Everybody hurts: the natural alternative to prescription pain relief

E: The Environmental Magazine, July-August, 2004 by Melissa Knopper

Massage

Massage, also known as the healing touch, is one of the most popular forms of non-prescription pain relief. Different types of massage are better suited to different forms of chronic pain, but overall, it can be extremely helpful.

Physicians from Seattle's Beth Israel Hospital published a report that showed massage to be highly effective for chronic lower hack pain. Several other studies have shown massage helps breast cancer patients reduce pain and swelling caused by a build up of lymphatic fluid. At Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, researchers found massage reduced muscle spasms in patients who had just undergone heart surgery.

"About 80 percent of my clients come to me because they are in pain," says Kathleen Miller-Read, a licensed massage therapist from Seattle.

Miller-Read relies on a combination of approaches to help her sore clients, from Swedish massage to deep-tissue techniques, acupressure and reflexology, a form of body work derived from Asian medicine. She can ease headaches by pressing on certain points around the sinuses or the base of the skull. By encouraging a variety of other lifestyle changes, from diet and exercise to aromatherapy or switching sleep positions, Miller-Read helps her clients avoid potent pain pills for good.

Suzan Walter, president of the American Holistic Health Association, encourages people to listen to their intuition about a particular therapy or practitioner. "This is a journey and not everything is going to work," Walter says. "But if you stick with it, eventually you will find the answer." CONTACT: American Academy of Medical Acupuncture, (323)937-5514, www.medicalacupuncture.org; American Botanical Council, (512)926-4900, www.herbalgram.org; American Holistic Health Association, (714)779-6152, www.ahha.org; American Massage Therapy Association, (847) 864-0123.

MELISSA KNOPPER is a freelance writer specializing in health and science.