8 easy, all-natural tricks to soothe your nagging neck pain

If you’re experiencing neck pain, you might be tempted to simply pop a pill and hope for the best.

But if your neck pain has become chronic, the last thing you want (or need) is non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDs) use to become an everyday occurrence. That’s because the FDA has issued a grave warning about the heart risks linked to long-term NSAID use — and unfortunately, too many people are in the dark about these deadly effects.

So before you go down that road, you should know about eight proven, non-drug methods you can use to relieve neck pain. They work just as well as NSAIDs and other drugs — in some cases better than drugs — and all are far safer.

Powerful drugs fall short

The first two methods — chiropractic spinal manipulation therapy and light exercise — were tested in a study at Minnesota’s Northwestern Health Sciences University. And considering the types of drugs that were also studied, the results were stunning.

Researchers randomly assigned approximately 280 neck pain patients, aged 18 to 65, to one of three groups:

  • Spinal manipulation therapy (SMT): Therapy sessions lasted 15 to 20 minutes, with the number of treatment sessions left to the discretion of the chiropractor based on each patient’s individual needs.
  • Home exercise with advice (HEA): For two one-hour sessions, physical therapists individually taught each patient a series of exercises designed to relieve neck pain. Patients were given exercise manuals and instructed to do the exercises on their own, 6 to 8 times each day.
  • Medication: Physicians interviewed patients and prescribed NSAIDs, acetaminophen, or a combination of both. Participants who didn’t respond to medication were given narcotic medications or muscle relaxants. Types of drugs and dosage were adjusted depending on each patient’s history and response to treatment.

Participants rated their pain at several intervals during the 12-week intervention. Results showed that SMT was significantly more effective than medication at every interval. HEA was also more effective than medication, and nearly as effective as SMT.

Reducing pain, disability, and depression

In the Northwestern study, 60 percent of patients in the medication group said they experienced gastrointestinal symptoms and drowsiness. Some also reported rash, cognitive disturbances, and interrupted sleep. Meanwhile, some participants in the SMT and HEA groups only reported mild side effects, such as musculoskeletal pain, stiffness, and headache.

Those stark differences in side effects are why Dr. Fred Pescatore strongly warns against using painkilling drugs in his Pain-Free Life Protocol.

“Fortunately,” he says, “along with chiropractic and exercise, there are many other non-drug modalities that scientific research shows can help with neck pain.”

For instance: acupuncture. Dr. Pescatore notes that a new study in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine found acupuncture to be just as effective as conventional drugs for relief of chronic neck pain. And when researchers combined drugs with acupuncture, the pain relief was far greater than with conventional medicine alone.

In another new study published in the Journal of Rehabilitative Medicine, Dr. Pescatore says, “Researchers studied 56 people with chronic neck pain — teaching them either pilates, yoga, or isometric exercises. After just six weeks, all three groups had significant decreases in neck pain, and in disability and depression.”

In another study, researchers reviewed the results of several clinical trials that specifically tested yoga on chronic neck pain. Analysis showed that yoga:

  • Reduced pain intensity by 28 percent
  • Reduced disability by 44 percent
  • Improved quality of life by 57 percent
  • Generally improved mood

Raising awareness — overcoming pain

Dr. Pescatore also recommends another “mind-body” technique called Baduanjin Qigong, which is similar to Tai Chi. Recently, an international team of investigators — including a Harvard Medical School researcher — endorsed Baduanjin Qigong for relief from chronic neck pain.

And finally, something as simple as postural awareness might be all you need to get rid of a pain in the neck.

With postural awareness, you learn to recognize and correct your bad posture habits. Dr. Pescatore offers this example: “Neck pain might be caused by a chronically clenched jaw. In postural awareness, you first notice the clench, and then correct it, relaxing your jaw.

“In a study by researchers at Harvard Medical School and other institutions, people with neck pain who practiced postural awareness for 12 weeks had significant reduction in neck pain.”

 

Beyond these eight methods, Dr. Pescatore spotlights two more highly effective techniques for calming neck pain naturally. You can learn about these and other proven therapies that banish various types of pain better and safer than drugs in his Pain-Free Life Protocol. Click here to explore further or to enroll today.

SOURCES

annals.org/aim/fullarticle/1033256/spinal-manipulation-medication-home-exercise-advice-acute-subacute-neck-pain
Spinal Manipulation, Medication, or Home Exercise With Advice for Acute and Subacute Neck Pain: A Randomized Trial
Annals of Internal Medicine
January 3, 2012