Pain is our nation’s hidden epidemic–more than 75 million Americans live with some kind of chronic or recurrent pain. Pain is the number one reason people seek medical care.
Inadequate treatment of pain has serious physiological, psychological and social consequences. Pain uses up all reserves in the immune system, thus leaving it weakened and leaves the person susceptible to other disease. Pain diminishes the quality of nearly every aspect of a person’s life–including sleep, work, social and sexual relations.
Pain is simply a message sent by the body to the brain, signaling the presence of disease, injury, stress or strain. Without pain, you would be unaware of many problems–torn ligaments to cancer. Pain is simply, Mother Nature’s way of telling you something is awry.
Traditional medicine focuses on killing the messenger with narcotics, anti-depressants and tranquilizers that take care of the symptoms, but not the cause of the pain. This treatment only masks symptoms of serious dis-ease, but can also create a lifetime cycle of chronic pain.
The good news is with adequate holistic care nearly all chronic pain can be eliminated or greatly eased.
Unfortunately, there are barriers that prevent people from engaging in the most effective pain treatments. Pain carries a stigma. Many people with pain are fearful or embarrassed to let others know they are in pain because they believe they will appear weak or they will be accused of making it up to avoid life’s travail.
Another major barrier is government and insurance policies impede adequate pain treatment by restricting access to holistic treatment–such as: Chiropractic, Acupressure, Acupuncture, Metaphysical Healing–Mind, Body and Spirit–using Hypnosis, Rolfing, Massage, Biofeedback, Cranio Sacral Therapies, Body Walking, Bodywork and Movement Therapies.
Another important part of holistic treatment is herbal remedies. Herbs have been used for centuries for their pain relieving qualities. These herbs are recommended for pain relief:
o Cramps and Spasms: angelica, cramp bar, kava, rosemary, valerian root.
o Nerve Pain: capsaicin, chamomile, gotu kola, licorice, white willow.
o Back Pain: hops, wood betony, passion flower. Migraine: feverfew, linden, skullcap.
o Headaches: peppermint, spearmint.
o Joint pain: ginger, sea cucumber.
o Sniffing or applying essential oils is believed to change brain chemistry so that pleasurable neuro-transmitters called endorphins are released to relieve pain. Geranium, jasmine, juniper, lavender, peppermint, rose, rosemary and thyme are oils commonly used to ease pain.
o As the body ages the ability to manufacture or produce certain elements diminishes and thus diminishes the ability to short-circuit the cycle of chronic pain. Green lipped sea mussels, glucosamine, sea cucumber, spirulina, Sam-e, HGH (Human Growth Hormone), MSM (Methulsuflonydmethane) and melatonin, aid joint, muscle, head, teeth, jaw and general tissue pain.
o Meditation is highly recommended to calm the mind so that it is not racing with thoughts and anxieties that might be contributing to an unnecessary belief in the existence of pain. There are hundreds of different meditation techniques. They fit into three categories: concentrative, mindful and transcendental meditation.
o Eating a well balanced diet that includes fresh fruits and vegetables can raise your pain threshold or resistance to pain. A deficiency in any of the main vitamins (A, B, C, D or E) can cause chronic pain. Vitamin E is used to treat joint pain. A deficiency in calcium, iron, magnesium and other minerals can lower your pain threshold. A calcium magnesium supplement taken in a 2:1 ratio of calcium to magnesium relieves joint pain and headaches. Manganese is a vitamin that is sometimes used for chronic headaches and neuralgia. A deficiency of the B vitamins can cause nervousness, headaches and chronic pain.
o Research indicates that bodily functions that were previously thought to be beyond conscious control, such as chronic pain, can be controlled thorough the use of visualization. Guided imagery encourages the sufferer to think in pictures that eliminate negative thoughts thus raising levels of pleasurable brain chemicals, such as serotonin, decreasing anxiety and increasing the effectiveness of the immune system. Through guided imagery, the mind brings forth mental scenes in order to better direct the body’s energy. For instance, if a person is suffering from a stabbing pain, she/he might want to imagine a knife being removed from the spot and a subsequent glowing feeling of relief. Guided imagery has been used successfully to manage headaches, sinus problems, arthritis and cancer.
Inadequate pain treatment has an enormous toll on the U.S. economy. The National Institute of Health estimates that pain costs the American public over $100 billion per year in medical expenses, lost wages and other costs.
Adequate pain treatment requires educating yourself, a support system and willingness to buck traditional medical treatments–i.e. pain medication and surgery.
