Natural Pain Relief

Diabetic neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes in which the peripheral nerves are damaged. Capsaicin is the active ingredient in chili peppers. This systematic review showed that a 0.075% capsaicin cream applied to painful areas 4 times a day for 8 weeks reduces pain intensity and improves pain relief. Presumably because of the pain relief, the topical application also improved sleep quality. This study suggests that capsaicin cream could provide real relief for peo

Ginger is an incredibly useful and versatile herb. This new pain study adds to the list of ginger’s uses. Thirty men and women with a history of joint and muscle pain as well as inflammation were given either ginger or a placebo to see what effect they would have on pain after working out. Ginger reduced pain, stiffness and functional capacity as well as leading to better total scores on the WOMAC osteoarthritis index. There was also evidence that they had less discomfort whi

A billion people in the world suffer from migraine headaches. New hints are emerging that can help remedy that. Migraines can be triggered by a number of factors. Many of them, it turns out, are associated with mitochondrial function. And several nutrients that have been suggested to protect against migraine are involved in mitochondrial function. This well-designed study set out to see if getting enough of those nutrients could play a role in the prevention of migraines. The

A new double-blind study of 98 people with mild-to-moderate osteoarthritis found that boswellia extract (30% 3-acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid ) at a dose of 300- 600mg a day significantly improves scores of pain, stiffness and physical function on the WOMAC Arthritis Index, walking distance and quality of life. But that’s not all it does. Remarkably, boswellia even improved joint space in the knee in 44.1% of the 600mg group, suggesting that boswellia can actually help rever

Fibromyalgia is a common, but still too little discussed, condition characterized by chronic, widespread musculoskeletal pain, sleep problems, fatigue, mental distress and cognitive impairment. This new study suggests a safe, natural solution that might help. Fibromyalgia affects between 2% and 8% of all people and probably about 2%- 3% of people in the United States and Canada. For some reason, fibromyalgia favours women: in adults, women are twice as likely to have fibromya

Of all the many disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common, affecting as many as 11%-15% of all people. 35 million Americans suffer from IBS. The conventional approach focuses only on symptom relief. Nature can do better! Several supplements have proven their effectiveness for IBS in studies. A just published comprehensive review has examined the current research on natural remedies. The researchers note that, since many herbs m