Pain

Description

Pain, the most common symptom for which individuals seek help, is one of the most serious and confusing health problems. Some professionals consider pain itself a disease, especially in the case of chronic pain.

Pain results from many causes, particularly tissue injury. It may also result from physical or emotional discomfort. It may be acute or chronic, mild or severe.

Pain is a protective mechanism of the body: it occurs whenever tissue is being damaged or altered in any way, causing the individual to react and attempt to remove the stimulus.

There are many classifications of pain especially since it is a subjective concept. One classification includes prickling, burning and aching pains. Another includes somatic, visceral, psychogenic, and thalamic pain.

Somatic pain is localized. It often follows dermatomal or spinal segmentation pattern, and is usually easy to describe.

Visceral pain is relatively unlocalized, often spreading to regions other than the impaired organ or area. If pain arises from injury elsewhere, it is called referred pain, a form of visceral pain. It is difficult to describe this type of pain.

Psychogenic pain arises from muscle tension.

Thalamic pain, also called central pain, is uncommon. It may be caused by lesions in the thalamus.

It is believed that pain of any form may be modified through a process known as the Gate theory. The details of the proposed mechanism are not known. It is known that pain fibers enter the spinal cord, and within one or two segments, terminate on a group of small neurons located near the tip of the dorsal horn of the spine. The pain signals are then transmitted through one or more additional neurons before passing upward through long pathways to the brain. Other neurons give input which modify the original signals. Most of these additional axons synapse on the pain fibers, causing presynaptic inhibition. Pain signals can thus be modified at successive levels of the pain pathway.

Treatments for pain are diversified. One approach is to modify the pain by distraction. Psychiatry, surgery, electrotherapy, exercise, hypnosis, massage, meditation and medications such as analgesics and anesthetics, are often recommended by pain clinics.

Heat, cold, change of position, resting affected part, counterirritants, biofeedback, behavior modification or chiropractic procedures may also be prescribed.

Causes

Many disorders cause some sort of pain. These include:

Injury	Organic disease
Stress of body function	Accidents
Surgery	Wounds
Trauma	Dilated blood vessels
Tissue destruction	Blockage of major organs
Cerebral allergy

Signs & Symptoms

Pain itself is difficult to describe as it is commonly considered a primary symptom. Some secondary symptoms of pain are:

Altered personal relationships
Altered self-image
Altered professional commitments
Headaches

Nutritional Supplements

Structure & Function: Joint Support

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General Supplements
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	Adult	Child/Adolescent
DLPA	500 - 2,000 mg	200 - 1,000 mg
Magnesium	200 - 400 mg	100 - 200 mg
Niacin	100 - 500 mg	50 - 200 mg
Vitamin B-6	10 - 100 mg	5 - 50 mg
Vitamin B-12	100 - 1,000 mcg	50 - 300 mcg
Vitamin C	1,000 - 3,000 mg	500 - 2,000 mg

* Please refer to the respective topic for specific nutrient amounts.

Note: All amounts are in addition to those supplements having a Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). Due to individual needs, one must always be aware of a possible undetermined effect when taking nutritional supplements. If any disturbances from the use of a particular supplement should occur, stop its use immediately and seek the care of a qualified health care professional.

Dietary Considerations

No diet is specifically prescribed for pain by the American Dietetics Association.

Barring any underlying health condition, a Dietary Goals Diet should be followed to provide all the nutrients necessary for building a sound and disease-resistant body.

If pain is caused by cerebral allergy, an Elimination Diet is recommended.

Pain in the bones and joints can be due to deficiencies in vitamin A and/or vitamin C. These symptoms are readily reversible with the appropriate supplementation. An excess of vitamin D, as might occur in people who self-medicate ulcers with milk or who take megadoses of vitamin D, can cause joint pain.

Homeopathic Remedy

Pain - general

1.*Rhus Toxicodendron 15C to 50M, depending on severity
2. Glonoinum tinct. - 15C to 1M, depending on severity
3. Hypericum tinct. - 6X to 30X - especially for joints, shoulder, thigh
4. Belladonna tinct. - 30C

Treatment Schedule

Doses cited are to be administered on a 3X daily schedule, unless otherwise indicated. Dose usually continued for 2 weeks. Liquid preparations usually use 8-10 drops per dose. Solid preps are usually 3 pellets per dose. Children use 1/2 dose.

Legend

X = 1 to 10 dilution - weak (triturition)
C = 1 to 100 dilution - weak (potency)
M = 1 to 1 million dilution (very strong)
X or C underlined means it is most useful potency

Asterisk (*) = Primary remedy. Means most necessary remedy. There may be more than one remedy - if so, use all of them.


References

Boericke, D.E., 1988. Homeopathic Materia Medica.

Coulter, C.R., 1986. Portraits of Homeopathic Medicines.

Kent, J.T., 1989. Repertory of the Homeopathic Materia Medica.

Koehler, G., 1989. Handbook of Homeopathy.

Shingale, J.N., 1992. Bedside Prescriber.

Smith, Trevor, 1989. Homeopathic Medicine.

Ullman, Dana, 1991. The One Minute (or so) Healer.

Tissue Salts

Calc. Fluor.	pains in the lower back from confined bowels;
Calc. Phos.	pains associated with numbness, relieved by gentle exercise;
Ferr. Phos.	pain from inflammation, notably the kidneys;
Kali Mur.	pain on movement, white-coated tongue;
Kali Phos.	lameness, relieved by gentle movement, aggravated by exertion;
Kali Sulf.	pain that flits from one place to another;
Mag. Phos.	sharp, shooting pains;
Nat. Mur.	pains accompanied by watery discharges (salivation, tears);
Nat Phos.	rheumatic pains, creamy tongue, acidosis;

4 tablets every 15 minutes.

Herbal Approaches

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Herbs
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Alfalfa
Cayenne
Feverfew
Passiflora
Valerian
Watercress
Yarrow

GI Pain (German Commission E)

Belladonna

Joint Pain (German Commission E)

Arnica flower (external)
Essential oils (Camphor essence, Eucalyptus, Turpentine i.e. Terebinth essence)

Neuralgia (German Commission E)

Cajeput essence (oil)
Peppermint oil

Note: The misdirected use of an herb can produce severely adverse effects, especially in combination with prescription drugs. This Herbal information is for educational purposes and is not intended as a replacement for medical advice.

Discussion:

Cayenne appears to inhibit the release of substance P from cutaneous sensory neurons.

Of these, the following three herbs have been recommended as analgesic by Dr. Grabowski:

Feverfew appears to inhibit the synthesis of prostaglandin E2 and leukotrienes involved in inflammatory processes. (100 mg b.i.d.)

Passiflora extract is a mild alkaloid sedative. (40 mg t.i.d.)

Valerian root extract also has sedative properties. (2 tablets t.i.d.)

References:

Blumenthal, M (Ed.): The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. American Botanical Council. Austin, TX. 1998.

Grabowski, RJ: Current Nutritional Therapy: a clinical reference. Image Press, TX. 1995.

Aromatherapy - Essential Oils

"Neuralgia":

Chamomile Essence,	Eucalyptus Essence,
Geranium Essence,	Lemon Essence,
Pepper Essence,	Peppermint Essence,
Tea Tree Essence.

Related Health Conditions

Most health conditions involve pain, especially in the acute state.

Abstracts

References

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