Alternative Pain Treatment Directory

By: Cindy Perlin, LCSW Many people have been using vitamin C supplements for decades to boost immunity during cold and flu season or to treat viral infections. High doses of vitamin C have been used intravenously by many holistic healthcare practitioners to treat chronic and life-threatening diseases. Did you know it is also helpful for treating pain? Vitamin C and Pain   An excellent review of the research on vitamin C and the treatment of pain  was published in 2017 in the  Journal of Translational Medicine . Interestingly, the authors report that various stressors on the body, including having a viral illness, trauma, surgery or cancer, can deplete the body’s vitamin C levels and result in the development of, or increases in, pain. They report that lower serum concentrations of vitamin C are found in those with many pain conditions compared with healthy controls. These include those with neck and back pain, arthritis, CRPS, postherpetic neuralgia (pain after a shingl...

  Minimize image Edit image Delete image For many people in pain, the relationship between sleep and pain is a catch-22. Their pain interferes with their sleep and poor sleep increases their pain. The usual “sleep hygiene” suggestions for improving sleep such as sticking to a schedule, saving your bed for sleep, limiting naptime, avoiding caffeine and heavy meals at night don’t help very much when pain gets severe. Pharmaceuticals prescribed for sleep carry significant risks and some pain medications can interfere with sleep. Fortunately, there’s much more that can be done to reduce pain and get better sleep. This article will discuss the risks of pharmaceuticals and safer natural solutions, including practices and products that can help.   The Side Effects and Risks of Commonly Prescribed Drugs for Insomnia   Insomnia is a widespread sleep disorder affecting millions of people worldwide. To manage insomnia, physicians often prescribe medications, such as hypnotics, be...