How To Deal With Chronic Pain?

[renegade_bee]

Can anyone offer me advice for how to deal with my chronic pain. It is really depressing and energy draining. My doctors can't do anything for me now. Can anyone recommend alternative medicine methods that might work? Hypnosis has given me mixed results but I'm not very good at it...

[Ayla]

Look into Bowen/Bowtech Therapy. 

Diet is crucial (gluten and meat are a no-no)

Also, while sitting with your pain, do not associate the pain with YOUR body but with A BODY. 

[renegade_bee]

@Ayla Thank you for answering. I will look into that, i've also been reading books on food and fixing my diet.

7 minutes ago, Ayla said:

Also, while sitting with your pain, do not associate the pain with YOUR body but with A BODY. 

Could you elaborate on this? I'm pretty new to spirituality etc, so i'm not sure how to interpret/apply this.

[Ayla]

4 minutes ago, DrMatthewsausage said:

@Ayla Thank you for answering. I will look into that, i've also been reading books on food and fixing my diet.

Could you elaborate on this? I'm pretty new to spirituality etc, so i'm not sure how to interpret/apply this.

When you experience pain, there is something that perceives it as happening to YOU. There is deep work to be done to understand that you are not merely a body which is another topic (see info in the main forum/spirituality), but what you can do right now, is to take the pressure off by letting yourself to allow the possibility that it is not YOU that is hurting, but that "pain has arised (in A body - not yours)". 

Regard it as if it was a glove ON you and not part of you. Do not fight it, do not wish it gone, do not judge it as being bad. Just watch it being there. At one point, you'll see that you can disregard it. 

[renegade_bee]

I'll try this out, thank you.

[Baby]

From someone who has been diagnosed from this... Yes first is to realize that the pain it is not you. The body is in pain. Second and probably  most important, diet... Is it nightshades? Gluten? Milk products? Really cleanse diet, juice, or eliminate all toxic chemicals and foods... Think of it as a mystery to solve. Nothing more. Not against you or at you. Find the right medical care who can guide you into a more holistic approach... Remember most of all, your body is telling you something is damn wrong!!! What's going on around you?

[Leo Gura]

Learning and practicing mindfulness is the key. This is your opportunity to delve deep into mindfulness practice.

I recommend finding a good live mindfulness teacher and going to some retreats.

Shinzen Young is one such teacher I know. He's really great and helps people manage chronic pain through mindfulness techniques.

[Baby]

@Leo Gura I found it almost impossible to get out of my bed much less go to see the doctor... Actually I pushed hard to get to work and work and do all my duties under horrible pain (scale 1 to 10 I was super  face) it took years before I could find any help... Tai chi.. Yoga... Diet ... Finding me. Not to mention that my location was nole of "good advice" where do you start if you start and go if say, you got no means of going anywhere? I couldn't just take a sick day to a retreat... I could hardly take a sick day from work and life.

Edited February 11, 2016 by Baby

[Guest]

Agreed; the combinations mentioned above dovetails: mindfulness is the gold standard (our minds can assist pain regulation and reduce our discomfort physical and/or mental experiences) thru meditation techniques. Research and find ones that resonate with you. Reframing is significantly helpful too (I have used this to manage my thinking and anxiety and create it as an opportunity to personally re-invent a creative life breakthrough during a rare Stage II cancer treatment (while continuing to work at my career, battle cancer w/out giving up on life, nor resigning myself to victim mentality). This mindfulness approach paired with reframing delivers a reliable, effective result above my hospital therapy or counseling (regarding my personal experience). Tapping into our minds first with meditation and relaxation is the gold standard, as neuroscience links up and validates this fact: how our bodies respond to our *thoughts.* The subsequent chemical receptors activated (or repressed) that cascade through our bodies can escalate or plummet to relax us; or to hurt us further in terms of pain or anxiety as the body responds to endogenous brain chemical release (good chemicals triggering relief organically or bad chemical release = cortisols, etc. to activate more stress on the body, etc.).  Research this online and explore what your body can do to fight pain organically. We as individuals hold the key to our wellness. Of course, discussing with your nutritionist the best nutritional plan assists physical comfort, too (digestive, moods, and overall health). In summary, be your own advocate. Research. Ask others for help. There is always a way. You will survive. And thrive. And when you begin overcoming your pain, remember to "pull the next one up" and help others on their journey who are needing wisdom, compassion, and insight.

