By now you’ve probably heard all kinds of health benefits tied to hot peppers and the hot pepper scale
But what about getting a little relief for your achy back. Products containing capsaicin have been used in the past to deal with health problems like arthritis, but now it turns out capsaicin may also help the aches and pains in your back. If you’re tired of dealing with the pain, you can always try alternating between ice packs and heat. This is a good idea if you have pain or swelling. Sometimes, though, it’s not enough, and you may want to reach for a topical remedy that contains cayenne pepper. Capsaicin is the active ingredient in cayenne that can help promote healing and relieve pain. You can also try a topical remedy with ginger. If ice seems to help a little, you could try a menthol-based product, too.
Of course, topical capsaicin products are already known to help with certain types of joint pain and muscle pain.
They may even help with peripheral nerve pain. You’ll likely be able to find it in an over-the-counter formulation at your local store, and sometimes also in prescription form. Most of the ones you can get without a prescription tend to contain up to 0.1-percent capsaicin. Anything stronger and you’ll probably have to go see your doctor. There are also some prescription capsaicin patches that work somewhat in the same way as other topical pain medication, but they deliver a higher dose of capsaicin.
Apart from capsaicin, another topical pain relief option is an herbal remedy called Boswellia Serrata.
You don’t have to take it daily, but rather when you need a little help with the pain. Some say it works best if you take it as soon as you suspect the pain is coming on. You don’t want to wait until the pain gets to be too much to handle.
