Ditch the Pills: Massage and Other Natural Pain Relief Options

-In honor of National Pain Awareness Month, Wahl and Dr. Shilpi Agarwal offer natural remedy options to help combat the opioid crisis-

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Wahl

Sep 13, 2018, 13:53 ET

STERLING, Ill., Sept. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Millions of Americans are living with chronic pain, and unfortunately it's contributing to the scary trend of rapidly increasing opioid addictions and deaths. In honor of September being National Pain Awareness Month, therapeutic at-home massager manufacturer Wahl, has partnered with board-certified family medicine physician Dr. Shilpi Agarwal to offer some natural pain relief options that are both inexpensive and extremely effective.

At-home therapeutic massage with the new Wahl Heated Deep Knead Massage Wrap is a natural pain relief option to help combat the opioid crisis.

"Each day more than 100 people die from opioid overdose and the victims are not who you may suspect them to be," explains Dr. Shilpi. "They often start out using medications prescribed by a doctor for an injury or chronic issue, but the debilitating and frustrating effects of pain often lead to the misuse of these medications."

Dr. Shilpi's advice is for physicians and patients to look to non-pharmacologic alternatives, including the following:

1. Massage: Massage is a technique and medical treatment for pain and muscle injury that has been used long before medications were developed. Massage increases blood flow to inflamed tissue, helps stimulate recovery and provides localized pain relief without side effects. These benefits can be achieved conveniently at home with Wahl's newest therapeutic massager, the Heated Deep Knead Massage Wrap. This new massager is unique to the market and offers differences such as:

Unique shiatsu nodes at varying heights simulate the sensation of real fingers kneading at different pressures. The closest competitor has only four total nodes of the same height while Wahl offers six nodes of varying heights.
The nodes have a dual rotation, meaning their circular motion can be programmed to massage in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction.
Deep and even coil heating can be added to further enhance the massage, similar to the deep warmth of a heating pad.
Soft and flexible hand grips allow you to pull the wrap tighter for added pressure, and can be positioned to most any part of the body including the lower back and legs, or wherever you need the most relief.

2. Turmeric: A potent anti-inflammatory, you can now find Turmeric in many places, even some unexpected ones. Turmeric is a root that looks similar to ginger, but it is orange inside. It has several healing properties and can be taken in both capsule and raw form. The anti-inflammatory nature of Turmeric aids in joint pain, muscle aches, and wound healing. The yellow colored powder can be found in Indian, Thai and other South Asian cuisine. If you're not a fan of the taste, add it to a fruit and protein smoothie and you'll barely taste it or consider a capsule.

3. Deep breathing or meditation: Meditation and breathing are powerful mechanisms for pain management. While it might not seem like it on the surface, learning to meditate has powerful and remarkable qualities. Meditation doesn't have to be challenging and you can go at your own pace. Try an app like Headspace, it is free for the first 10 days and easy to follow. What this helps you with is refocusing your energy not on pain, but on a deeper level to relax and feel uplifted. Similarly, deep breathing is also emphasized during many meditation sessions because becoming aware of your breathing helps manage pain and provides you a way to handle it without medication.

4. Acupuncture: The National Institute of Health (NIH) has reviewed several studies and suggests that acupuncture works well on chronic pain, particularly back and neck pain and osteoarthritis pain. Acupuncture is the practice of applying pressure, very fine/thin needles and sometimes heat to specific areas of the body to improve pain, trigger healing, and also help release endorphins that can improve pain.

The new Wahl Heated Deep Knead Massage Wrap is available at select retailers nationwide, or at WahlUSA.com.

About Wahl Home Products
Wahl Home Products is a division of Wahl Clipper Corporation a worldwide leader in the manufacturing of products for the consumer personal care, animal grooming and professional beauty and barber salon trade. Based in Sterling, Ill., the company is celebrating its 99^th anniversary this year. For more information, visit WahlUSA.com.

SOURCE Wahl