Chiropractor and Acupuncturist Chapel Hill, NC
Pain is a sensation we have but do not enjoy. We strive to avoid pain, and therein lies its value-pain helps us avoid damaging and hurtful activities, thoughts, food, and other stimuli. We have modern-day tools to reduce pain, but sometimes these products and medications can leave us worse off than we were before. Striving to get the message pain is sending while reducing pain can be tricky. At Acupractic Natural Healing Center in Chapel Hill, the chiropractic and acupuncture offices of Dr. Lisa Oskardmay, we strive to help patients reduce pain naturally without drugs or surgery. Read more about the value of pain.
Some diseases block pain signals from reaching the brain, resulting in body damage and unnecessary wear and tear. Diabetes, for instance, can result in numbness in the feet, especially; untreated blood sugar control is a leading cause of amputation due to minor injuries left unattended. Strokes, caused by lack of blood flow to brain regions, can also result in numbness or lack of feeling in body areas. Having a numb limb or other body area can lead to other problems, such as falling or not noticing an injury, infection, or soreness. A total lack of pain sensation is not a desirable goal for most people.
Some people avoid pain by using drugs and other treatments that block the pain signal from reaching their brains. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, Aleve, and Motrin are over-the-counter pain-relieving medications that help to reduce pain. Opiates are commonly prescribed medicines that block pain signals from reaching the brain; similar to heroin and other street drugs, opiates are highly addictive. Opiates, as well as OTC pain-blocking drugs, also have serious side effects. One of these side effects is the ability to overuse injured areas and ignore the pain signals. Overuse of damaged areas can impede overall body healing and have serious repercussions locally and in distant regions of the body.
There are times when pain-blocking medication is a Godsend; unnecessary pain or discomfort out of proportion to the risk of injury inhibits well-being in many ways. For instance, some diseases cause too many pain signals to get to our brains. An example is Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, in which even mild touch with no risk of injury causes great pain. Nonetheless, long-term use of pain medications may not be desirable even in this situation.
At Acupractic Natural Healing Center, Dr. Oskardmay helps patients feel better naturally using alternative medicine methods, including chiropractic, acupuncture, exercise, and nutrition education, to improve healing and reduce pain. Call today at (919) 929-1400 or visit us on the web at acudocnc.com anytime to learn more about what complementary and holistic medicine can do for you.