HOMOEOPATHIC PAIN KILLERS

PAIN? – GET RELIEF WITH HOMOEOPATHIC PAIN KILLERS

Pain is an unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pain has both physical and emotional components. The physical part of pain results from nerve stimulation. Pain may be contained to a discrete area, as in an injury, or it can be more diffuse, as in disorders like fibromyalgia. Pain is mediated by specific nerve fibers that carry the pain impulses to the brain where their conscious appreciation may be modified by many factors. Pain is protective in character – one of the ways in which nature expresses the patient’s needs. Without pain we would not survive very long. The aim of homoeopathy is not only to treat pain but to address its underlying cause and individual susceptibility.

Classification of Pain:

Even though the experience of pain varies from one person to the next, it is possible to categorize the different types of pain. There are two basic types of pain: Acute and Chronic.

Acute pain occurs for brief periods of time and is associated with temporary disorders. However, it is always an alarm signal that something may be wrong.

Chronic pain is continuous and recurrent. It is associated with chronic diseases and is one of their symptoms. Pain intensity not only depends on the type of stimulus that caused it, but also on the subjective perception of the pain. Despite a wide range of subjective perception, several types of pain have been classified according to: The stimulus that caused the pain, the pain's duration, the features of pain (intensity, location, etc.).

The main types of pain described by this system of classification are:

·        Gnawing pain. Continuous with constant intensity. It generally worsens with movement.

·        Throbbing pain. This is typical of migraine pain. It is caused by dilation and constriction of the cerebral blood vessels.

·        Stabbing pain. Intense and severe. It is caused by mechanical stimuli.

·        Burning pain. A constant, burning feeling, like, for example, the type of pain caused by heartburn. 

·        Pressing pain. Caused by constriction of the blood vessels or muscles.

There are also specific types of pain:

·        Muscle pain. Also known as myalgia, this pain involves the muscles and occurs after excessive exertion or during inflammation.

·        Colicky pain. Caused by muscle contractions of certain organs, such as the uterus during the menstrual period. Generally cyclic in nature.

·        Referred pain. Occurs when the painful sensation is felt in a site other than the one where it is actually occurring, depending upon how the brain interprets information it receives from the body.

·        Postoperative pain. Occurs after surgery and is due to lesions from surgical procedures.

Some most painful conditions:

·        Shingles is one of the most painful medical conditions, can be unlucky enough to experience. Caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox, it’s characterised by a rash or crop of blisters on one side of body, often around the waistline. The pain of shingles tends to be burning or tingling and often affects only one side of your body.

·        Cluster Headaches - More debilitating than a migraine, cluster headaches produce sudden, sharp pain that's usually concentrated around one eye or one side of the head, and episodes occur in clusters for weeks or months. "It's nicknamed the suicide headache because patients have suicidal thoughts to get away from the pain," 

·        Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a severe pain follows an injury to bone and soft tissue. It can happen to anyone at any age, but is most common in women in their 40s and 50s. The burning pain of CRPS is continuous and intense, often out of all proportion to the severity of the original injury. It usually affects one of the arms, legs, hands or feet. Often the pain spreads to the entire arm or leg, even though the initial injury might have been only to a finger or toe. Sometimes, the pain even travels to the opposite extremity. The pain of CRPS can go on for years

·        Frozen shoulder - This condition isn’t just extremely painful, it can also last for several years unless it’s properly treated. In frozen shoulder, the joint becomes so tight and stiff that it’s virtually impossible to carry out simple movements such as raising your arm. Daily activities like taking off a T-shirt, lifting a kettle, putting on a coat, even combing your hair, become an ordeal.

It’s not clear what causes frozen shoulder, but it can happen after a shoulder or arm injury and is more common in people with diabetes.

·        A broken or cracked bone is known as a fracture. Common examples are broken ankle, broken hip, broken arm and broken nose.

If the break is small, it's possible not to feel any pain at all, but generally it really hurts to break a bone, especially when you try to move it. The pain is often described as feeling like a deep ache.

