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Controlling Your Pain
posted by Annie B. Bond May 8, 2008 6:00 am
Adapted from Super Healing: The Clinically Proven Plan to Maximize Recovery From Illness or Injury by Julie K. Silver, MD (Rodale, 2007).
Pain is unfortunately a part of many people’s daily lives. Here are several goals that might help you to better control your pain:
Short-Term
- Keep track of your pain for a month. Note when it occurs, how severe it is and what makes it better or worse.
- Make an appointment with your doctor specifically to discuss your pain issues and how to manage them.
- Try a few sessions of acupuncture or massage, one session per week.
- If you’re using pain medication, ask your doctor whether you can take it earlier in the day to stay ahead of the pain.
- If you tend to be too active or if your pain gets worse with a lot of activity, set aside time every day to take a break and rest.
- Try applying a hot or cold pack for 20 minutes every day to see if it helps.
Long-Term
- Consider scheduling a consultation with a doctor who specializes in treating pain.
- Exercise most days of the week, including both aerobic conditioning and strength training in your workouts.
- If sleep or mood is an issue, take specific steps to address it.
- If your doctor orders physical therapy or other treatments, follow through with the recommendation.
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9 comments
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Kabin
Konteyner
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I have lived in daily chronic pain and illness now for over 25 years. It began early for me, with migraines at the age of 17. From there I began to have joint problems, that required surgery. I had a major knee surgery at 15, then that knee needed more work at 21. Over the years I had a shoulder, another knee, and elbow surgery. I have degeneration of most of my joints, and now have had two total knee replacements, a massive shoulder surgery that I am just now getting a little well over, wrist surgery, multiple injections of my joints, 2 vertebra in my lumbar spine herniated, 3 in my cervical spine, one of which is showing bone spurs, that have been issues in my other joints as well. Last year at this time, I was diagnosed with Mixed Connective Tissue Disorder/Lupus, which was found finally by a new primary care doctor. I had probably had it for years, but no doctor ever put it together, or ran the right kinds of blood work. I am completely disabled, and face further joint surgeries or replacements the rest of my life. Due to the Lupus/MTCD, those make the pain, the migraines, the joints all worse, and also has caused many more health issues, from horrible cracks on both sides of my mouth, to the "butterfly rash" on my face, to severe fatigue that renders me so weak I can barely get up during those flares. There is much more, but I will close with I have a specialist, and here have a group for chronic pain. Please feel free to email me if you are interested in joining.
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To Brenda, I don't know if your mom has a doctor already or not. If not, don't give up! Is there a list of providers in your area that do take Medicaid? Isn't the main thing for all of us taking charge of our own health? There are books on homeopathy you could read on your own to get started, if that interests you. Maybe online you can find others interested in homeopathy, even websites where homeopathic doctors might post, and help each other. The insurance situation is tough, granted, but I urge you to do all you can. I have had doctors treat me for what I could afford to pay, which was sometimes nothing, at times. One of the things that has helped me through some hard times is this sentiment: "You'll never get anything better until you're doing all you can with what you've got." I'm new posting here and don't want to wear out my welcome, but wanted to respond to Brenda. (Another good website for pain help is spinalinjuryfoundation.org. Another good herb for pain for me has been DGL, deglycerrized licorice.) Just some ideas....
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I've heard of homeopathic doctors and there is one here in St Louis, the problem is, the expense, my mom has medicaide, which a lotr of doctors dont take and i dont have insurance at all, what can people do in these situations?
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I have had chronic neck, back, myofascial pain for the past 5 years after two car accidents. I wanted to share some things I've learned. Websites to check out: AmericanPainFoundation.org, www.upcspine.com, www.istop.org. There are books in the library on nutritional healing for pain, inflammation. Bromelain, ginger, cayenne, come to mind. Even coffee, I've heard. For joint pain, glucosamine-chondroitin. My grandma who had arthritis swore by raw apple cider vinegar (like the Bragg brand) every day. One pain doctor in Toronto told me to take magnesium for my muscle pain, to the point of loose stools. I take "Calm" brand from a health food store, in hot water, very tasty. Also she said to get B-12 injections, methylcobalamin. It must be compounded. I take lozenges as my doctor "never heard of it." My community college offers free massages by students. I've been helped recently by Dr. Art Brownstein's "Healing Back Pain Naturally." It teaches deep breathing, relaxation, stretching, yoga. One exercise was trying to visualize your pain as an image (after you get very relaxed). My pain image was of a shark biting into my right upper back, trapezius area. Such a surprise! I was supposed to "talk" to it and ask it what it was trying to teach me. "It" said I was doing this to myself! I realized I had a lot of guilt and anger. I wrote my ex a good-bye letter. The image has changed to a siphon to carry out bad stuff. Also try Pete Egoscue books on pain-
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Have you ever heard of homeopathic medicines? They have been around for over 200 years. They are safe, inexpensive and they work for a variety of things. Check out your local area for a classical homeopathic doctor. The reason most people never hear of this is because the doctors and big drug companies don't want us to use safe, natural healing methods. It's time we all took a closer look at this big business in health care today. I use homeopathic products and I also study and read a lot about it. I took charge of my health along with having good support from Homeopaths and Accupuncture.
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why is this inappropriate?
Have you ever heard of homeopathic medicines? They have been around for over 200 years. They are safe, inexpensive and they work for a variety of things. Check out your local area for a classical homeopathic doctor. The reason most people never hear of this is because the doctors and big drug companies don't want us to use safe, natural healing methods. It's time we all took a closer look at this big business in health care today. I use homeopathic products and I also study and read a lot about it. I took charge of my health along with having good support from Homeopaths and Accupuncture.
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my mother is in constant pain from areritus, she uses pain patches the doctor gives her, but has pretty much told her she will never get better! she is on Meidcaid, and can't afford massage or accupunture
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yea control the pain
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