals and sometimes even surgical intervention. However, in many cases there could be another way. By working with a naturopathic doctor, disease prevention and pain management through intermittent fasting has shown to be helpful.

According to research out of the University of Florida, a study published in the Journal of Pain as published by the US National Library of Medicine stated,

“As such, intermittent fasting may not only enhance the effectiveness of pain treatment interventions at a functional and mechanistic level but may also confer a number of health-related benefits including promoting overall health and may contribute to a decrease in pain experience via a reduction in central and peripheral inflammation.”

Intermittent fasting is basically skipping breakfast or skipping dinner allowing for a 12-16 hour (or more) time period without spiking insulin. By reducing the need for insulin, the body not only begins using stored fat deposits as fuel but it also shifts to autophagy which is the reparation of old cells. This, in turn, has been linked to reducing pain.

At Integrative Med Solutions, we will design a pain management treatment program that works for you, applied either in person or through digital, telemedicine communication. In many cases, insurance covers portions of the treatment. Allow us to support you to achieve optimal health. To make an appointment or find out more about how acupuncture and naturopathic medicine can benefit you, please call our office at 914-337-2980 or Click Here to schedule an online appointment.

*Please Click Here to see a current list of insurance companies that commonly carry acupuncture benefits for its members. For more info, please call 914-337-2980 or securely email us at info@intmedsolutions.com.

Best in health from Integrative Med Solutions.