Broken bones can heal by themselves, but they may need to be lined up and fixed in position so they set properly. As a general rule, the older you are and the bigger the bone that's broken, the longer it will take to heal.

·        Trigeminal neuralgia - Infections, tumors, and other conditions can trigger this pain in the trigeminal nerve, which carries sensation from your face to your brain. Patients describe it as feeling their face is on fire. The pain tends to be throbbing, and in some cases, occurs every few minutes with the right side of the face most often being affected.

·        Cancer - Most people with advanced cancer experience pain, either from the tumours themselves or as a side effect of cancer treatment such as chemotherapy or radiation. Although the pain can be very severe, it doesn’t always mean the cancer is growing. A very small tumour that is pressing on a nerve can be agonising, while a large tumour somewhere else may cause little or no pain. Cancer pain can vary in sensation, duration and intensity depending on the type of cancer you have and the stage that it’s reached, but it’s almost always possible to get cancer pain under control with prescribed painkillers.

·        Arthritis - People with arthritis endure constant and often agonising joint pain, usually in the hips, knees, wrists or fingers. The pain can come on suddenly or over time and is often linked with muscle aches and stiffness in the joints. Various different types of arthritis can cause joint damage, includingrheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and lupus. According to Arthritis Care, whatever type of arthritis you have, exercise is one of the best ways to keep pain 

·        Sciatica is the name given to an aching pain running down the leg. It’s caused when the sciatic nerve – the longest nerve in the body, which stretches from your back to your feet – has been pinched or irritated by damage to the back. It's often caused by a slipped disc.Sciatica is different to general back pain – the pain of sciatica hardly affects your back at all but instead radiates out from your lower back, down the buttocks and into one or both of the legs, right down to the calf. Most people find their sciatica goes away by itself within a few days or weeks. A combination of self-help measures such as over-the-counter painkillers, exercise and hot or cold packs can usually relieve the pain in the meantime.

·        Passing a kidney stone produces a sudden, incredibly sharp, cramping pain in lower back or the side of abdomen, or occasionally in groin, which may last for minutes or hours, with pain-free intervals in between.The pain often begins in the middle of the night and can be so vicious.

·        Appendicitis is a painful swelling of the appendix, a finger-like pouch attached to the gut wall. It's most common in children, who typically complain of pain in the middle of their tummy that comes and goes. The pain then shifts to the lower right side of the tummy and gets a lot worse.Appendicitis is a medical emergency that usually needs an urgent operation to remove the appendix before it bursts.

·        Gout is one of the most painful forms of arthritis where swelling and severe pain develops in a joint, often the base of the big toe, to the point where even touching or moving the toe can be agony. Many people associate gout with Henry VIII and good living, but it’s a myth that gout is caused by binge drinking and gorging on rich food. Although it's more likely in people who eat a lot of red meat and drink beer, anyone can get gout, even teetotal vegetarians!

According to Arthritis Care, in an attack of gout the joint starts to ache then swells up and become red, hot and extremely painful. The joint may look as if it has a boil on it, or the skin can become shiny and peeling.

An attack can last between one and 10 days. There can be permanent damage to the joint if you get recurrent attacks, so it's wise to consider medication to stave off further bouts.

·        Pain after an operation - It's common to have some pain after surgery, though the intensity of the pain will vary according to the type of operation. But too much pain after surgery is not a good thing and you should never feel you have to 'tough it out'.

·        A migraine headache is much more painful than a conventional headache and tends to last for longer, with the worst ones persisting for up to three days or more.Because migraines can cause vomiting and extreme sensitivity to light and sound as well as intense throbbing pain, all that many with migraine can do is find a dark, quiet place to lie down until their headache is over.

MANAGEMENT

Home Remedies

Natural pain treatments like herbal medicine, in which parts of a plant are used medicinally to treat health problems is an increasingly popular way to manage pain as well.

