All You Need to Know About Chronic Pain and How Ayurveda can cure it

Ayurveda's primary idea is to balance the body, mind, and environment to prevent and treat health problems. Ayurveda is one of the most effective methods of pain management. With no side effects, chronic pain can be effectively treated with all-natural solutions, such as herbs, oils, plant extracts, pastes, and more. Ayurveda believes that it is also essential to improve a person's mental health in addition to pain management therapy.

This will enhance an individual's general health and help them live a more productive life. The Ayurvedic pain relief treatment is customized for each person. It is formed based on one's habits, lifestyle choices, body type, and other factors. Massage therapies, Basti, Kizhi, and other Ayurvedic pain therapies are readily accessible. One may relax while receiving these treatments as they are non-surgical.

Understanding Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is defined as pain that lasts longer than three to six months or that has progressed past the point of tissue healing. Some types of chronic pain can be linked to a specific cause, such as degenerative disc disease, while others, such as neuropathic pain, have no known cause. Chronic pain specialists explain that the brain processes pain signals that have a significant impact on chronic pain. Chronic pain can elicit emotional responses such as terror in some people, while it can also bother others. The function of the mind in chronic pain is well-documented in the medical literature.

You have chronic pain if you have discomfort in your neck, back, or shoulders, or if you have a repetitive stress injury, fibromyalgia, migraines, or osteoarthritis. People who suffer from chronic pain say it impacts their mood and keeps them awake all night. They believe that their suffering is something they must undergo throughout their lives.

Ayurveda, on the other hand, holds a different viewpoint. Ayurveda acknowledges pain even though it attempts to cure it because pain is a multi-layered signal from nature to us. Underneath the direct instruction to quit using that body part is an appeal to examine our lifestyle and discover what we are doing to cause this pain. Such pain aggravates Vata, the dosha that is involved when there is pain. 

Additionally, certain unconscious habits like holding the breath, chronically tensing muscles, suppressing emotions, eating over-processed or refined food, ingesting too much caffeine, or not drinking enough water makes people more vulnerable to pain. You can start to undo your pain naturally if you take a step back and examine which of your actions and behaviors contribute to the problem.

Causes of Chronic Pain

Body pain is a very subjective sensation, and everybody's pain tolerances differ as well. Gender, genes, ethnic heritage, and prior pain experiences can all influence pain sensitivity. Tension, sentiments, the nature of social connections, rest, and diet also impact pain, in addition to the aforementioned unchangeable variables.

Ayurveda works on these changeable factors to harmonize and strengthen the body while making the person less prone to pain. To achieve balance among those components, one must first examine an individual's specific body and personality characteristics, known as doshas.

There are three doshas in the Ayurvedic system of medicine: Kapha, Vata, and Pitta. Each person demonstrates at least a small amount of each of the three doshas; although, one or two present themselves more strongly than the others. According to Ayurveda, each season has its dominant dosha, so behaviors may need to change seasonally to get the most out of the medicinal system.

Ayurvedic Therapies for Chronic Pain Management

The sort of Ayurvedic treatment one receives is determined based on their specific Prakriti, way of living, and pain severity. Abhyanga, i.e., Ayurvedic Massage, Padabhyangam, Nasyam, Pizhichil, Greeva Basti, Janu Kasti, and Kati Basti are the most important popular Ayurvedic treatments for pain management.



Ayurvedic pain management therapies differ from conventional pain management therapies as they adopt a comprehensive approach that includes lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise, in addition to medicine and therapies. Because the ingredients are completely natural, Ayurvedic Pain Treatment has no adverse effects.

Abhyanga 

Abhyanga is a type of therapy that uses heated medicinal herbal oils. The oil is rubbed over your entire body, from your scalp to your feet's soles. It is the most prominent Ayurvedic massage and is typically handled by a massage professional. It soothes joint pain and aches by lubricating them, enhances blood circulation, and channels nerve ends.

