How to relieve pain? Focus on your genes and your emotions

It seems obvious: when something in the body gets damaged, we feel pain. But does someone tolerate the same painful stimulus quite well, while for another it is an unbelievable torture? Research shows that our emotions, thoughts and expectations, as well as the activity of our genes, can play a big role. So how can we fight pain in a natural way?

How does the feeling that something hurts actually arise?

In principle, two basic types of pain can be distinguished. The first is technically called nociceptive. It arises when something irritates the special endings called nociceptors – it can be acute damage to a part of the body or inflammation.

For example, if we sprain our ankle, it hurts a lot at the moment of injury because the nociceptors in the joint capsule and ligaments are irritated. In the following hours, the soreness decreases significantly, so that on the second and third day the leg starts to hurt much more. The body reacts to any tissue damage by producing inflammation, which also irritates the nociceptors, and the result is pain. As we will discuss in a moment, this pain is easier to deal with, whether we choose a medical or natural approach, because all we need to do to relieve it is to turn off the inflammation.

Much more problematic is the second type of pain – neuropathic pain. This is caused by damage to nerve cells and unfortunately conventional analgesics do not work.

The path of pain

There’s a catch: It would seem that the degree of pain is directly proportional to the intensity of the stimulus. That is, the heavier an object falls on our thumb, the more it hurts. That’s what scientists thought a few decades ago. But further research has shown that the reality is different. The feeling of pain does not originate in the injured thumb, because the resulting “ouch” is always shouted by our brain. And how much it screams depends only partly on the weight of the fallen object.

As we have already said, when pain (nociceptive pain) occurs, it must first occur that nerve endings somewhere in the body are irritated. The peripheral nerves then conduct the signal to the spinal cord and from there the information continues on to the brain. And it is the brain that finally says “ouch”. And by no means always.

You can see it in the kids. Research shows that when a child goes for a medical examination that may cause mild pain, his reaction depends on the situation in which the examination takes place. When he is “thrown” from the doctor’s office, where he doesn’t even have time to look around before the doctor and nurse are on him, then he reacts very sensitively to even a mild painful stimulus. Fear of unfamiliar surroundings, especially when combined with negative expectations based on previous experiences, increases his sensitivity to pain. However, when he has, for example, a new and interesting toy at the same moment or is listening to a story told by his mother, he often does not even notice that something is happening to him.

The gate of pain opens

Why is that? As early as the 1960s, scientists came up with an explanation, which they called the “pain control gate”. This is because they discovered a place in the spinal cord called the substantia gelatinosa, which, in simple terms, decides whether to let incoming pain messages pass. And this only happens if the painful stimulus is stronger than the non-painful stimuli arriving at the same moment – in the case of a child undergoing an examination, such a strong non-painful stimulus might be the preoccupation with an interesting game.

But that’s not all. In the following years, it gradually became clear that a number of other factors also contribute to the level of pain perception: our internal attitudes and experiences, stress, cognitive processes, attentional state, expectations (e.g. “I know it will hurt”) and other individual factors. The functioning of the internal opioid system, the hormonal and nervous system, the state of a number of specific receptors…

In short, the body has a great capacity for modulation: it can reduce the intensity of the signal during the time it takes to travel from the nerve endings to the central nervous system. It does this, for example, by producing internal opioids (e.g. endorphins), neurotransmitters, inhibitory amino acids or gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).

And then there’s an important system that experts refer to as the neuromatrix, which is the output of the neural network in the brain. Basically, we can say that pain is not caused by the actual irritation of some receptors, but by the response of the neuromatrix to this stimulus.

The neuromatrix is influenced, for example, genetically, epigenetically, but also by strong sociocultural beliefs or expectations. The neuromatrix also explains why pain can disappear even though we have received a placebo instead of the expected strong analgesic – the belief that it will stop hurting now is simply so strong that it overrides the incoming pain signals.

Acute or chronic?

In addition to the above-mentioned causes of pain (nociceptive vs. neuropathic), it is also necessary to distinguish between acute pain, i.e. lasting days or weeks, and chronic pain, i.e. lasting months or even years.

