5 Important Truths that will shift your Pain Forever

5 Important Truths that will shift your Pain Forever will change your perspective on pain.

Science is constantly evolving. Medicine and science are entering a new paradigm and with that, new ideas emerge. Staying up to date and becoming aware of these new options is almost impossible. So let me help you out a bit.

"To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science."
~Albert Einstein~

#1 Nobody knows what pain really is

We have one word for something that is so diverse, so complex and has so many different interpretations, that it is impossible to pin it down.

Pain definition from the dictionary:

1. An unpleasant feeling occurring as a result of injury or disease, usually localized in some part of the body.
2. Bodily suffering characterized by such feelings.
3. Mental or emotional suffering; distress.

The answer to what pain is depends on who you ask. We already know the description from a dictionary.

This is how the Stanford school of medicine describes pain:
“Because perception and tolerance of pain vary widely from individual to individual, pain is difficult to define and describe. Essentially, pain is the way your brain interprets information about a particular sensation that your body is experiencing. Information (or "signals") about this painful sensation are sent via nerve pathways to your brain. The way in which your brain interprets these signals as "pain" can be affected by many outside factors, some of which can be controlled by special techniques.”

So far we have learned it’s a feeling, usually unpleasant, a particular sensation that the brain will or will not interpret as “PAIN” depending on what other incoming signals are affecting the particular sensation.

Asking a person in pain to describe pain will not get us a simple answer either. Because “Pain” can be hundreds of different sensations, in fact, it is different for each individual and even for each individual, it can be different from moment to moment. But they will always use sensations to describe pain, such as sharp, hot, tingling, stabbing, cold, shooting, burning etc. So what makes these sensations, that can be experienced without being labeled as pain, to be experienced as pain?

Ask a specialist and it will depend on her or his specialty. Nerve pain, joint pain, muscular pain, referred pain etc.

Ask an acupuncturist or Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner and your answer will be completely different again.

Then there is physical pain and emotional pain. But emotional pain is definitely a physical experience, and physical pain is absolutely an emotional experience.

I am sure you are getting my point.

Are you confused yet? Good, because pain is complicated. What you have been made to believe is that pain should be tracked down and, when the culprit is found, should be cut out or treated accordingly. Presto! You are fixed and whole again. But if they can’t find the source of your pain, then it’s ‘in your head’. You have to learn to live with it, take heavy duty medication to numb the pain and hope it is manageable.

Why is it good news that nobody really knows what pain is?

Pain is an individually interpreted signal causing an individual sensation. The intensity of the sensation is what we call pain. Pain is NOT a diagnosis. Although it is a popular label, pain is a symptom. It means there is more to discover about pain and, in the last decade, science is making progress in understanding a little more about the complexity of pain.
It means you can get a handle on your pain by learning more about it, understanding your own pain better and looking for all the ‘signals’ involved that can affect your pain, not just where you think it’s coming from.

#2 Pain is a symptom, not a diagnosis

“You have Chronic Pain”, sounds like a permanent label, a diagnosis, a life sentence.
“There is nothing we can do for you. We can’t find anything wrong with you”, just means that medicine can’t find the problem. It doesn’t mean there is no problem. It means they are looking in the wrong place for it!
Pain is a symptom, a signal your body uses to warn you that there is an imbalance

that needs attention.
The good news about this truth is that once any serious, acute conditions have been ruled out, you can be at ease and start looking for answers where regular medicine does not look. All the body’s systems work together to maintain balance. Find out where you are out of balance. Pain is likely not your only symptom. Don’t stay focused on your pain, look beyond it.

#3 We are only looking at the tip of the iceberg

We look for answers in the physical body when we are dealing with pain and disease. But the physical body is only the tip of the iceberg. Underneath the water line lies the bulk of the mountain of ice that is grossly overlooked. We are more than just a body.

What we don’t realize is that just because we don’t have any symptoms, it does not mean we are healthy! Health and wellness are a daily responsibility that not only incorporates looking after your body but also means tending to your emotional, mental and spiritual health. Even before you experienced pain or any other symptoms, your body may have been struggling to maintain balance.
Pain can result from all kinds of underlying issues, physical, emotional, or mental, of which you are unaware. Start paying attention to your emotional, mental and spiritual state of mind.

#4 You are not helpless, just Unaware

Medical science has made incredible progress over the last 100 years and with the help of new technology discoveries have increased our life expectancy.
However, our quality of life and overall health is not increasing. Why?
Medicine is based on a linear and reductionist science. For example, when you have high blood pressure, your numbers are checked, you are given a drug to lower the number, et voila, blood pressure is normal again. But is the problem really addressed?

We have beliefs about health, disease, and pain that are inaccurate. We have been conditioned to behave a certain way: when we get sick, we need to see a doctor. The doctor will make us better. We basically put our health in the hands of medicine and we trust the medical system to prevent disease.

We think that as long as we exercise regularly, eat a certain way and get regular physical checkups we will be safe. It is a false sense of security. Although it is absolutely true that exercise and diet are important for your health, it only takes care of a small part of what is important for our health, as I explained in the previous truth.

Don’t believe everything you are told or what you think you know about pain or disease. Be skeptical, investigate, research. Lifestyle, habits, behaviors, beliefs and repetitive thoughts that you are unaware of could be limiting you from getting healthy. Open your mind; learn about other options; find health care practitioners with a broader perspective. Don’t believe you are helpless. Take back your responsibility for your own health.

#5 Complimentary health care is really primary health care

We have been conditioned to believe that western medicine is real health care, while all other approaches fall into the realm of quacks, alternative, woo woo, and are simply not to be taken seriously. Even though some alternative therapies like Yoga or Mindfulness are recognized as helpful, they are seen as a last resort rather than a standard treatment. Fortunately, research has proven that Mindfulness programs and types of Yoga are amazingly effective in pain reduction. Use of acupressure points and meridians to decrease pain can be effective as well. Don’t just write off these options.

It is crucial to recognize complementary treatments as a primary treatment option in addition to seeing a doctor. In fact, I strongly recommend trying out different treatments and seeking the advice of skilled professionals before you even have problems. Remember, health is something you need to work on every day, and often we don’t recognize or notice our body’s subtle signals telling us we are out of balance.

We get desensitized to discomforts and just live with it. It becomes the norm to be tired all the time, to feel bloated, to have little aches and pains. We dismiss it; it’s inconvenient. We do the same with our mental health; stress, anxiety, unhappiness, sadness or depression is just part of life. It becomes the norm and we don’t even strive for joy and happiness. We become numb, disconnected from our body and mind.

Nothing is more important than staying connected. Pain, disease, and depression can be prevented. It’s much easier to prevent than to cure. Learn how to listen to your body again and train your mind.

There are so many options for you to explore: Yoga, Meditation, many types of Massage, Reflexology, Acupuncture, Chinese medicine, Qigong, Tai Chi, Naturopathic Medicine. This list really is endless.

Don’t make ‘the alternative’ your last option, make it your primary choice before you have a real problem. Make it your responsibility to stay connected with your body and stay healthy.