Padabhyanga

Padabhyanga means foot therapy. This therapy is fundamental in Ayurveda as our feet unite our bodies to the earth. Foot care is holistic, involving the application of herbal and medicinal oils to pressure points. Padabhyanga is a herbal foot massage that concentrates on critical pressure areas to balance the doshas and activate the vital points, resulting in accelerated physical recovery.

Nasya

Nasya therapy is an Ayurvedic therapy for clearing the nasal passage. Nasya is a method in which therapeutic oils and ghee, powders, raw herb juices such as Brahmi, honey, salt, milk, and water are administered in doses through the nose. It entails inhaling medications or oils. Pain perception is reduced by medicated oils or powder that activate several critical brain areas.

Pizhichil

Squeezing is the literal meaning of Pizhichil. Pizhichil is the squeezing of heated therapeutic oil over the patient's body from a piece of cloth that has been soaked in the medicated oil regularly. It aids in the improvement of muscular tone and strength and also provides much-needed stability.

Kizhi

Kizhi includes making little satchels or sacks out of powders, herbs, grains, and sand bound in a muslin cloth which is then heated and lightly pounded over the body or specific body sections as needed. The heat produced by Kizhi helps to calm the inflamed Vata, which relieves the discomfort and pain immediately.

Greeva Basti

Greeva Basti is a therapy that involves pouring a specially prepared heated herbal oil over the neck and storing it in a well-like structure made of black gram paste or whole wheat flour. It treats problems like cervical spondylosis, stiff neck, and muscle strain pain in the neck and upper back.

Kati Basti

Kati Basti—the therapeutic oiling—involves pouring a specially prepared heated herbal oil over the lower back and storing it in a well made of black gram paste or whole wheat flour. People with lower back problems, such as lumbar spondylosis, intervertebral disc prolapses, lumbago, and sciatica, benefit from this.

Janu Basti 

Medicated warm herbal oils are poured over the knee and stored in a well-like structure of black gram paste or whole wheat flour in Janu Basti. It is performed to treat osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, knee joint arthritis, and severe and chronic knee pain.

Spine Basti

Spine Basti involves pouring a specially prepared heated herbal oil over the spinal cord and retaining it inside a well made of black gram paste or whole wheat flour. Spine Basti is used to treat back pain and intervertebral disc prolapses.

Upanaham

In Upanaham, a medicinal paste is applied to the damaged area and covered with medicinal herbal leaves for a period determined by the individual body's needs. It relieves the pain and stiffness by stimulating the tissues and is best for osteoarthritis, joint injuries, and regional pain and swelling.

All-Natural Chronic Pain Remedies

As every person is unique, it's ideal to seek an Ayurvedic practitioner who can create a plan that is tailored to such specific requirements. There are also numerous all-natural therapies for chronic pain that everyone can implement in their routines. A few of them are listed below.

Regular Massage

Regular oil massage is valued in the Ayurvedic tradition as a particularly efficient therapy for various ailments. Massage reduces pain by calming Vata, easing joint and muscular stiffness, and removing toxins. Additionally, it also improves circulation and relaxes the body.

Systematic Relaxation

Instead of popping a medicine to relieve the discomfort and pain, spend ten minutes in the Shavasana-corpse pose, practicing thorough relaxation. This technique has proven to naturally minimize muscle spasms and soothe the mind.

Stretching

Pain can make it difficult to stretch and move as one normally would, but limiting the movements only worsens the problem. Toxins build up in areas of the body where there is immobility and congestion, thus causing pain. Stretching for fifteen minutes every morning or evening shall make a huge difference.

Implementing Ayurvedic Principles in Life

The ultimate goal of incorporating an Ayurvedic lifestyle into your everyday life is to create balance. If you're prone to being agitated and are unpredictable, slowing down, eating warm, comforting meals, and crossing a few items off your to-do list can help you manage chronic pain. In contrast, if you have more Kapha energy, you may need to put in more effort to exercise regularly and consume lighter foods to help the body handle and remove toxins. Ayurveda is all about finding the right balance. As a result, when you make careful choices about your health and choose a plan that addresses your discomfort, Ayurveda will undoubtedly work out for the best.