Acute pain is unpleasant, but it is meaningful: It warns us that something is wrong with our bodies, and therefore we should take some action to protect ourselves – like taking our hand off a hot stove or going to the doctor with a broken arm. But chronic pain has no purpose, it just represents completely unnecessary suffering.

There is a paradox here too: it might seem that if one experiences pain for a long time, one gets used to it and tolerates it better. But again, this is not the case. After a certain duration of pain, changes begin to take place in our neurons that increase their sensitivity. So the more we suffer, the more sensitive we become to pain.

These changes are largely epigenetic in nature – changes in the activity of individual genes that result in the transformation of acute pain into chronic pain. Chronic pain is a very serious problem with a society-wide impact – it is estimated that one in five adults in Europe suffers from chronic pain, and up to 1.5 million people in the Czech Republic may be affected. And the findings from epigenetics may show a new way to combat it.

The body hurts, the soul suffers

The relationship between pain and mood disorders is very close. I guess everyone can think of a person in pain who feels miserable. And this time there is no paradox, it really is true, as research confirms.

While acute pain is more likely to cause anxiety, chronic pain has the potential to cause symptoms more consistent with depression. According to one study, 50% of people with chronic pain complain of constant fatigue, 27% cannot maintain relationships with family and friends, 43% experience feelings of helplessness, and 16% even wish to die on days when the pain is unbearable. Thus, people with chronic pain are 3 times more likely to develop some psychiatric symptoms and also find depression harder to treat.

But the relationship is also reversed: a person who suffers from depression has a 3 times higher risk of suffering from chronic pain compared to the general population, and depression also complicates pain management.

Chronic pain also has the direct ability to affect the functioning of our brain. For example, people with chronic back pain have a 27% reduction in the density (i.e. density) of grey matter in some parts of the brain! Chronic pain also impairs the brain’s ability to reach what is called default mode – individual areas fail to deactivate when they don’t have to deal with a task, resulting in impaired brain function.

It follows, therefore, that pain and psyche should be treated hand in hand. For example, it has been shown that if people with chronic pain take antidepressants, antiepileptics or even neuroleptics, this leads to an improvement in their condition. Although these drugs do not have a direct analgesic effect, they can increase the effectiveness of analgesics, and in some cases, particularly in neuropathic pain, they can work on their own. However, such comprehensive pain management is often complicated by today’s narrow medical specialty settings.

How can we help ourselves?

The options for treating pain within conventional medicine are ever expanding. It is not just about better analgesics, but also methods such as spinal cord neurostimulation, which is used to treat neuropathic pain in people for whom medication is no longer working. However, in keeping with the focus of our site, we will look at natural treatment options that not only help relieve pain, but also support the aching soul.

As I mentioned above, the level of pain perception is strongly influenced by epigenetic processes that alter the activity of our genes. These co-determine not only whether acute pain becomes chronic, but also have a key influence on the intensity of inflammatory processes. We can also influence the switching on and off of genes to a large extent ourselves, especially through our lifestyle.

Healthy diet, exercise and meditation

A balanced, healthy diet should always be the basis for fighting pain. In fact, research clearly shows that an unhealthy diet deficient in key nutrients exacerbates chronic pain. Nutrition is one of the most important epigenetic factors, and dietary modification can alter the activity of genes that influence inflammation and chronic pain.

The diet should be set to suppress inflammatory processes in the body as much as possible and to support the balance of the gut microbiome, whose disruption increases the intensity of inflammation. This means, above all, following these rules:

• avoid excessive intake of carbohydrates with a high glycaemic index,
• reduce the proportion of fat in your diet,
• avoid ultra-processed foods, industrial additives and alcohol,
• Increase the proportion of fibre, whole grain cereals and legumes, fruit and vegetables in your diet.

Obesity also plays a negative role – it can not only worsen chronic pain, but also symptoms of depression.

