Electrodes, plants, meditation... How to relieve chronic pain without a prescription

Alexandre Dalifard / Photo credit: CHASSENET / BSIP VIA AFP 21:00 pm, May 09, 2023

In France, eight out of ten consultations are devoted to pain. A striking figure especially since 12 million French people suffer from chronic pain, that is to say that lasts more than three months. Among them, 70% would not be properly relieved. Faced with this, Sophie Coisne, journalist 60 Million Consumers, and Didier Bouhassira, neurologist, guests in the show Bienfait pour vous, give some tips to relieve pain without a prescription.

But first of all, how to explain such a figure? "We don't have enough facilities to be able to take care of all these patients. And it is true that the care leaves something to be desired. Even in very specialized structures, we do not manage to relieve everyone with medication. Even if the drug is frankly not the panacea for chronic pain, "recognizes the neurologist at the microphone of Julia Vignali and Mélanie Gomez.

Transcutaneous nerve stimulation

In the latest issue of 60 Million Consumers, "Pain, everything that works", the editorial team talks about a non-drug method that can be used against certain pains: transcutaneous nerve stimulation. "It's sold in pharmacies and it can be rented. It is a small device that has electrodes. You will adjust it and the small electrodes sent will relieve more or less the pain, "says Sophie Coisne, deputy editor-in-chief of the magazine.

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This technique has been around for 30 years and is increasingly prescribed. Today, there are 600,000 prescriptions for devices per year in France. These can be, in part, reimbursed and they can be used for ankle sprain problems or even lumbago. On the other hand, "it works on localized pain, so it is necessary to stick the electrodes quite close to the painful area". But concretely, how does it work? "We're going to blur the message for the brain. This one will confuse the message with the pain. We will filter it, "says the neurologist.

CBD and its limited effects

"It promotes sleep, so from that point of view, it's helpful. But on the pain itself, it's not very powerful," Bouhassira said. On the other hand, there is an experiment currently in France to verify how to use not only cannabidiol, CBD, but also THC, the other component of cannabis, called therapeutic cannabis. Developed in most countries in Europe and in many other countries of the world, such as the United States, this method takes time to arrive in France. "These are studies that are ongoing," admits the neurologist.

Phytotherapy

Still at the level of plants, some have already been used for millennia against pain. However, there are precautions to take. "During the health crisis, the High Authority of Health advised against taking turmeric because there was an anti-inflammatory effect that could blur a potential treatment and interact with doliprane," warns Sophie Coisne. Their effect, for many, is based on tradition. That is to say, for a millennium this method has been used and it does not hurt.

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On the other hand, before embarking on herbal medicine to relieve pain, it is important to ask your doctor. "Plants can be toxic and also have side effects as important as with drugs," says Didier Bouhassira. In addition, Sophie Coisne specifies that it is also important to take advice from a specialist when taking dietary supplements because it can generate potential interactions.

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation is also a useful way in cases of chronic pain. "The idea is to try to teach the patient how to better manage and control their pain. This technique can be interesting, but again, it does not work in everyone, "says the neurologist. This method also works on the brain. It is a way to stimulate these famous systems that control pain.

"There are objective effects of meditation or even hypnosis that can be measured with functional MRIs. We see the activity of the brain that decreases during the agglutination of this technique. It can work but we must not let people think that it works," he said. In addition, the patient must be involved in his care. "We will teach him the techniques and it will be up to him to appropriate them and use them wisely," concludes the doctor.

If meditation does not work, the patient may be sensitive to music. "The idea is to test several types. This can be mediation, hypnosis or music therapy. But also nettle therapy, a technique that is developing and consists of gardening. The goal is to find its natural painkiller," explains Sophie Coisne.