Natural Treatment for Chronic Pain
According to our Toronto naturopath, any pain lasting for three months or longer is considered chronic. The cause of such persistent pain is very individual. Chronic pain may come along with other symptoms such as fatigue, sleep and mood disturbance, decreased appetite and digestive symptoms. It can cause difficulty with movement and the activities of daily life, sometimes leading to disability as well as depression and anxiety. Conventional medical treatment for chronic pain utilizes steroid medications such as prednisone, NSAID medications such as ibuprofen or naproxen, and some pharmaceuticals that double as anti-depressants. There are often gastrointestinal side effects to the use of these medications, and because they do not address the underlying causes of the pain, they are used long-term, often with diminishing effectiveness.
How We Can Help
The important first steps our naturopath takes are in order to identify the causes of pain as well as the factors preventing it from resolving. Hidden sources of inflammation are investigated through laboratory tests. Some of the common factors are nutrient deficiencies, thyroid, adrenal and other hormonal imbalances, food sensitivities and environmental toxins. Structural and alignment problems are important to address and are treated by your naturopath doctor, or by other practitioners such as chiropractors, physiotherapists, and massage therapists. An important part of coping with and treating chronic pain is having a team you are confident in.
How We Are Different
Our assessment process emphasizes hearing your full story, from how and when the pain started, to other areas of your health that are interacting with the pain, to how it is currently affecting you and how you are coping. We work together on your stress, perception and lifestyle, which are proving crucial to improving chronic pain. Gastrointestinal function is central to regulating inflammation, so addressing digestive health is a pillar of our treatment plans. Our expertise in nutrition and botanical medicines for inflammation and pain, combined with our holistic approach that includes digestive and mental health, work together for our patients.
Our focus on naturally healing the skin to clear up acne, psoriasis, and eczema without medications, is based on healing from the inside out. That is, when you address the underlying cause for the skin condition. In holistic medicine, we look at the whole person, not just the condition, such as acne.
If you are only treating the skin condition topically then you are not addressing the root cause, which means the condition is likely to keep recurring. In our experience, the majority of skin conditions result from some type of digestive disorder, which is in turn linked to hormones. It’s a matter of identifying that root cause and setting you on your path to healthy skin.