We all want a happy healthy life, but we all wonder at times if this is really possible? Especially at times when we are experiencing pain (& suffering)! Is pain inevitable? Can we not do something about it? Yes, we can! We can do lots to prevent and treat pain. We have multiple options available.
Pain is a universal phenomenon. As are analgesics. By taking a Tylenol, we may get rid of the pain for a while, but to tackle it for the long term, and to understand and really deal with where it is coming from, we need to go deeper. Pain occurs and is sensed and influenced at different levels, and needs to be tackled accordingly.
There are different elements which may be influencing and causing pain and increasing our perception of it. We need to get to the root cause of these, than to just keep suppressing pain with an analgesic without tackling the real culprits behind it. Pain can be the result of different dysfunctions and diseases and these have to be figured out and dealt with.
Optimal Nutrition and Diet are important components to strengthen our body and reduce occurrence and perception of pain. Herbals and supplements can help us deal with pain. Acupuncture is another modality at our disposal where we can approach pain and its etiology through a different prism of Chinese medicine and the energy meridians.
The gut and the microbiome are two elements, dysfunction of which can be at the bottom of an inflammatory response which may be contributing and can be tackled relatively easily with some diligence towards strategies aimed at achieving a healthy balance.
Then again, our brain and stress responses can affect both the occurrence of pain as well as our perception of it. And there are many strategies we can employ to achieve an optimal state of mind here through simple techniques like some deep breathing exercises and mindfulness techniques.
Our attitude matters too! Practicing an attitude of gratefulness and compassion can lead our mind into a more receptive mode to the universal positive forces. This in turn will help foster a feeling of acceptance and ability to change, which will alter our perception of pain as well as reduce our stress response which contributes to augment pain. From here we can move forward to a feeling of more ownership, more confidence, and more control. We can then perceive and bring about positive changes not just for the pain (and suffering) but for our life in general (and for the lives of those around us). Counseling and CBT are some approaches which can help propel us towards these positive changes
Physical actions can also cause and relieve pain. Regular exercise acts on at least two levels, one through release of endorphins in the brain , then through enabling a healthy immunity, and through creating a stronger system in terms of the physical body better able to tackle pain. Strengthening the physical elements may be all that is needed and that maybe all that is the root cause of pain.
So start your journey to a better, happier life and tackle your pain. A naturopath who will take a comprehensive intake over a 1-11/2 hour period maybe best suited to sit down with you to help you get to the root cause of your pain. And the earlier it is tackled the better to prevent progression and to allow you to get back into the flow of your life.
Here’s to a happier pain free flow of life for all of us. May the positive force be with you!