It is a given that Western medicine will never produce a treatment that will address the root cause of a problem. They will always offer a kind of band-aid approach that best exemplified by its use of pain killers for both chronic and acute pain. What’s worse, the doctors who dispense them (especially very strong prescription painkillers such as Vicodin) do so like they’re giving candy to people with acute back pain. Vicodin causes constipation and when people suffering from possible disc injury take it, it worsens their herniated discs because when they bear down for a bowel movement it increases the pressure to the spinal canal. In fact, people with herniated discs are usually given a physical exam test called the Valsalva Maneuver that requires the patient to bear down as if going potty. If that intensifies their sciatic or back pain, the patient most likely has a herniated disc, or a tumor that compresses a nerve in the back region.

The other issue with Vicodin is that this drug contains large amounts of acetaminophen that is a lot more toxic than ibuprofen to the Liver (doctors may be aware of this or not). Furthermore, while NSAIDS such as ibuprofen have a therapeutic effect in decreasing the inflammation that actually generates the pain, Vicodin merely alleviates the pain and does nothing more that has any therapeutic value. Vicodin can be a good prescription drug for the relief of pain after dental surgery but it is a bad choice of treatment compared to iburprofen for people suffering from shoulder, neck, and back pain because it:

1. Has acetaminophen that is more toxic to the liver than ibuprofen and other NSAIDs
2. Does nothing to calm anxiety or loosen muscles
3. Has no ability to reduce inflammation
4. Has no additional therapeutic value

But that’s not the worst of it. Patients who are prescribed Vicodin by their doctors and weren’t informed that the drug contains acetaminophen (Tylenol) are themselves taking additional Tylenol at home or in the office because they believe it is a lot safer than Ibuprofen. The truth is, Vicodin is so lethal to the Liver that it lately has been reformulated into a new drug named Norco that has a lesser amount of acetaminophen in it.

Another glaring disadvantage related to the use of Vicodin for the treatment (or more accurately, non-treatment) of pain, is that the medicine makes people depressed, sluggish, or addicted to it (if they are prone to drug or chemical addiction). Many people who have been addicted to Vicodin for a long time have developed a “helpless hopeless” disposition and seem to have lost their will to help themselves.

The dangers of using prescription analgesics have actually been featured in a New York Times article entitled “Prescription Painkillers Seen as a Gateway to Heroin.” It discussed how the propensity of doctors to prescribe powerful painkillers is ill-advised and dangerous. The article lays the blame no on the patients but on the doctors who prescribe these drugs out like candy to their patients, when there are a lot of non-drug alternatives that can be used that are much safer and much more effective.

Therefore, it is essential to ask the question, why don’t physicians routinely and regularly recommend acupuncture to their patients to help relieve their bodily pain? Why are there no acupuncturists in physical therapy clinics or in the offices of orthopedic surgeons? Why don’t these professionals try it on themselves? And why aren’t they interested in learning the various non-drug alternative treatments that are so effective and tremendously beneficial in the resolution of chronic and acute pain? They’d rather get rid of the patient by prescribing Vicodin for their pain and telling them to return in a couple of weeks, if the pain still bothers them. Sometimes, after two weeks, their doctors will refer them for physical therapy, that more often not, unfortunately, totally fails because physical therapists are more interested in strengthening the weak muscles of the patient without first addressing the inflammation, which is the underlying root of the pain. The tight immobile tendons, muscles, and fascia can easily and quickly be treated with the use of non-drug alternatives such as acupuncture in Jacksonville and massage.

Myofascial Acupuncture that works through the release of the fascia (which is a network of connective tissue that our bodies are organized around)and the motor points and trigger points combined with traditional Chinese style of acupuncture grounded on the ancient channel pathways called meridians is a 100 percent effective and guaranteed treatment plan for almost all type of acute and chronic bodily pain including bulging and herniated disc pain, shoulder pain such as frozen shoulder pain, lumbar pain, thoracic pain, cervical/neck pain, foot pain, etc. What’s more, when you are treated with cupping and acupuncture for the alleviation of pain, it takes far fewer number of treatments than say, the Richard Tan’s “balance method” in which you need to undergo 2 or 3 treatment sessions once a week for several weeks. Usually, patients treated with acupuncture would not need to endure 8 to 10 rounds of treatment. It usually just takes 6 sessions depending on the length time and magnitude of the injury. Old injuries that are drug-dependent, severe, and have been left untreated heal a whole lot longer than acute types of sports injury.