As a young person coming up on my five-year "survivor" cancer status, learning about mindfulness, reframing, meditation, body scanning, and adapting healthy food choices are all positive additions to my life. Be well all, and namaste.

 

[renegade_bee]

@Leo Gura @Baby @Scarlett_A Thank you all so much for answerig. I'm going through some brutal, dark times right now and having so many positive people offering support is really wonderful. I'll try to follow all your suggestions, however I was wondering if you might know if there are supplements that I can take that help battle chronic pain?

Edited February 11, 2016 by DrMatthewsausage

[Baby]

I think everyone would agree that it would be a bit reckless for anyone to throw out names of medication or supplements. I'm not a physician and what worked for me may not work on you. I would recommend that you seek professional help because it is a serious condition. However I would suggest that you research and read a few good books, for example "reversing Fibromyalgia" by Dr. Joe M Elrod, "Perfect Health" by Deepak Chopra, "The paleo approach" by Sarah Ballantyne, Phd to mention a few. I can not stress enough the connection of what you eat and drink. Is not so much what you can put in to it to release the aches and pains... It more about what is in it already. 

Research tumeric curcumin, herbal teas that relax, etc... 
@DrMatthewsausage 

[Dhana Choko]

6 hours ago, DrMatthewsausage said:

I'm going through some brutal, dark times right now and having so many positive people offering support is really wonderful. I'll try to follow all your suggestions, however I was wondering if you might know if there are supplements that I can take that help battle chronic pain?

You have to get the basics right before you try any supplements. If I were you, I would go on gluten free vegan diet. Then work on your sleep schedule, your meditation practice and other types of exercise. Even doing all of this will take a lot of effort. After you have accomplished all of this, you will be in a completely different place in your life and you won't probably need any supplements. If you need supplements then and you want to fine tune things, you can work with that then, but it does not do much if your diet, sleep, meditation and exercise patterns are not right. There are things that you can do, which is very positive!  

[renegade_bee]

@Dhana Choko You're right but the problem is that I still live with my parents and brother and they all eat very unhealthily even if I point it out to them. I also have an eating disorder which makes it extremely difficult for me to eat healthy consistently. Something like supplements I can at least control and when I move out next year I'll have full control over my entire diet but honestly I just want the pain to go away as quickly as possible. I'm still going to try to follow your advice on exercise, meditation and sleep tho.

[Dhana Choko]

5 minutes ago, DrMatthewsausage said:

@Dhana Choko You're right but the problem is that I still live with my parents and brother and they all eat very unhealthily even if I point it out to them. I also have an eating disorder which makes it extremely difficult for me to eat healthy consistently. Something like supplements I can at least control and when I move out next year I'll have full control over my entire diet but honestly I just want the pain to go away as quickly as possible. I'm still going to try to follow your advice on exercise, meditation and sleep tho.

You know, you want your pain to go away as fast as possible, but what you eat is one of the biggest things that according to studies affects pain and inflammation in the body. If you want results and you want this to turn around as quickly as possible, you need to start working with your life even without the support from your family. It is one of bigger spiritual lessons as well. If you wait for your outside circumstances to change before you can change, it is very slow and might never happen. You can start slow and start cooking your own gluten free noodles or make a salad for yourself. It is not about losing weight but taking care of yourself - which is loving yourself and completely the opposite of eating disorder.  It is very good that you are open to trying at least the other things, it will help you a lot. Change is hard at first but small steps will help you to a right direction. I wish you strength and courage for your path!

