Pain is something that everyone experiences at some point. Some, however, experience pain at a more severe level and more frequently than others. Pain is considered the number one cause of disability throughout the world. This symptom can be caused by a great number of underlying factors and is often accompanied by inflammation, causing discomfort along with the pain. People who experience pain often find that movement becomes more difficult as well.
One survey found that around 76.2 million American adults have experienced chronic pain in the past. The number of people experiencing acute pain symptoms is much larger. Pain can affect any part of the body, and sometimes it can be difficult to narrow down a specific cause.
How Is Pain Treated?
Even though pain can be uncomfortable and alarming, quite a large variety of treatment options are available to deal with pain. While the ideal solution is to target the underlying cause, fast relief of pain is often needed for a patient to get back to work or another task they are performing.
Pain medications, also known as analgesic drugs, are popular among the population. There are different classes of these drugs, each acting upon different receptors in the body to help alleviate pain symptoms.
Paracetamol is one of the most common kinds of pain medications used today, but this drug is usually only provided for mild to moderate pain. Other options include opioids, Tylenol, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and aspirin.
Even though many of these drugs are effective, the side-effects are often a concern.
Opioids, for example, are known to cause sedation and dizziness, along with vomiting, nausea, constipation, and even respiratory depression in some patients. Additionally, there are concerns about patients becoming physically dependant on opioids; thus causing them to develop an addiction for the pain medication.
Aspirin is known to thin the blood, making a person more likely to bleed. This drug may also cause side-effects like stomach discomfort, indigestion, nausea, and heartburn. Other side-effects that have been reported by patients include constipation, bloody urine, dark urine, diarrhea, breathing difficulties, fainting, convulsions, headache, and increased thirst.
Alpha-Stim Therapy For Pain
Due to the concerning side-effects often reported by patients taking pain medication to deal with chronic pain, alternative options play an important role in providing relief to these patients without risking their well-being.
Alpha-Stim has been proven to be an effective alternative therapy that does not utilize any kind of drug. Studies have been carried out and have proven that these devices can be used in the treatment of different pains in the body.
An Alpha-Stim device is portable and utilizes microcurrent electrical therapy technology, which is directed toward the site where the patient experiences pain. Specially designed waveforms are delivered to the site through the use of a microampere current.
The use of the device is simple, convenient, and non-invasive. Electrodes are placed on the specific area where the patient is complaining about pain. Microcurrents are then sent toward the area of pain.
One of the great benefits of Alpha-Stim devices is that no drugs or chemicals are utilized, but only micro-electrical currents. This, in turn, means the patient can continue utilizing any other treatments that are currently part of their pain management plan – this therapy will not interfere with existing treatments.
Different studies have been presented to provide evidence of how effective Alpha-Stim technology is in pain management.
One study by the Center for the Study of Complementary and Alternative Therapies divided a group of patients with Fibromyalgia into three groups. One group received treatment with a Cranial Electrical Stimulation device, while the other groups obtained other types of treatment. The group treated with CES had a more significant reduction in their pain symptoms when compared to the other two groups. Additionally, improvements in accompanying symptoms, including sleep disturbance and fatigue, was noted as well.
A study published in the Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development tested the effectiveness of CES technology on pain symptoms experienced by patients with existing spinal cord injuries. Patients were divided into two groups. One group received treatment with a CES device, while the other group received treatment with a sham device. The patients who were treated with the active CES device had a significant decrease in their pain symptoms, whereas pain reduction in the sham group was insignificant.
Conclusion
Pain is a complex symptom that can be caused by injury, arthritis, and many underlying health problems. Sometimes pain isn’t serious, but other times it may be a sign of something potentially life-threatening. Treatments are available to help alleviate pain, but a significant number of patients tend to experience adverse effects when they utilize pain medication. Alpha-Stim poses as an alternative therapy that has been proven to effectively relieve pain in studies that consisted of over 1,000 participants.
