Friday, August 28, 2009

Can Light Bring Pain Relief?

By Kavi Saphala

The treatment of chronic pain is a big business. Living with chronic pain is more than just living with the pain itself. Chronic pain affects our sleep, creating another layer of symptoms and issues that add up to a disturbingly low quality of life.

The most common form of treatment for chronic pain is to medicate. This treatment does not actually cure or even assist in curing chronic pain. While masking the symptoms can help us in performing our day to day life activities to some degree, there is still concern about the side effects and long term effects of any chemical based treatment.

There are alternatives when treating chronic pain. Giving more attention to diet can make a big difference. Certain food additives which have somehow been approved as for our foods, such as MSG, can have adverse effects on our pain levels and overall health.

There are activity related treatments for chronic pain as well. These include exercise programs such as yoga. Acupuncture is also a popular form of treatment that dates back thousands of years. Massage can help alleviate pain and increase circulation.

There are new FDA approved treatments available such as deep penetrating light or DPL therapy. Treatment is easy to perform, and has been found effective in stimulating growth which can lead to faster healing. This LED light therapy also reduces pain, and is currently being studied for use in treating the pain associated with bone marrow transplants.

Of course we cannot say there is one definitive treatment for all chronic pain. The causes of chronic pain are broad, and treatments can vary. But when we look at the overall impact that chronic pain has in our lives it is good to know that there are safe and effective treatments available today. - 14130

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