Natural Remedies That Actually Work For Neck Pain Relief And So Much More…
What Actually Helps With Neck Pain?
We were getting really tired of seeing all those natural pain relief, pseudo-articles with lots of images, but no real insight if those ‘amazing solutions’ actually worked.
So we decided to create a deeper article that shows why Organic Sulfur and 6 other natural pain remedies listed below are really worth considering for those of you suffering from chronic neck, back and body pain.
1. Organic Sulfur
Yes we are biased, but it works so very well!
There is a massive lack of understanding about how important certain dietary minerals are for our health and wellness.
Today, for example, over 70% of Americans over 40 years old suffer varying degrees of neck, back and shoulder pain, joint discomfort, mobility issues, fatigue and poor overall body function that can seriously impact work and family life.
Many turn to medical options or expensive treatments first, but there could be a much simpler reason.
For many people, the root cause of common issues like inflammation, aches, joint discomfort, poor mobility, fatigue and even appearance issues can be directly linked to a Organic Sulfur deficiency.
(Source: Boonstra AM, Stewart RE, Köke AJA, et al. Patients with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: Frontiers in Psychology. 2016;7:1466. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01466.)
When people start taking Organic Sulfur mineral supplements to address the mineral deficiency, many tend to see a significant impact in pain, joint discomfort, and muscle aches.
Many also see a marked increase in mobility and energy levels. All of this, in just 2 – 4 weeks after of consistent use daily.
It’s important that people are aware of other complementary options for pain conditions, and fatigue, in addition to just medicine alone.
Sadly, today our medical system is trained to use man-made, chemical-based, medicines as the first option.
There is a huge missing step here, which is to first identify and eliminate common nutritional / mineral deficiencies, before the application of medications.
That is NOT to say that medications don’t serve a critical purpose – they absolutely do, but nutritional options often fall to wayside, when they should be explored for everyone at the beginning.
In the grander scheme, it’s not really the doctor’s fault, the blame here lies more with their medical training, which provides little-to-no nutritional education.
In fact: Medical students get less than 20 hours of nutrition education over 4 years of doctoral study.
Source: Status of nutrition education in medical schools. US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. Kelly M Adams, Karen C Lindell, Martin Kohlmeier, and Steven H Zeisel. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Apr; 83(4): 941S–944S.
So the only treatment doctors are expertly qualified to provide is medicinal versus nutritional.
This is also the reason that so many Americans are on harsher pain medications, versus natural options that are as (in many cases more) effective then medications.
Mineral Deficiency Is Rampant.
Today, due to our commercial, heavily-processed food supply, access to absolutely crucial dietary minerals is at the lowest its ever been. This was clearly shown in a large 2015 study that revealed over 8 in 10 Americans are severely deficient in at least 2 major minerals.
Source: Bailey R, L, West Jr. K, P, Black R, E, The Epidemiology of Global Micronutrient Deficiencies. Ann Nutr Metab 2015;66(suppl 2):22-33
When it comes to minerals, most people know minerals like Magnesium, Calcium, and Zinc, but few know about Organic Sulfur, a mineral that is as important as all of these – may be even more so.
Organic Sulfur is responsible for joints, muscles, crucial proteins, key amino acids, enzymes, antioxidants, and much more. In fact, Sulfur is responsible for over 140 compounds in the body.
Sulfur Is A Truly Crucial Mineral, & YET It Gets Zero Attention.
Sadly, few people know about the importance of Sulfur in the body. You simply cannot live without Sulfur, and when low on Sulfur the body breaks down painfully over time.
The sulfur we’re referring to here is NOT the yellow, mined from the ground, smelly sulfur most think of. The sulfur we are referring to here is one that can be fully absorbed by the body and cells… Organic Sulfur.
Signs of Low Organic Sulfur In The Body.