A mineral supplement called Magnesium Fumarate can be given to these patients, which can help take the edge off the anxious feelings that come with being injured as well as help them sleep and sleep better and help alleviate their spasms and pain from the tight muscles. At the right dosage, Magnesium Fumarate can also be used as a stool softener. Some Magnesium Fumarate capsules are made of 110mg Magnesium and have an 80 percent absorption rate. Magnesium Citrate is also ideal if you are unable to find Magnesium Fumarate. When minerals have been acidified, they can be made bioavailable whether in the form of supplements or food. This is the reason why it is good to leafy greens such as collards or kale or use vinegar or lemon since they free up the magnesium and calcium and makes them more absorbable.

Magnesium is now used conventionally as a treatment for people suffering from headache and migraine pain. Ask your migraine doctor or healthcare provider to do some research if he or she is not recommending magnesium for your pain. It’s also ideal for the health of your heart, which is an extremely important muscle and for the relief of menstrual cramps. Consider Magnesium not as a drug but as food for your muscles.

Acupuncturists can augment their muscle, ligament and tendon pain relief treatment by prescribing nourishing Chinese herbal remedies with anti-inflammatory qualities for the alleviation of all types of bodily and head pain and aches. To ensure the nonexistence of any heavy metal contamination or pesticide residue, your acupuncturist must use Chinese Herb formulas made in the US or Taiwan, and not China. Two of the best herbal formulas for bodily pain are Shu Jin Wan 2 (Shu= release, Jin=tendons, and Wan=pill) and Sun Ten.

Shang Han Lun is a traditional Chinese herbal remedy that can also give you excellent results for the alleviation of pain. In the Dang Gui Si Ni Tang, which is an ancient Chinese herbal medicine text, the Shang Han Lun formula is an excellent treatment option for various types of pain such as sciatic pain, bulging disc pain, herniated disc pain, disc injury, and lumbar pain. It can also be used in problems dealing with micro-circulation such as Raynaud’s Syndrome. It can be used successfully by female patients suffering from neck pain traveling down into the hands and arms as well as for cold feet and hands. Its ability to boost micro-circulation can lead to improved nourishment of the nerves that can lead to their own self-healing. Nerves, just as with every tissue in the body, require nourishment to function well. When there is muscle or fascia tightness that bears pressure on the nerves, pain is the first symptom that crops up. If this pressure is left unresolved, over time, it will lead to tingling and numbness in the affected area. This signifies a progression of the problem and will lead to muscle weakness. Compared to surgery (if there even is a surgeon who understands syndromes of nerve entrapment), acupuncture treatment along with a prescription of Dang Gui Si Ni Tang is much a better alternative as it not only frees up the entrapped nerve but helps restore nourishment and circulation to the damaged nerve tissue.

Therapeutic exercises can be of great benefit for people who wish to rehabilitate their injuries. Once acupuncture is able to release the fascia, bodyworks can also be used to purge the toxic by-products that cause the pain and tension in the tendons, muscles, and fascia and inflame and irritate the flesh.

Medication cannot cure an illness that was brought about by a poor lifestyle. This is the reason why you’ve never heard about someone whose chronic pain was cured by Oxycontin or Vicodin. If you want to cure acute or chronic pain, you need the combined use of non-medication alternative modalities such as manual body work, acupuncture, and safe corrective therapeutic exercises that’s supervised by well-trained, skilled, and highly experienced professionals. Also playing key roles in the cure of acute and chronic pain are nutrition and diet. We need to lessen the consumption of foods that trigger inflammation such as carbohydrates and sugars. At the same time, we need to increase the intake of flax oil or fish oil and other anti-inflammatory products. It may also be important to correct your ergonomics while at work and, as much as possible, avoid factors in your life that can cause anxiety. This is why it’s important to practice Mindfulness Meditation if you’re dealing with pain and disorders related to digestion. This is the means by which we can slow down our hyperactive nervous systems, calm ourselves down, and take us out from a Fight or Flight response state. If you are bound to your desk and lack movement stemming from a sedentary lifestyle or because of fight or flight issues, these factors can be partly blamed for your acute and chronic pain problems. Exercise therapies such as Yoga or Tai Chi can help remedy these ailments.