Here are some common herbal remedies used for natural pain relief:

·        Turmeric. This spice has been used to relieve arthritis pain and heartburn, and to reduce inflammation. It's unclear how turmeric works against pain or inflammation, but its activity may be due to a chemical called curcumin, which has anti-inflammatory properties. Turmeric is usually safe to use, but high doses or long-term use may cause indigestion. Also, people with gallbladder disease should avoid using turmeric.

·        Ginger extract may help with joint and muscle pain because it contains phytochemicals, which help stop inflammation. Few side effects have been linked to ginger when taken in small doses.

·        Capsaicin. Derived from hot chile peppers, topical capsaicin may be useful for some people in relieving pain. Capsaicin works by depleting substance P, a compound that conveys the pain sensation from the peripheral to the central nervous system

·        Cherries – Due to the presence of compounds called anthocyanins—the same phytonutrients that give cherries their rich ruby hue – you can count on cherries to tamp down pain. They block inflammation and they inhibit pain enzymes, just like aspirin, naproxen, and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories. Cherries are said to have the highest anti-inflammatory content of any food, making them great for remedying issues such as arthritis.

·        Peppermint (Mentha piperita) – Peppermint is most often used as a natural remedy for toothaches, discomfort from bloating and gas, joint conditions, skin irritations, headaches and muscle pain.

·        Bromelain – This natural pain-reducer comes from the enzymes present in pineapple stems. Research shows that it reduces levels of prostaglandins, which are hormones that induce inflammation. Bromelain may benefit people with arthritis and conditions marked by musculoskeletal tension, in addition to those suffering trauma-related inflammation. The enzyme also promotes healing in muscles and connective tissues.

HOMOEOPATHIC MANAGEMENT

Homoeopathy is one of the most popular holistic systems of medicine. The selection of remedy is based upon the theory of individualization and symptoms similarity by using holistic approach. This is the only way through which a state of complete health can be regained by removing all the sign and symptoms from which the patient is suffering. The aim of homoeopathy is not only to treat pain but to address its underlying cause and individual susceptibility. As far as therapeutic medication is concerned, several remedies are available to treat pain that can be selected on the basis of cause, sensations and modalities of the complaints. For individualized remedy selection and treatment, the patient should consult a qualified homeopathic doctor in person. The medicines given below indicate the therapeutic affinity but this is not a complete and definite guide to the treatment of this condition.