A deficiency in the mineral Sulfur has been shown to create the following issues:
“Nutritional researchers everywhere are paying more attention to sulfur deficiency as the rates of pain-related conditions and chronic fatigue grow rapidly, and suggest that this is actually a very common deficiency in the general population. “
Dr. Rebecca Gillaspy, University of Phoenix. Nimni, M. E., Han, B., & Cordoba, F. (2007). Are we getting enough sulfur in our diet? Nutrition & Metabolism, 4, 24. http://doi.org/10.1186/1743-7075-4-24
What is Organic Sulfur?
Organic Sulfur is a pure, complex organo-sulfur compound with the scientific name “Methyl / Sulfonyl / Methane”. MSM for short.
MSM is a fully bio-active form of sulfur. This simply means MSM is a unique form of sulfur that the body is able to completely absorb and utilize.
MSM / Organic Sulfur is found in every cell in your body. Sulfur is responsible for over 140 different compounds in the body. When you are low on organic sulfur, the body simply does not work as well.
What People Take Organic Sulfur For:
What Causes Sulfur Deficiency?
The simple reason for mineral deficiency is our food chain. For 1000’s of years we would absorb enough Organic Sulfur (and other minerals) from eating raw vegetables and certain proteins. This is a very simple demonstration of that process below.
However, the massive commercialization of our farming system, combined with the over-processing of food have decimated our access to Organic Sulfur (and other minerals as well).
Data Clearly Shows It.
Data directly from a decades-long study from the USDA showcases the decline of minerals and nutrients in our crops.
Source: USDA data from 1963, and 1997. Our data extrapolation and projections after 2006 are based on USDA data, including Hamaker 1982.
As Minerals Go Down, Disease and Pain Conditions Increase.
As well, data shows a clear correlation between low soil-based mineral values and the massive increase of chronic conditions and disease in the country over the past 100 years.
Source(s) & Notes: Data Visualization derived from data sets via USDA, CDC, NIH, NCHS and the AHA.
Consider Using Organic Sulfur.
Bottom line: If you, or someone you love, deals with daily chronic neck and body pain, and fatigue, you should strongly consider utilizing a Pure Organic Sulfur Supplement.
Happy Body makes one of the world’s leading, most trusted, Pure, Additive-free MSM / Organic Sulfur supplements.
In fact, close to 80% of our customer’s rate our Pure Organic Sulfur for pain and fatigue a full 5 stars!
That’s basically 8 out of every 10 people.
How To Use Organic Sulfur:
Easy To Take
Organic Sulfur is a very easy to use – simply take between 1/4 up to 1 teaspoon of crystals and add it to a little water or juice and swallow it back, twice per day and that’s it.
You do this 2 x a day, and that’s it. Simple!
2. Tumeric, the Pain And Inflammation Miracle
The Story Behind Tumeric:
Turmeric is a perennial plant in the same family of Ginger. It’s native to southeast India, and South East Asia. Found within Tumeric is the very powerful antioxidant known as Curcumin.
Curcumin protects cells from oxidation, and hunts down those nasty free radicals which are one of the root causes of aging. Recent studies including one from the University of Maryland, suggest that the curcuminoids create a very effective inflammatory response by the body by inhibiting the COX-2 “pain” enzyme. This its place as a natural neck pain reliever is excellent. However, one of the biggest challenges is that curcumin is notoriously difficult for the body to absorb. Fortunately, with Organic Sulfur being able to penetrate cells easily, taking tumeric or a curcumin supplement with Organic Sulfur can increase its body absorption significantly boosting the power of both.
Curcumin is among the most thoroughly researched natural supplements around, with more than 4,000 studies conducted and several more ongoing. A Study published in the Journal on arthritis and Rheumatism showed a 50-percent reduction in pain and stiffness, along with significantly reduced inflammation and swelling of the lower limbs for those suffering from Arthritis. Tumeric is also good for so much more.