Movement is very important. Especially for patients with severe chronic pain, it is often very difficult to find the kind of exercise that is suitable and acceptable for them, but it is something that is really worth devoting energy to. In fact, regular movement of a reasonable intensity has significant anti-inflammatory effects, reduces pain sensitivity, relieves symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as fatigue and promotes sleep.

In general, a combination of moderate to moderate intensity aerobic exercise and weight training is ideal. In particular, aerobic exercise, which leads to fatigue, has been shown to shift the pain threshold and possibly restore the lost ability to modulate pain. In the case of neuropathic pain, balance exercises are also very useful.

Yoga can also be very beneficial, as can breathing exercises, meditation or acupuncture.

Useful dietary supplements

Those nutrients and herbs that have an anti-inflammatory effect generally have a beneficial effect on the intensity of pain. There are many of these, and those containing polyphenols, for example, stand out. However, since I mentioned how much our psychological state has an influence on the perception of pain, this time I have chosen dietary supplements that combine an analgesic effect with a beneficial effect on the psyche.

Curcumin – this is one of the most powerful natural anti-inflammatory agents, which is also effective for neuropathic pain. In addition, it also brings relief from depression. More about curcumin here ”

Propolis – this bee product counteracts pain in several ways: it has a direct antinociceptive effect (i.e. it reduces irritation of nerve endings), it also activates opioid receptors, which reduces pain, and it has a strong anti-inflammatory effect. It also has a protective effect on the nervous system and can help relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety. Read more about propolis here “

Passionflower – the substances contained in this plant can bind directly to opioid receptors, helping to relieve pain. In addition, passionflower has anticonvulsant effects, which is important, for example, for painful menstruation. It is also a very effective means of reducing anxiety, binding to GABA receptors in the brain. It can even reduce anxiety before surgical procedures or even dental treatment, which also helps to reduce the perception of pain. Read more about martyr’s patch here “

Magnesium – although this mineral does not have a direct analgesic effect, through its action on NMDA receptors it prevents the development of central sensitization and thus helps to raise the pain threshold. Its administration after surgery has even led to a reduction in the consumption of analgesics. It is also suitable for neuropathic pain, as well as for fibromyalgia or severe menstrual pain. It also helps to relieve migraine. Read more about magnesium here “

OPC – also grape seed extract has strong anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects. It has proven itself, for example, in neuropathic pain or joint pain caused by gout or rheumatoid arthritis. It also has antidepressant effects. More about OPCs here “

Baikal coneflower – this herb is one of the most effective natural remedies against anxiety, but it also helps to relieve depression. It also has strong anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects. More about coneflower here “

Boswellia – resin from the saw palmetto tree can effectively relieve inflammation and pain. It has been particularly effective for joint pain, whether caused by arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. For both problems, it relieves pain and swelling and improves mobility. But it is also effective for other types of pain and for depression. More about boswellia here “

Omega-3 – these unsaturated fatty acids positively affect the level of inflammation in the body in several ways. As a result, they also help to relieve pain. They also have antidepressant effects, and in this respect they work better in women than in men. Read more ”

Indole-3-carbinol – a substance formed from glucobrassicin found mainly in broom vegetables is very effective for fibromyalgia, a syndrome involving pain in various parts of the body, depression, anxiety, digestive and other problems. More about indole here “

B vitamins – this group of vitamins is essential for the proper functioning of the nervous system. Research also shows that “B’s” have the ability to promote repair of damaged nerves and alleviate neuropathy. Thus, they are very useful for neuropathic pain – in particular, the combination of vitamins B1, B6 and B12 has been shown to be highly effective here. In the case of depression, it is then advisable to increase the intake of vitamins B1, B2 and B5.

Coenzyme Q10 – a deficiency of this substance, which is essential for cellular energy production and antioxidant protection, can be manifested by an increase in the intensity of inflammation in the body and worsening of pain symptoms. It is also important for brain functioning. Read more about coenzyme Q10 here “

Vitamin D3 – while there is no evidence that taking vitamin D3 directly relieves pain, a number of studies have shown that most chronic pain patients are deficient. Its use can therefore certainly be recommended.