Were you ever told to just ‘grin and bear it’ if you had pain?  That used to be the old thinking.  Pain is a normal response to injury or illness, but there are some interventions to help us manage that chronic pain when the acute phase is over.

Pain is defined as chronic when it lasts longer than four months.  Unfortunately, most health care providers aren’t taught about different ways to help their patients except for pain medications.  In the September 2007 issue of Dr. Andrew Weil’s Self Healing newsletter, he lists seven strategies to help us cope with long term pain.

Seek out a pain specialist who has expertise in pain management.  The best pain management centers offer a variety of both traditional and alternative approaches.  You want someone who is sympathetic to your condition and is willing to listen and work with you on a treatment that will help you.

Let your mind help you control the pain.  For instance, Dr. Weil notes that breathing control, guided imagery, hypnotherapy, and meditation can raise your pain threshold, in part because they trigger the release of pain-fighting chemicals in the brain.  One of the suggestions for guided imagery that is being taught is for patients to relax deeply and then imagine dipping their hand in a powerful anesthetic and placing the hand on areas of the body that hurt.

Rethink your pain.  Pain is the firing of a nerve plus your response to it.  We’ve all read about athletes who have sustained incredible injuries during competitions only to ‘work through it’ and win.  People with chronic illnesses could have the very same kind of pain, but their responses may be very different.  Try to reexamine how you might be able to adjust your attitude in dealing with the pain.

Eat an anti-inflammatory diet.  Inflammation makes pain worse and an unhealthy diet prevents a nervous system in distress from healing.  Saturated and trans fats, sugars, and processed foods promote inflammation, so try to reduce these food items and eat more fruits, vegetables, cold-water fish and other foods high in omega-3s and walnuts.  Seasonings such as ginger and turmeric act as COX-2 inhibitors thereby reducing pain and inflammation.  (Some of the over-the-counter pain meds and some prescription ones work on this same principle.)  Be careful with turmeric if you have a blood-clotting disorder since it can thin the blood.

Try different natural remedies such as massage, movement therapies, and acupuncture.  One type of pain relief modality is the use of percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (PENS), in which an electric current is delivered to a site via acupuncture needles.  The electrical sensations often help reduce the bombardment of chronic pain signals from the nerve.

Do take pain medications.  Work with your provider to find a combination that is right for you and that will allow you to function as normal as possible in your daily life and to exercise.  The more you feel like engaging in life, the faster you will heal.

Seek help quickly and get your pain under control.  Living with chronic pain can trigger anxiety and depression which often only intensifies the pain.

Pain is not uncommon in our lives, but you can do something about it.  Also, remember to speak up for your family members who might have dementia, strokes, or other illnesses that prevent them from letting others know they are in pain.  These people often suffer needlessly when they have can’t speak for themselves.

Janet Wildeboor, RN, MS

Health Ministries Committee