Image Source: http://delicioushappens.com
What People Are Saying About Tumeric Use:
“I LOVE THIS!!! For about 10 years, I had been suffering from awful arthritis. I am only 48 years old, so this is early onset for me. It runs in my family, so it is in the genes and there is no avoiding it. My mother told me to basically get used to it, because there was no long-term cure. I believed her for a year, until I heard about turmeric, and I thought to give it a try. Why not? It was on TV and some very prominent people were also recommending that I take it. It took about one week and then I felt awesome. I read up about turmeric since I was ignorant to how it actually works. Turns out it is a spice from india, some really yellow plant (that explains why the pills are this beautiful golden shade of yellow). The curcumin part of the plant is the helpful part, hence why this product works so well.” Source – Eden Pond
“I love this product because it actually does reduce inflammation! Not just that, but it also helps fight infections, especially for people with wounds small or big. Turmeric is used as a giant herbal medicine in India and back then when my brothers and I were young we would always come home with various injuries and wounds on our bodies and the first thing my mother would treat our injuries with is turmeric and it actually worked very well. The only part I didn’t like about being treated with turmeric was when I actually put it in my mouth and had to swallow it down the throat. Though now, that problem is fixed thanks to Eden Pond for putting turmeric in capsules for us. This is definitely one of the best substitutes for medications today, especially if you’re trying to stay far away from the mumbo jumbo chemical experiments.” – Eden Pond
How To Use Tumeric:
You can use by buying a good quality curcumin pills. The ones we found most positively reviewed were Eden Pond, or Danielle Organic Tumeric Curcumin pills. You can also see some of the benefits of turmeric by seasoning your foods with it or drinking it as a tea with honey. Again using with Organic Sulfur can increase the effect of both.
3. Magnesium Sulphate, The Magic Pain Reduction Mineral
The Story Behind Magnesium Sulphate:
Magnesium Sulfate’s healing powers were discovered in 1618 by a farmer at Epsom in England. The farmer attempted to give his cows water from a well and he discovered that his cows were refusing to drink because of the bitter taste of the water. However, the farmer did notice that even though his cows were refusing to drink the water that the water seemed to heal cuts, scratches and rashes. The fame of Epsom Salts spread and were eventually recognized to be magnesium sulphate (another sulfur variant).
Magnesium is a crucial mineral that plays a huge role in a number of our bodily processes that includes maintaining normal functioning of your muscles and your nerves, helps aid in the absorption of calcium & other nutrients, and assists in crucial cardiovascular functions.
Magnesium can only be obtained through our diets and is found naturally within leafy greens and nuts, yet due to processed foods most people are not obtaining enough Magnesium from their diets. A lack of Magnesium is known as hypomagnesmia and can lead to many various medical conditions.
Research is increasingly showing that magnesium deficiency may be responsible for more disease than the lack of any other nutrient in our bodies. Magnesium Deficiency is widespread due to poor diet and soil being farmed to the point of magnesium depletion (see a pattern?).
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates 75% of Americans are magnesium deficient and research has found that low levels of magnesium in our diets may also contribute to certain chronic joint pain conditions that are causing you to have both neck and back pain.
Magnesium helps alleviate neck and back pain because it helps make calcium soluble so it can enter your bones. It also enables cells to repair themselves and is more important than calcium, potassium or sodium as it regulates all three.
On top of having neck and back pain you might be magnesium deficient if you have any of the following symptoms:
Source: http://www.leapcommunications.co
“Magnesium is important for bone mineralization and many arthritis patients have demineralized bone, so it would benefit them to include lots of magnesium-rich foods in their diet,” says Carol Henderson, PhD, assistant professor at Georgia State University in Atlanta.
