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eLearning Series: Arthritis
I Want Arthritis Relief Now!
Arthritis
Medications & OTC's
(Over-The-Counter Medications)
There are many
over-the-counter (OTC) pain medications for arthritis pain
sufferers that can be purchased without physicians’
prescriptions. Some are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
(NSAIDs) – some are OTCs / some require a prescription, acetaminophen
and various topical medications, covered in the very next section.
Users need to be aware of possible risk from long term use
or product abuse, though, and consult their medical advisors
before and during use.
The most common
OTC NSAIDs are ibuprofen, naproxen and aspirin. However,
the misuse of some of these
can cause blockage of
an enzyme in the body that aids in the protection of the
stomach lining and other areas. Misuse can lead to stomach
ulcers and
bleeding, and liver and kidney trouble. (The same drug abuse
issues can result from prescription NSAIDs, too). Use the
right way, these drugs can help with pain relief, inflammation
and
fever reduction, and blood clot prevention.
Acetaminophen
is the name of the active ingredient found in several well-known
brand-name products; some Excedrin® products,
Tylenol®, and Aspirin Free Anacin®. Although it does
not help with arthritic inflammation and swelling, it can
help with pain relief in mild cases. Use caution with dosages,
however.
Excess usage poses risk of liver damage, even death, especially
for active drinkers (of alcoholic beverages).
Topical Painkillers
If your arthritis
pain is mild and only affects on or two joints, you may find
that a topical pain reliever or topical
analgesic can be useful. Topical painkillers are available
as creams, salves or gels. The active ingredients of topical
painkillers include: Capsaicin. Found naturally in hot peppers,
capsaicin is found in drug stores under the brand names of
Capzasin-P, Zostrix, and other drugs. Capsaicin works by blocking
the transmission of a pain-relaying substance called substance
P to the brain.
Camphor, eucalyptus
oil and menthol are found in a variety of agents such as
Arthricare, Eucalyptamint
and Icy Hot amongst
others. These substances are able to relieve pain by tricking
the body to feel the coolness or heat of these agents.
Salicylates
is a substance available in Aspercreme, BenGay, and Flexall.
Salicylates work by decreasing pain and inflammation.
Relaxation
& Coping Tips
The importance
of relaxation in controlling and treating disease in general
has only recently been recognized throughout
the medical industry, yet its implementation still lags and
the general public does still not understand its effectiveness.
Relaxation techniques, especially those involving meditation,
have been seen as a bunch of “mumbo jumbo” for many years,
until the findings of scientists and doctors that showed immense
benefits to this practice became more prevalent. Relaxation
techniques have a definite place in the healing process of
the body, and with arthritis the case is no different. With
certain types of arthritis, the importance of relaxation is
increased, since stress and emotional disposition play a large
part in them.
Prayer is a form
of relaxation and meditation if you are spiritually or religiously
inclined that also
works wonders. Either following a minister or someone else
leading prayer, or formulating your own inspirational prayer, you can pull
upon the comfort of God as you see him taking your pain away. Again mental
and physical benefits are realized from such a practice.
You may also consider
hypnosis as an option. Hypnosis is simply a guided meditation
that allows you to access the power of your subconscious
mind
through a guide
called a hypnotist, who is either a trained psychologist, psychiatrist,
counselor, or social worker. Images of a man with a shiny
gold stopwatch putting you
under a trance to make you perform unusual acts or tell deep dark truths
are more
the scripts of Hollywood movies than what real-life hypnotism is. In the
case of hypnosis for pain management, hypnosis is nothing more than an
assisted guided imagery, such as described above. The only
difference here is that
you
have someone to help you through the steps of relaxation and meditation
on your image.
Relaxation is
especially effective for those suffering from fibromyalgia,
because this condition is caused
by a number of non-physical triggers.
Fibromyalgia largely comes from stress, lack of proper sleep, depression,
and other emotional
duress, and does not involve degeneration of the bones or joints. With
this in mind, it is easy to see why relaxation techniques help alleviate
this
condition
so well. Yoga is very beneficial both for flexibility as well as relaxation.
Forms of yoga such as Bhakta are devotional, and Raja is meditation-oriented.
They can provide a great deal of healing toward all types of arthritis,
but specifically fibromyalgia because of the emotional causes.
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