Chronic and acute pain can be caused by any number of factors, including injury, disease, stress, and psychological conditions. The body’s pain response is a reaction to injury that serves as an internal messaging system to alert you to potential harm.

While this response can be a useful tool that allows you to avoid injury, pain can sometimes occur even when there is no threat to the body, leading to chronic discomfort and feelings of unease.

While doctors traditionally treat pain with medication, recent studies show that medications may not be a sustainable solution and often do not address all aspects of pain within the body.

In conjunction with traditional medicine, holistic practices can help where medications fall short. The Cleveland Clinic found that—in some cases—wellness therapies were oftentimes more effective at managing pain symptoms than traditional medicine.