What People Are Saying About Magnesium Use:
“Great for reducing joint pain & muscle cramps after a long hike…..I take one 400mg unit …. This product has many other qualities….read the other benefits …… People over 50 should use this product each day.” – Amazon.com
“I injured my feet badly 15 years ago when helping someone clean a flooded basement. Crouching in dampness for 3 days badly injured the tops of my feet. I was never painfree, and on most days felt like someone was jumping on my feet. I walked like an old person, and there was a swelling on the tops of my feet. I would wake up during the night over and over because of the pain and trying to find a new position for my feet. I had resigned myself that this was the way I was going to be. It was hard to find shoes that didn’t constrict the top of my foot and make it worse. The first time I tried it, we had company and I tried it on my feet and a wrenched knee. I sat down and visited, then got up to get something. Someone said that I was walking freely. And to my amazement, I was!!!I tried the stairs for my knee. I could walk without having to go sideways slowly. It has worked for over a month. I don’t need to spray daily. My feet are no longer swollen on the tops, and I feel wonderful! Like I did years ago. No more waking up over and over in pain.”- Amazon.com
How To Use Magnesium:
Here are a few ways that you can increase Magnesium in your bodies for your neck & back pain treatment.
#1. Eat Foods Rich in Magnesium- Foods that are rich in Magnesium include leafy greens such as kelp and many nuts that include Cashews, Brazilian Nuts and Almonds.
#2. Take An Oral Magnesium Supplement– I recommend that if you can’t obtain a constant supply of Magnesium through your diet that you take a good quality Magnesium Supplement like the version from Natural Vitality.
#3. Magnesium Oils- Rubbing Magnesium oil on your sore neck and back can also help alleviate your neck and back pain, in many cases immediately.
For your Magnesium supplement needs I suggest Dr. Sinatra’s Broad Spectrum Magnesium Complex. Take just two capsules with a glass of water after eating breakfast every morning.
4. Boswellia, A Pain Killing Remedy Centuries Old.
The Story Behind Boswellia:
Boswellia is an ancient remedy derived from a tree species local to India, and is known for its gum resin which has many pharmacological uses, particularly as an anti-inflammatory. Boswellia is also known as Indian frankincense, salai guggal, and boswellin.
Mankind has been using Bosewellia for thousands of years and was considered to be incredibly valuable during ancient times. Boswellia has become a very popular herb in recent time, because of its benefits in fighting inflammation. According to hundreds of studies Boswellia appears to have the ability to counteract inflammation and this anti-inflammatory effect can help many chronic illnesses like arthritis, asthma and even inflammatory bowel disease.
Modern science has demonstrated that boswellic acids contained within the resin of the Boswellia Sacra tree, can inhibit leukotrienes, which are the harmful inflammatory eicosanoids responsible for inflammation in the body. Leukotrienes are thought to directly influence the disease process in rheumatoid arthritis.
You may be suffering from neck and back pain because every time you move, you bend your spine causing squishing and compressing on the discs in between the bones that make up your spine.Often times too much spinal pressure on a disc can cause the disc to bulge out and press on a nerve. This causes the nerve to get inflammed and signals pain that will not let up until you alleviate it. Our bodies have more than 5o nerves located within our spinal cord. Boswellia alleviates the pain in necks and backs by reducing cartilage damage causing more cushion in between our discs and bones in our spines.
What People Are Saying About Boswellia Use:
“8 years in the Marine Corps has left my body full of aliments. I maintain an active lifestyle still (running, weight-lifting, kickboxing). I have patella femoral knee pain syndrome (runners knee) in both knees, bicep tendonitis in both biceps, rotator cuff tendonitis in both shoulders, a nagging ham string that I tore several years ago while in the Corps, and my lower back occasionally gets tight depending on the intensity of my work outs. Bottom line: Pain mitigation is my life. For years I followed the tried and true military method of taking horse pill ibuprofen, drinking water, and sucking it up. This works a bit, but my injuries and aliments have continued to limit me from achieving what I wanted physically. Ever since I started applying this Boswella oil, my pain has been at an all time low. It might not disappear overnight, but be patient; steady application will yield results. Every one of the injuries I listed above has either been mitigated or even ELIMINATED by this oil. Some might say this is placebo….come watch me put a couple hundred pounds on the bar and ask my shoulders if it’s placebo. THIS STUFF WORKS.” – Amazon.com
“I use Boswellia for my knees and hip pain. Before biking 12 then 13 miles I used this to prevent inflammation and pain. I then used it before bed, it works wonderfully for me.” -Amazon.com
Source: OasisAdvancedWellness.com
How To Use Boswellia:
Boswellia comes in tablets, creams, oils, and capsules. In order to alleviate your neck and back pain or any other areas that are aching or stiff take 150 MG of boswellic acids 3 times daily or rub a pea-sized amount of cream or oil into the painful area every 4-6 hours.
