Some of these natural ways can be used to reduce the amount of painkilller medicine you have to take to manage chronic pain.
When your in pain, all you want to do is work out the fastest way to stop the pain. Toothache, headache, back pain, stomach pains, joint pains – there are lots of natural ways to stop and relieve pain fast.
Acupressure for natural pain relief
For thousands of years people have been rubbing where it hurts, as an instinctive reaction to pain. Acupressure and Tuina-Chinese massage has been born out of this instinctive touching where pain occurs to relieve it. Knowing which channels and points are good for different areas of pain is the key to successful self-acupressure.
Here are some of my favourite self-acupressure points which may be useful for pain relief:
- Houxi SI 3 – Neck pain
Make a fist and look at your pinky finger. This point is just above where your pinky finger sits in the fist – under the knuckle bone of the 5th metacarpal bone. The pressure should be directed towards the thumb under the bones, Use on the same side as the neck pain. For a stiff neck press it for about 2-3 minutes until a dull-achy sore feeling is in the hand, continue pressing it and slowly rotate the neck from side to side according to it’s natural position.
- Hegu LI4 – Head pain, neck pain, shoulder and arm pain.
This point strongly stimulates release of the bodies natural pain killers. It is commonly called the “headache point” although in my 10+ years of practice I rarely find it a cure-all for headaches, sometimes it can make a strong headache worse. It is a very strong point for treating pain along it’s channel (the Large Intestine Channel) which goes from the index finger to the elbow and up onto the face. Press it the with your thumb or the back of a pen to get the right pressure
- Diji Sp8 – Period pain
This point is the number one point for treating abdominal and period pain. It will be very sensitive during the period so the best way to use it with acupressure is to press it in with the back (not sharp) end of a pen. It is 3 cun measurements from the crease of the popliteal crease of the inside of the leg – Easy way to find it is the width of the four fingers, below the crease of the knee. See the picture that will make more sense! The point is right next to the bone.
Press this one for about 5 minutes until the pain starts to subside. When the pain is coming back you can press it again as many times as needed.
Plants for natural pain relief
Plants have pain relieving properties – ranging from the opium poppy to essential oils, many of our pharmaceutical pain relieving drugs have natural plant origins. Some plants we can use in a very natural form of essential oil, these can easily be used at home for natural muscle pain relief and chronic pain like period pain.
- Essential Oils
Essential oils that can relieve muscular pain or menstrual pain (period pain) are CLARY SAGE and FRANKINSENCE oil. These are not the fragrance oils but the essential oils.
Frankinsense is a Chinese herb called Ru Xiang. It’s main function is to “move Blood” or as some author’s say it “quickens the Blood to dispel stasis”. Stasis or stagnation of Blood causes sharp and stabbing pain which is fixed in location.
These oils would normally be applied externally to the affected area. Don’t apply any oils to an open or healing scar site. It’s always appropriate to seek professional advice about whether it’s ok to use Essential oils in your specific health /sickness circumstances or in cases such as in pregnancy.
- Moxibustion
Moxibustion or Moxa uses both a PLANT and HEAT as the way to relieve pain. Heat is 
used in the treatment for pain in Chinese medicine, going back thousands of years. Heat was used in the form of Moxa, or Moxibustion well before there were microwaves to make wheat-bag hot packs.
used in the treatment for pain in Chinese medicine, going back thousands of years. Heat was used in the form of Moxa, or Moxibustion well before there were microwaves to make wheat-bag hot packs.
If youre not familiar with moxa or moxibustion, you can click here for the post:Whats that Moxa smell all about?
The moxa box is a great invention of Chinese medicine which essentially houses the moxa stick and makes it easy to apply to yourself. Most Acupuncturists or chinese medicine practitioners can advise you, show you and some may be able to sell you the propper tools (moxa box, extinguishter etc) to use Moxa at home for pain relief. Some patients conditions are not suitable for moxa so you should check with your acupuncturist/ CM practitioner first.
Chinese Herbal Medicine for Pain relief
the most specific and effective use of Chinese herbs is by a practitioner’s prescription. This is really important because some herbs that might numb pain, dull pain don’t work the same way in everyones body. The way a chinese herbalist really treats pain is by treating what’s wrong with you, enabling your body’s own natural and normal healing process – and then the pain will go away.
However certain flavours or natures of herbs can be used for their pain killing properties. Particualry hot natures herbs – similar to chilli or capsicum (that are often used in the heat-treating plasters applied for musculoskeletal pain). Very hot peppers like Si Chuan pepper can have a numbing effect in the mouth. Althoguh I would not recommend ingesting this herb by itself. – use Si Chuan Pepper in food, and the heating flavour can have some pain relieving qualities.
Tumeric, Spring Onions and some other pungent- warm herbs like cinnamon and fresh ginger can sometimes be used to move stagnation and in the treatment of cold aches in the body.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: This information is provided in public interest of keeping people as healthy as possible. Common sense should always be applied. Too much of anything can be hazardous to health. This information is not intended as a substitute for medical advice or diagnosis by a health practitioner. If you have a health condition, you should check with your health care practitioner before using foods as medicine treatments, if you are in any way unsure about the suitability of the food agents, herbs or recipies for your body. In an medical emergency always contact emergency services, call 000 in Australia.
Chinese medicine organs and some words are capitalized to indicate they are different to the biomedical understanding of the organ. In Chinese medicine each organ represents the system of function according to ancient principals of understanding, including the channel system, spiritual, mental and physical functions. The traditional understanding of Chinese medicine organs is actually a functional system often encompass many now biomedically defined aspects such as lymphatic and endocrine (hormone) functions that are attributed to that organ. A lower case letter of an organ will indicate it’s reference to the biomedical organ. EG Kidney (the Kidney functions of CM) and kidney (biomedical/physical kidney).
This article is written by Marie Hopkinson, the Chinese Herbalist & Acupuncturist at Metro Health and Medicine in North Perth (formerly Maylands 11yrs). Marie is available for consultation by calling 1300 132 830 or email info@metrohealth.com.au
(C) Marie Hopkinson 2016 Reproduction permissible only with express permission of author.
Article by MARIE HOPKINSON, Chinese medicine Practitioner – Metro Health in North Perth, WA.
