Emergency Preparedness – Pain

2:00 AM Posted by jo



This is my fourth post in my Emergency Preparedness series where I address an important issue as lack of access to medicine and medical care in case of emergencies. 

What if access to medication and medical care is denied?


 In my first post, Emergency Preparedness , I was wondering how people on prescribed medications would handle an emergency situation if access to medication and medical care is denied.  I encourage you to go back to my previous posts and read them. My other posts cover  high blood pressure, anxiety & depression diabetes and allergy.

I urge you to take charge of your own health so you're better prepared for any situation where you might not be able to fill your prescription or use any medical facilities.

Natural solutions
Below are some natural solutions to the most prescribed drugs in America today. 

Why essential oils?
  • You can stockpile essential oils, and they have no expiration date if they are stored correctly. Herbs also lose their potency over time.
  •  They are small enough so they can be put in a pocket if needed. 
  • They are more potent so less amount is needed for healing. You have to drink 26 cups of peppermint tea in order to get the same healing effect as one drop of therapeutic peppermint essential oil. 

Treat the body holistically
It is important to remember to take a holistic approach to healing and not only rely on natural remedies. Dietary changes, living a toxin free life, exercise, sufficient rest and sleep, and incorporating other healing therapies into your life should also be considered. 


Okay, here we go:

#3 Pain medications are some of the most prescribed drugs in our country


About 38, 000 people died of an overdose in 2010 and 58% of the cases involved prescription drugs. The fastest growing drug problem in US today is the abuse of pain medicine and not the illegal street drugs. Chronic pain is the number one cause of disability in Americans 45 years and younger.

 Pain medications have many side effects and even the over the counter drugs are not harmless. Some of the side effects are kidney disease, organ failure, liver disease, addiction, death, strokes, and heart attack. Tylenol may seem innocent enough but it is actually the number one cause of liver failure. Tylenol contributed to half of all deaths due to poisoning in 2007.


It's not easy to discontinue the opiate prescription pain killers and can result in withdrawal symptoms such as chills, tremors, anxiousness, hallucination, sweating, confusion, flu-like symptoms, strong drug craving and more. It may even lead to seizures. Imagine how unpleasant if you run out of your medicine and cannot fill your prescription during an emergency. 

Remember
Never quit any prescribed medication on your own since it may be dangerous. Some medications needs to be weaned of slowly. Consult with your doctor first.


Pain
In my post Essential Oils & Pain I discussed that chronic pain sufferers should consider using essential oils that stimulate the thalamus and pituitary since it may increase the amount of endorphins and enkelphalins. You see, the body produces its own pain-killers called neurochemicals, and these opiate-like substances are called enkephalins and endorphins.


According to experts
  • Include fish oil in your diet, several studies have confirmed that omega 3 has anti-inflammatory properties.
  • Use ginger in your cooking since it is an anti-inflammatory and offers pain relief and stomach settling properties according to Dr. Mercola. Try fresh ginger as a tea steeped in hot water or grated in vegetable juice.
  • Include food such as onion, leek, chive and garlic since they provide sulfur for combating joint and muscle inflammation.
  • Include capsaicin in your diet since it is anti-inflammatory. 
  • Eat unprocessed whole foods.
  • Balance your pH and make sure you are alkaline.
  • Include the top anti-inflammatory spice turmeric in your cooking.
  • Refined sugar, processed meat, most dairy, alcohol and cooking oil cause inflammation so avoid these or at least cut back.
  • Anthocyanins in cherries are powerful antioxidants that block inflammation and inhibit pain enzymes. 

Time for the oils
According to Gary Young Peppermint has shown to block calcium channels and substance P, which are important in the transmission of pain signals. This is great news since peppermint is a fairly inexpensive and an easy to find essential oil. 



According to Gary Young, other essential oils traditionally used for painful conditions are:
Helichrysum ~ Helichrysum italicum
Spruce ~ Picea mariana
Wintergreen or birch ~ Gaultheria procumbens or Betula alleghaniensis
Ginger ~ Zingiber officinalis
Clove ~ Syzygium aromaticum
Elemi ~ Canarium luzonicum
Douglas fir ~ Pseudotsuga menziesii
Balsam fir ~ Abies balsamea
Rosemary cineol ~ Rosmarinus officinalis CT 1,8 cineol

Thanks for reading and come back for my 4th part in this series to find out the solutions to the other medications on the list!

Emergency Preparedness - Part 1 - Introduction  drugs in our country
Emergency Preparedness - Part 2 - Anxiety and depression
Emergency Preparedness - Part 3 - High Blood Pressure 

Before you leave:


I recommend that you always perform a skin patch test when you try a new oil.


Check out my safety page to make sure you are aware of any contrindications before you use essential oils. Some oils are not suitable when suffering from certain conditions. AlsoRead this Before You Start Using Essential oils. Some oils should not be applied prior to sun exposure so make sure you check this list before spending time in the sun.

Not sure how to apply the oils? Visit these pages to learn how to apply the oils:
If you're new to essential oils you might want to check out my Getting Started Guide. 

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Johanna is an aromatherapist and she is passionate about educating people about health, essential oils, real food, natural remedies, and nutrition so they make healthier choices in their lives. 
Follow Johanna on twitter and facebook for more health tips and information.





Wildcrafting Wednesday Featured Blogger Award

Sources:
Connie and Alan Higley, (Twelfth Edition, revised 2010). Reference Guide for Essential Oils. Abundant Health
Gary Young, ND (2006). Essential Oils, Integrative Medical Guide. Essential Science Publishing
Salvatore Battaglia (1995). The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy. The Perfect Potion Pty Ltd
Julie Behling  (2011). Medical Preparedness for Adults  E-book
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