I also recommend that you look for products standardized to 60% boswellic acids. I recommend Tattva’s Herbs and Organics because they provide you with an excellent organic Boswellia supplement that is standardized to the 60% that you need to alleviate your neck and pack pain.
5. Capsaicin, The Hottest Body Pain Killer On The Block
The Story Behind Capsaicin:
Capsaicin is naturally derived from a chili pepper and it is the component that makes them spicy. Now you may be wondering how can the component that makes peppers spicy alleviate your neck and back pain…
Capsaicin works by decreasing the intensity of pain signals in the body. You may experience a slight increase in pain at first but it usually decreases after the first use. Capsaicin stimulates the release of a compound believed to decrease the communicating of pain between the nerves in the spinal cord and other parts of the body.
You apply A topical Capsaicin product for:
- Neck Pain Relief
- Back Pain Relief
- Joint Pain Relief from Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis
- Pulled muscles pain relief
Plus many other painful conditions.
A study was conducted in 1991 that involved 70 osteoarthritis patients and 31 rheumatoid arthritis patients. Patients were asked to apply 0.025% Capsaicin creme or placebo to painful knees, four times a day. The results were incredible. 80% of patients reported a decrease in their pain in just 2 weeks of treatment.
What People Are Saying About Capsaicin Use:
“I am general surgeon who has undergone bilateral arthroscopic knee surgery with torn cartilage removal. Post operatively I have continued to have significant pain with ambulation felt to be patellar tendonitis and bursitis and not recurrent intraarticlar problems based on repeat MRI. I have tried every topical remedy available including equestrian products.To this date topical remedies with Capsaicin in them has given the best relief of all products.”- Amazon.com
“Absolutely the best treatment I have found for all kinds of aches and pains! I have so far used it on my neck, lower back, hip and knee and it always works. It got me through a particularly painful attack of tennis elbow and keeps my arthritis manageable. Cannot recommend it enough – try it and you will love it too.”- Amazon.com
How To Use Capsaicin:
If you are looking for natural neck pain relief, back pain relief, or arthritis pain relief Capsaicin is a great natural alternative to dangerous pain medications that are out there. The good news about Capsaicin is that you don’t have to eat thousands of red peppers to enjoy the pain relieving qualities of Capsaicin.
Lucky for all of us that Capsaicin comes in both topical ointments that you can rub directly into your skin to alleviate your neck and back pain as well as in capsules that you can take with a glass of water.
We recommend topical ointments like Capzasin-HP, as you can rub them directly into your painful joints and muscles and experience pain relief faster as the ointment immediately goes to work and you don’t have to wait for your body to absorb the Capsaicin from the capsules.
6. Vitamin B12
The Story Behind Vitamin B12 and Natural Pain Relief:
Normally when we hear the words Vitamin B12 we think of energy, not pain relief. Like many other vitamins out there B12 has a vast array of healthful benefits to our bodies and one of them is natural pain relief.
Vitamin B12 has been shown to help alleviate pain in arthritis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia and even in carpal tunnel syndrome. Even if you do not have any of these conditions vitamin B12 will provide neck pain relief from long car rides, back pain relief from outdated mattresses and will even help alleviate sore muscle pain from over exerting yourself at the gym.
Vitamin B12 helps ease neck pain relief and other pain by encouraging your body to thicken its protective coating around your nerves, so they don’t easily react to pain.
Source: Steadyhealth.com
As you can see from the chart above that if you are low in Vitamin B12 you are at risk for several life threatening diseases. Vitamin B12 is essential in living healthy lives and if you are a vegetarian you are probably Vitamin B12 Deficient and you need to start supplementing your B12 immediately.
