Holistic self-care methods are a viable alternative to drug-dependent side effects, and expensive, hi-tech intervention. Pain is a widespread affliction in the population of the United States. A result most often of disease, injury, or surgery, physical pain ranges in severity from the short-term acute pain associated with bumped knees, scraped elbows, and minor burns to deep, chronic pain resulting from nerve damage or unspecified causes. In a National Health Survey in 2008 the Centers for Disease Control questioned respondents about pain they had suffered in the three months prior to the survey, inquiring about pain from migraines or severe headaches, neck pain, lower back pain, and pain in the face or jaw. Respondents were asked if their pain had lasted for more than a day. The results showed that in people 18 years of age and older, nearly 225 million had suffered pain in one of these categories at some time during those three months prior to the survey. Pain is a widespread and in many cases easily treated medical issue although for the 30 to 50 million people suffering with chronic pain, the struggle with pain and effective pain management is ongoing. Acute pain will typically resolve itself over time. Chronic pain, however, can last longer than three months. All too often do doctors turn to heavy-duty prescription medications to treat this pain, but while medications such as Vicadin and OxyContin may treat the symptoms of the pain, they do little to treat the problem at its source and could often lead to drug addiction. “Holistic medicine focuses on how the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual elements of the body are interconnected to maintain wellness, or holistic health.” (SOURCE.) Holistic medicine focuses on the whole body and person rather than just the one part that isn’t working or that is affected by illness. The holistic approach takes the broadest possible view of illness and pain in
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