Painless Ways to Be Pain-Free
By: Sally Abrahms
At age 34, Karin Miller was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. For the Boston, Massachusetts, lawyer and new mother, the most overwhelming part was not the physical pain, but the realization that she had a chronic, forever-to-be-reckoned-with disease.
Shortly after her diagnosis, Miller had an image of herself: getting increasingly sick and wheelchair-bound. “It was a moment of panic,” she recalls, “but then and there, I promised myself I was going to be positive and push myself in every way. I’m convinced that my attitude and activity have made the difference.” Today, Miller, 57, takes Pilates, yoga, walks or bikes. She is also on medication, has tried supplements, and is relatively pain-free.
Scientists and physicians have long confirmed the power of positivity and the mind-body connection, as well as the importance of staying active, as ways to fight pain. According to a University of California, San Francisco, study, those ages 50 to 59 with physical pain functioned similarly to people 80-89-years old who didn’t have pain. In their just-reported study, researchers discovered that mobility, stair climbing, and activities of daily life (bathing, dressing, eating) were performed comparably even though the age difference was as much as thirty years!
As we get older, slight aches can turn into severe pain, old injuries may flair up, and new conditions emerge. Everyone suffers. Pain accounts for billions of dollars in lost productivity and absenteeism annually. The National Institute of Health, in fact, is spending $291 this year on pain research [source: NIH Office of Budget reports that NIH will fund an estimated $287 million in pain-related research in Fiscal Year 2009 (which ends Sept. 30), rising to an estimated $291 million next year. Dan Ralbovsky, Office of Communications and Public Liaison, NIH, 301 496-5787]
Emotional pain and stress can also trigger physiological problems that cause pain, whether it’s a major depression, a metabolic change, irritable bowel syndrome, back pain, or headaches, for example. According to Dr. Scott Brady, a believer in the mind-body connection, author of Pain-Free for Life, and founder of the Brady Institute for Health at Florida Hospital, emotions are integrally tied to wellness. He contends that negative emotions such as anger can contribute to physical pain, and that understanding that anger can actually eliminate that pain. Dr. Brady suggests what he calls daily “depth journaling,” or writing to help identify repressed feelings and emotions from your past i.e. your childhood and/or current circumstances. You might ask: What am I angry or bothered about or frustrated by? What scares me? “Strong emotions are generally repressed. We’re pretty good at hiding them, but when they come out, the physical symptoms can fade away,” says Dr. Brady.
Here are more ways to be proactive about pain:
- Eat right and consider vitamins and supplements. Fiber, fruits and vegetables, foods rich in omega 3 fish oil or pills, and glucosamine, and chondroitin can keep you in tip-top shape.
- Sleep tight. Pain can keep you awake or interrupt your sleep, yet not getting enough can worsen pain. Being exhausted can lower your immune system and make you more vulnerable to pain.
- Get moving! We spend hours at the computer or sitting in our car. Getting up, stretching, and going for a quick walk will give your body a break and can even sharpen your mind.
What a Pain!
Check out these links: the American Chronic Pain Association (http://www.theacpa.org/), the National Institute of Health (http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2006/June/index.htm), National Sleep Foundation (www.sleepfoundation.org), American Pain Foundation (www.painfoundation.org), and National Pain Foundation (www.nationalpainfoundation.org).
Also, check out this video with additional wellness and fitness tips from Andrea Metcalf!