What Doctors Are Saying About Vitamin B12 and Pain Relief:
“A vitamin B12 supplement boost helps to ease your back pain by encouraging your body to thicken its protective coating around your nerves, so they don’t “short circuit” and cause pain. Take just 1 to 2 mg daily.” -Dr. Oz
In this short video Dr. Peter Osborne discusses the symptoms of Vitamin B12 Deficiency and how increasing your Vitamin B12 intake will enable you to alleviate joint pain, neck pain, back pain, arthritis pain and so much more.
How To Use Vitamin B12:
You can get Vitamin B12 in 3 Ways: In your food, supplements, or shots.
If you are looking to get more B12 through food than you need to start including more fish, meats, poultry, eggs, and dairy products into your diets as these foods are high in Vitamin B12.
An alternative to changing your diet is Vitamin B12 Supplements that you can find at your local health food or vitamin shop. B12 Supplements come in both capsule and pill form and you take them with a glass of water after breakfast every morning.
If you are Vitamin B12 Deficient you may want to look into getting a B12 Shot from your Doctor. A B12 Shot will enable your body to absorb the B12 at a much faster rate then it would through food or supplements.
7. Ginger, The Root Spice With Amazing Properties
The Story Behind Powdered Ginger:
Many of us have this powerful anti inflammatory spice right in our spice cabinets. We are talking about Ginger and while in the past you may have only been using it to spice up your holiday pies and stir fry’s, perhaps you should also consider keeping it in your medicine cabinets as well.
Numerous studies have shown that Ginger has many health benefits that include: reducing nausea, soothing upset stomachs, pain relief, and reducing inflammation all naturally within our bodies.
“In fact, a University of Miami study concluded that ginger extract could one day be a substitute to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The study compared the effects of a highly concentrated ginger extract to placebo in 247 patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. The ginger reduced pain and stiffness in knee joints by 40 percent over the placebo.”
“Research shows that ginger affects certain inflammatory processes at a cellular level,” says the study’s lead author, Roy Altman, MD, now at the University of California, Los Angeles.” Source- Arthritistoday.org
On top of providing anti-inflammatory and pain relief benefits Ginger has many other benefits. Below is an amazing infographic on 10 Ginger Benefits
that most people do not even know about.
Source: Fitlife.tv
What People Are Saying About Powdered Ginger Use:
“I love Simply Organic spices. The ginger, like all the other spices I’ve tried from them, is wonderful. Great spicy taste. Ginger has been found to have all the anti-pain abilities of dangerous pharmaceuticals with none of the side effects. It’s a great thing to add to your food, tea, etc.-“ Amazon.com
“Really good for the circulation, I use ginger for arthritis and digestive system support. I make tea with 100% juice and licorice root powder with this ginger and it tastes surprisingly good.“- Amazon.com
How to Use Powdered Ginger:
The amazing thing about powdered ginger is that you can pick it up at your local super market right in the spice aisle or you can order it online from Simply Organic Spices.
Adding a teaspoon of ginger to your tea every day is a great and enjoyable way to naturally relieve your joint, back and neck pain.
You can also add ginger to several deserts as a fun way to ensure that you are receiving the many health benefits that ginger provides. There is also a delicious Ginger Juice recipe in the infographic above.
So next time you’re feeling a pain flare up, consider adding these to your pain relief regime. There are some really effective ones in this list.
To Learn More About Natural Arthritis & Neck Pain Relief Remedies We Recommend:
Jordan Lite from Prevention Magazine did an incredible job covering 8 natural pain relievers and has included some that we didn’t mention in this incredible article: You’re in pain. You want relief. Naturally. 8 Alternative Remedies that can leave you happier and healthier
The Arthritis Foundation also provides you with an extensive overview of many natural and alternative treatments for arthritis. They are covering everything from herbs and supplements to meditation and massage therapy.
We also want to recommend WebMD Community a great site that is a great support system for people living in pain. They have it broken down by what type of pain that you have so that you can be surrounded by people that truly understand what it is like to be in the same pain as you.