The Fast Facts

  • For the 12 months of 2025, I tried several turmeric, CBD, and magnesium products to alleviate breakthrough chronic pain, with insights from my medical team.
  • I also tried Nourish, a live dietitian and nutrition app, gleaning insights geared toward an anti-inflammatory diet.
  • After a year of trying products to alleviate my chronic pain, my top three remedies are turmeric supplements, magnesium bisglycinate, and 100 mg CBD THC-free capsules.
Tester Kristin Currin tries different things alongside meds to help with chronic pain in 2025Share on Pinterest

*This article provides general information and is not a substitute for personalized medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet. These recommendations are considered adjuncts, not primary chronic pain treatments, and should be used under medical supervision, especially if taking opioids or other central nervous system active drugs.

Chronic pain form arthritis, fibromyalgia, or an autoimmune condition is best managed with medication and a healthcare squad. Think general practitioner, rheumatologist, neurologist, hematologist, physical therapist, or any combination of chiropractor or acupuncturist, plus all the nurses and medical assistants in between.

But if you’re like me and the roughly 51 million U.S. adults with chronic pain — and about 17 million Americans with high-impact chronic pain — breakthrough pain episodes can penetrate even the most disciplined regimen.

This year I tried over-the-counter remedies to see what else could help. Here’s a roundup of the vetted products and services that helped me achieve breakthrough pain relief.

I found turmeric supplements from three brands and three CBD products from Joy Organics to be effective for my breakthrough chronic pain.
HUM Nutrition OMG! Omega the Great softgels also supplemented my pain management medication, and Ritual Magnesium+ helped me sleep despite fibromyalgia making that a challenge.
I was also proactive about chronic pain episodes by adding some tools to my daily regimen, includingAllbirds waterproof walking shoes to help the chronic pain in my knees. I also alternated between an acupressure mat and daily cold plunges in this hardshell yet inflatable Plunge Air to keep inflammation at bay.

With my medical team’s buy-in, these products helped my breakthrough pain episodes when taken alongside prescriptions.

The most sustainable help came from trying the Nourish app where I was connected with the most knowledgeable dietitian I’ve encountered. Her insights gave me two fistfuls of food, drink, and ingredient substitutions I could make to best support my anti-inflammatory diet.