Chronic pain can be a huge impediment to your quality of life. Going to the doctor isn’t always your best bet, either. Sure, they’ll make sure you don’t hurt as much. But, most of the time, they’ll recommend pharmaceuticals or surgery. How can someone get relief without taking those routes, though? We’ve got a couple of recommendations that should help to relieve your chronic pain.

1. Over-the-Counter Solutions

Believe it or not, there are a ton of things you can get over the counter to treat chronic pain. One of the most promising solutions would be pain relief spray. It uses natural herbs to help prevent common pains, such as arthritis. Living with such pain is no way to go about life. Try using one of these sprays to see how it works for you. Menthol is one of its primary ingredients. Applying menthol topically can help to reduce inflammation. Usually, chronic pain is associated with elevated inflammation levels.

So, by reducing it, you should feel some relief. There are plenty of other over-the-counter solutions as well. You could always try taking an NSAID. These are some of the most common pain relievers on the plenty. That’s because they’ve been shown to be quite effective. They’re able to reduce inflammation without using any steroids. Some of them inhibit enzymes within the body responsible for producing inflammation. Inhibiting them reduces the body’s pain response, relieving common pains.

You could also try using herbs or other supplements. They’ll help you reduce inflammation by working in your gut. Turmeric would be a great example of that. By including turmeric in your diet, you’ll prevent excessive inflammation. You could even try putting some ginseng in your diet. A ton of supplements have been shown to reduce your inflammation by affecting your gut biome. Plenty of people suffer from inflammation because their gut biomes are out of whack. Simply changing your diet could help to rebalance your gut’s microbiome, reducing inflammation.

2. Active Pain Management Techniques

It might sound counterintuitive, but exercise could be an effective pain management technique. Exercising causes the body to release endorphins and other chemicals. Endorphins activate the same receptors activated by opioids in your body. Compared to pharmaceuticals, exercise has a much lower rate of side effects as well. If you’d like to try exercise as a pain management technique, be careful. Don’t overdo it. Otherwise, you could simply make things worse on yourself.

Another option would be to visit a physical therapist. Working with one of them could help you recover from previous injuries. By working with one of them, you’ll learn how to use low-impact exercises to treat your pain. Plus, they might be able to help you recover your range of motion, too. Usually, they’ll start off by using myofascial release. This helps to reduce accumulated damage within your muscle tissues.

3. Alternative Therapies

Acupuncture can reduce your pain perception by triggering nerve complexes within your body. An acupuncturist will apply needles to different spots on your body. Sure, it might sound like some sort of pseudoscience. However, it has been shown to produce a real effect on a lot of people. It’s not going to make you forget about searing pain. But, it’s an effective treatment for many types of chronic pains.

Other mind-body therapies diminish your pain perception as well. For many of us, pain begins as something in the mind. Learning how to control your mind-body connection could you overcome your chronic pain. Even Reiki touch has been shown to have an effect on plenty of people. Don’t limit yourself to modern medicine. In severe cases, it can often be the best option. However, you’ve got plenty of other solutions available as well.

Simply visiting a chiropractor could help you eliminate chronic back pains. They’re great at adjusting the spine, reducing pressure on spinal discs.

Relieving Pain Naturally

If you’ve dealt with chronic pain, you know how tedious it can become. Don’t give up, though. You could always try pain meds later on. However, there are a ton of natural options that could be effective. Explore all your options to discover what helps you the most.