[renegade_bee]

3 minutes ago, Dhana Choko said:

You know, you want your pain to go away as fast as possible, but what you eat is one of the biggest things that according to studies affects pain and inflammation in the body. If you want results and you want this to turn around as quickly as possible, you need to start working with your life even without the support from your family. It is one of bigger spiritual lessons as well. If you wait for your outside circumstances to change before you can change, it is very slow and might never happen. You can start slow and start cooking your own gluten free noodles or make a salad for yourself. It is not about losing weight but taking care of yourself - which is loving yourself and completely the opposite of eating disorder.  It is very good that you are open to trying at least the other things, it will help you a lot. Change is hard at first but small steps will help you to a right direction. I wish you strength and courage for your path!

Thank you, that's some great advice. Don't know yet if I'll be able to do everything but we'll see...

[Dhana Choko]

1 minute ago, DrMatthewsausage said:

Thank you, that's some great advice. Don't know yet if I'll be able to do everything but we'll see...

Just do one thing at a time and slowly you will be able to turn your life around. This pain can be an amazing tool and catalyst for your own transformation and it can help to transform every area of your life into a higher level. One day you will be so thankful that this pain caused you to work on yourself and your life...all the work you put into this, will pay off 10 times and more

[Sarah Marie]

On February 10, 2016 at 2:11 AM, DrMatthewsausage said:

Can anyone offer me advice for how to deal with my chronic pain. It is really depressing and energy draining. My doctors can't do anything for me now. Can anyone recommend alternative medicine methods that might work? Hypnosis has given me mixed results but I'm not very good at it...

Check out a sensory deprivation tank. It may only help for an hour or two but I'm sure that will be welcomed relief! 

[leandro]

6 hours ago, Dhana Choko said:

Just do one thing at a time and slowly you will be able to turn your life around. This pain can be an amazing tool and catalyst for your own transformation and it can help to transform every area of your life into a higher level. One day you will be so thankful that this pain caused you to work on yourself and your life...all the work you put into this, will pay off 10 times and more

I agree 100%. I've had chronic neck and back pain that has been affecting my posture and gait for about 1.5 years. Last year was the worst part as I had no clue what was happening to me and I reached an ultimate low low low point. However, eventually I decided to change myself from the inside out and step by step improved by changing lifestyle habits and seeing various doctors untill we found out how to treat my problem. 

I always refer to last year as the worst and best year of my life as it forced me to grow so much. After you get through the hard part the other side is brighter than you can imagine. Seriously you have no idea, its almost as if someone hands you over HD glasses and you notice and appreciate things you never did before. Not only that, you become energized in a way. It gives you a new hunger and thirst to truly live your life to the fullest. Its like your core is taken, put into an oven, all the uneeded crust and garbage on the outside burns off. Your core comes out new, brighter, stronger, and happier. 

This is exactly how I found out about Leo's video on youtube, started mediating, and now I just joined his forums. Once you go through something like that and you come out on the other side, you'll realize its a precious gift.  I empathize with you 100%, its scary especially if no one around you hasn't been through something similar and they struggle to understand. Hang in there buddy :), one step at a time.

[Baby]

I know it's hard when you live under your family home which can be difficulty... I'm in the healthy side and I have a grown human being who has particular ideas about diet... Kids have a way of changing and getting their way... Say ask for for yogurt 0 as a special treat. Offer to cook your own meals... Do not be afraid to take charge of your own cooking... Start by making broths or hard boil eggs... Clean your diet. People in my household have managed to pull grossed out to fully clean diets on their on... One shopping list at the time. Supplements are tricky, they take time and effort and money! Is more likely your parents shell it out on groceries that good verified supplements. For me, controlling the emotional factors was a step up way before diet and nutrition. Will your life into being, is the one thing you have.

[Epiphany_Inspired]

I think everything everyone is offering you in these comments is great. Without being too prying, can I ask what causes your pain on a physical level? Did you have an injury, illness, surgery, etc?  is the pain in your muscles, joints or nerves? I think that taking care of your diet and mental state, etc is rad advice. I may be able to offer my additional perspective if I knew more about the source....