Q:

What do you recommend for weaning off pain medications?

A:

When considered Ayurvedically, pain is a form of toxicity that is the result of faulty digestion. When the body’s digestive system is out of balance from a poor diet, poor sleep habits, and other problematic lifestyle choices, toxins begin to seep into the various crevices of one’s anatomy and wreak havoc. The nature of intervening with pain as a departure from Western pain medication depends on whether the pain is sharp and shooting as is the case with Vata imbalances, hot and inflamed as is the case with Pitta imbalances, or dull and heavy as is the case with Kapha imbalances. The different types of pain require different therapies, and it is ideal to address them under the guidance of a trained Ayurvedic practitioner.

However, pain in the body can generally be resolved by reducing the aforementioned toxicity in the body by balancing the digestion and eliminating as many toxins from the system as possible. This can happen by following a vegetarian diet, eating natural foods in small amounts, refraining from eating the last four or five hours before going to bed (pain and stiffness in the morning is greatly increased by late-night eating), refraining from consuming alcohol and coffee, and waking up with the sun and going to bed by 10pm every night. It is also of course helpful to practice gentle yoga postures on a daily basis so as to increase stability and strength in the joints.

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