Just the concept of chronic pain can be quite frightening. Of course no-one wants to suffer pain on a regular basis and that can lead people to immediately seek medical assistance. This usually comes in the form of narcotic painkillers. They can be a very effective way of treating chronic pain and really help out sufferers of the condition. But now it seems like there might be an alternative method – a way that could reduce the use of narcotic pain medication by up to half.
A study, carried out by the Mayo Clinic, showed that that people who did not have the correct levels of vitamin D required more narcotic pain medication compared to those with sufficient levels of vitamin D. Sufferers of chronic pain took around twice the level of the medication when their levels of vitamin D were low.
Another surprising consequence of having too little vitamin D in the body was an increase in body mass index. There were also other signs that general health and wellness was worse with less vitamin D in the body.
Little is known about chronic pain and scientists are only just uncovering the secrets of how it can be treated or prevented. Similarly our understanding of the effects vitamin D has on the body is limited too. Vitamin D is famous for its ability to improve bone mass and strength but this study seems to suggest it could affect inflammation.
The researchers concluded that doctors should now check patients’ levels of vitamin D before prescribing excess levels of narcotic pain medicine. Now it seems that a simple blood test could identify a missed source of chronic pain.
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