Medicine	Indication
Arnica	Chronic arthritis with a feeling of bruise and soreness. Painful parts feel worse from being moved or touched. This popular home-remedy for backache is more famous as anti-injury medicine. It helps by reducing swelling and reliving the pain in back.
Aurum metallicum	Wandering pains in the muscles and joints that are better from motion and warmth, and worse at night. Deep pain in the limbs when trying to sleep.
Bryonia	Stiffness and inflammation with tearing or throbbing pain, made worse by the slightest motion and in cold dry weather. Pressure and rest brings relief. Part sensitive to touch.
Belladonna	Pain strikes suddenly. The afflicted joints are swollen and red. The pain is 'sharp' and related to chills or getting wet.
Causticum	Useful when deformities develop in the joints, in a person with a tendency toward tendon problems, muscle weakness, and contractures. The hands and fingers may be most affected, although other joints can also be involved. Stiffness and pain are worse from being cold, and relief may come with warmth. A person who needs this remedy often feels best in rainy weather and worse when the days are clear and dry.
Calcarea fluorica	This remedy is often indicated when arthritic pains improve with heat and motion. Joints become enlarged and hard, and nodes or deformities develop. Indicated in arthritis after chronic injury to joints.
Cimicifuga	Great aching in the muscles, and in the belly of the muscles rather than the extremities. It is also prone to occur in the large muscles of the trunk rather than the small muscles of the extremities, here resembling Nux vomica. It differs from Rhus by not acting on fibrous structures, being rather a remedy for muscular rheumatism. Rheumatism in the muscles, coming on suddenly and of great severity, worse at night and in wet and windy weather. Great restlessness, but motion aggravates. Caulophyllum, so similar in many other ways, differs from Cimicifuga in having rheumatism of the metacarpal and phalangeal articulations of the hand.
Actaea spicata	Acts on the small joints of the hands and feet. Joints ache and swell while the patient is walking.
Ranunculus bulbosus	Is especially useful in rheumatism of the muscles of the chest and trunk. There is a great deal of soreness, the muscles have a bruised feeling, and changeable, damp weather aggravates.
Colchicum	It has a special affinity for fibrous tissues, tendons, aponeuroses, ligaments and periosteum. It has shifting rheumatism like Kalmia, Pulsatilla, etc., Pains are worse in the evening; the slightest motion aggravates; the patient is irritable; the pain seems unbearable. Sometimes it is useful when the rheumatism attacks the chest, with pains about the heart and a sensation as if the heart were squeezed by a tight bandage. There is evening aggravation; the joints are swollen and dark red. Colchicum is especially useful for rheumatic affections in debilitated persons those who are weak. It is a remedy for the smaller joints. Actaea spicata, Caulophyllum, Ledum and Rhododendron affect the smaller joints of the hands and feet
Benzoic acid	Indicated in rheumatism of the small joints, gouty nodosities, weeping sinews, cracking in joints, gouty nodosities with great characteristic accompaniment of extremely offensive urine.
Lithium carbonicum	Rheumatism of the finger joints, with tendency to heart complications. It has rheumatic soreness about the heart; recurring attacks also indicate it.
Dulcamara	Arthritis flares up during cold damp weather, by sudden changes in the weather, or after the person gets chilled and wet. People needing Dulcamara are often stout, with a tendency toward back pain, chronic stiffness in the muscles and allergies.
Kali bichromicum	Arthritic pains may alternate with asthma or stomach symptoms. Pains come and go suddenly, or shift around. Discomfort and inflammation are aggravated by heat and worse when the weather is warm.
Kali carbonicum	Arthritis with great stiffness and stitching pains, worse in the early morning hours and worse from cold and dampness, especially if joints are becoming deformed.
Kalmia latiflora	Intense arthritic pain that flares up suddenly especially when problems start in higher joints and extend to lower ones. Pain and inflammation may begin in the elbows, spreading downward to the wrists and hands. Discomfort is worse from motion, when going to sleep and often worse at night. Has wandering rheumatic pains, and is especially useful in rheumatism affecting the chest, or when rheumatism or gout shifts from the joints to the heart. The muscles of the neck are sore and the back is lame.
Ledum palustre	Arthritis that starts in lower joints and extends to higher ones may respond to this remedy. Pain and inflammation often begin in the toes and spread upward to the ankles and knees. The joints may also make cracking sounds. Ledum is strongly indicated when swelling is significant and relieved by cold applications
Phytolacca	The sphere of Phytolacca seems to be where there is a syphilitic taint. It is particularly useful in pains below the elbows and knees. There is stiffness and lameness of the muscles; the pains seem to fly about, are worse at night and are especially aggravated by damp weather. Rheumatic affections of the sheaths, of the nerves, periosteal rheumatism or rheumatism of the fibrous tissues are often benefited by Phytolacca. Rheumatism of the shoulder and arms, especially in syphilitic cases, may call for this remedy.
Pulsatilla	The pain of rheumatoid arthritis is changeable in quality and the flare-ups move from place to place. Worse from warmth and better from fresh air, cold applications and with slow movement. People who need this remedy usually are emotional and affectionate, sometimes having tearful mood. Patient is thirstless.
Rhus toxicodendron	Rheumatoid arthritis, with pain and stiffness that is worse in the morning, on first motion or in cold and damp conditions but better from continued movement. Hot baths or showers, and warm applications improve the stiffness and relieve the pain. The condition is worse in cold, wet weather or after rest. The pains can be in any part of the body - either in large or small joints. Lack of movement causes pain and stiffness. The person may feel extremely restless, unable to find a comfortable position, and need to keep moving constantly. Continued motion also helps to relieve anxiety.