Sustainable Living With Chronic Pain and Illness

If you live with chronic illness or pain, your medical appointments, costs and the control of your everyday symptoms will always be on your mind, so sustainable living may not be your primary concern. You might think that you can’t live sustainably – maybe your prescription medication comes in single-use plastic packaging, or you need certain one-use tools and aids to help 

you get through the day. However, none of this means that you can’t leave a more sustainable lifestyle. We have all heard of the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ mantra – this is meant to work as a sort of hierarchy. Ideally, reducing what you buy is the first thing that you should be doing, before then reusuing what you can and only then recycling.

If you are looking to become more sustainable in your life, here are some tips to help you.

Consider alternative forms of pain relief

Obviously, this one won’t work for everyone, but perhaps you could look at alternative forms of pain relief if it is safe to do so. There are lots out there, from acupuncture and deep tissue massage to medical marijuana from a Harvest store – if your health condition allows it, why not give it a go?

Swap to reusable straws

For many people with a chronic illness or pain, straws are a lifesaver. Perhaps you struggle to pick up a full glass of liquid or have a disability that affects your jaw. Straws can be a necessity. However, they also have been demonised by the sustainable living camp. There is a really good reason for that – single plastic straws are a huge danger to wildlife if they are chucked in the ocean. If you do need to use a straw, there are a variety of reusable ones made from bamboo, metal or even glass. Many of these come with their own pouch and cleaning brush. However, if you do need to use a plastic one – don’t feel guilty. Sometimes, when it comes to chronic illness or disability, needs must.

Reusable water bottles

We all should be drinking more water but some people with chronic illness find that they may need to drink more than normal, or need it to be able to take medication. A reusable water bottle is ideal for this – fill it up the night before and leave it in the fridge so you always have cold water. You can even put slices of fruit in the bottle – lemon, lime, cucumber, berries – for homemade fruity water. It’s delicious!

Trying to live a sustainable lifestyle is a challenge. For so long, the world has been one that has relied on disposable, one-use items. It is even more difficult if you have a chronic illness or pain. However, even small steps can make a big difference to the environment, so do what you can, when you can, and it all adds up.

Get Infusions

IV infusion therapy can be a great way to minimize much of the pain and other symptoms of your illness. They’re more effective than taking painkillers, and then there’s the fact that they usually use up less plastic packaging than painkillers and other medications. You’ll be feeling better than you would with meds while being sure you’re not having too large of an environmental impact.