Dealing with Pain
by Dana Ullman
"The great engineer of the
universe
has made man as perfectly as he could make him,
and he could not have invented a
better device
for his maintenance than to provide him
with a sense of pain." -- Rene Descartes
 Pain has been referred to as a
temporary condition caused by a deficiency of morphine. As preposterous as this
may sound, this statement actually isn't too far from the truth, for the body
does create its own opiate-like substances called endorphins that deaden pain.
Even Nancy Reagan wouldn't "say no" to these internal drugs. Luckily,
you can't get arrested for carrying opiate derivatives in your brain.
Pain is a very subjective
feeling. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as an
unpleasant sensory or emotional experience associated with actual or potential
tissue damage. Whatever the source or nature of the pain, it is calling, even
demanding, your attention. Pain is an inherent protective device that nature has
given us. It is sometimes difficult to acknowledge the value of pain while one
is experiencing its wrath. Still, pain is absolutely essential for the survival
of the human species. Among other benefits, it encourages us to learn from our
mistakes and to avoid potentially dangerous experiences. Seeking to understand
what it is saying is worthwhile, though not always easy.
The most common chronic pain
syndromes are backache, headache, joint pain, and pain from injury. Pain itself
is not a disease, but is a symptom of disease or injury. Simply treating the
pain doesn't necessarily change the condition, and this is why pain-killers offer
only short-term relief at best.
Conventional medical treatment
for pain usually consists of medication, nerve blocks, and surgery. Although
these approaches may provide certain benefits, they encourage you to be passive,
giving you a sense that you don't have much control over your own pain or your
own life.
The following strategies will
help you take greater control of your pain and hopefully eradicate it or at
least reduce it to more manageable levels. These strategies will help you manage
your pain before it manages you.
Breathe into the pain
Resisting pain can sometimes
aggravate it, just like trying to untie a knot by pulling at both ends. Taking a
deep abdominal breath into and through the pain can be relaxing and healing.
Focus your attention on the pain, and imagine you are inhaling and exhaling
through the primary site of pain. Breathing into the pain while doing yoga
exercises can provide additional therapeutic effects.
Get to the point
There are acupressure points all
over your body that can effectively reduce the pain and start the healing. The
best points are never precisely on the primary place of pain. Seek out
"trigger points" -- that is, points that seem hypersensitive to the
touch. Sometimes suitable points are around joints that are near the pain, and
sometimes they are on the other side of the body parallel to where the pain is.
Press the point firmly with your thumb for five seconds, release, and then
repeat the pressure several times.
Have a spicy life
Eat chili peppers. They contain
capsaicin that has been found to stimulate secretion of endorphins and reduce
the release of a neurotransmitter, substance P, which short-circuits the
perception of pain. There are also external ointments sold in health food stores
and pharmacies that contain capsaicin.
Coffee for pain relief
There is a good reason why most
aspirin tablets contain caffeine: It can block opiate receptors in the brain and
reduce the sensation of pain. Although coffee may provide this beneficial
effect, don't fool yourself into thinking that it is "curing" you. It
isn't, but it is providing temporary relief while you figure out deeper healing
strategies.
Dear Diary
Keep a pain journal. By
observing carefully when and where you experience pain, you can sometimes find
certain patterns to it, and then try to break or change these patterns. You may,
for instance, discover that you develop your symptoms when you don't get enough
sleep, don't get adequate physical exercise, miss a meal, eat certain foods, or
visit relatives.
Hypnotize yourself
Autohypnosis is a popular
technique for relaxation and can be used effectively for healing and pain
control. One hypnosis strategy, called glove anesthesia, is to put yourself in a
trance and imagine your hand to be numb, heavy, and wooden. Then, move your hand
to the part or parts of the body that feel pain, and imagine that those parts
are feeling similarly relaxed, heavy, and numb.
Exercise and exorcise the
demons out
Research has found that exercise
increases endorphin levels in the blood. The increase in these opiate-like
substances is one reason that athletes sometimes feel "high" when they
are exercising. Likewise, exercise may help reduce your pain. However, this
strategy should not be considered if exercise induces pain.
Massage the sole
Your feet, especially the
bottoms, have thousands of nerve endings, and by massaging them, you are
stimulating various parts of the body that the nerves feed, thus reducing pain.
The joy and relaxation that massaging the feet creates is good for the sole and
the soul.
Believe in belief
Whatever you do to relieve your
pain, believe in it and it will work better. Research has shown that
approximately 33 percent of people with pain experience relief of symptoms from
a placebo.
Distract yourself
Try not to let pain interfere
with your life. Keep busy with activities that require concentration so that you
can forget about your pain for a while.
 This
article was excerpted from
The One Minute (or so) Healer
by Dana Ullman, MPH.
Dana Ullman M.P.H. is widely recognized as the foremost spokesperson
for homeopathic medicine in the United States. He has authored many books including: The Consumer's Guide to Homeopathy, Homeopathy A-Z,
Discovering Homeopathy: Medicine for the 21st Century, and The One
Minute (or-so) Healer: Wisdom from the Sages, the Rosemaries & The
Times. He co-authored Everybody's Guide to Homeopathic Medicines.
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