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Pain

PAIN IS YOUR BODY TALKING TO YOU

 

Our body 'talks' to us all the time - it is a barometer guiding us to live and act in certain ways. When pain exists, there is injury - or something wrong -  the body needs rest, repair and attention. To mask pain with pain relief is ignoring the intelligence of our body asking for healing.

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RESOLVING INFLAMMATION

 

If you can resolve inflammation, you have pretty much succeeded in resolving your pain. Inflammation is at the core root of all pain and most body ailments.

 

The methods I have found to be most successful in removing inflammation include a combination of diet therapy, near infra red therapy and certain anti-inflammatory substances such as Tumeric, Ginger, Boswellia (Frankinsense) and  external application of DMSO. 

 

Tumeric has wonderful attributes - not only is it a potent anti-inflammatory natural herb, it also helps circulation, alleviates depression and aids digestion.

 

Near Infra Red (NIR) therapy is a total blessing for pain patients, yet few have discovered its benefits. It is an emerging therapy.

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NIR therapy requires deligent application (best 3 times weekly for chronic conditions- for sometimes up to 3 months for the most stubborn of conditions).  Acute pain resolves much more quickly.

 

NIR has been shown clinically to  remove inflammation, increase circulation and increase oxygenation. Additional to this, it has also been demonstrated to regenerate new tissue (perfect for healing painful injuries!)

 

Note - often chronic injuries can flare and get temporaily worse at the beginning of treatment as the healing response is activated. This soon passes. It usually takes 3 to 4 weeks for pain and inflammation to subside.

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It is imperitive to avoid sugar (and sugar containing foods) to stop the inflammatory reactions in the body. Wheat is also another pro- inflammatory food which is best avoided.

REST AND THE PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM

 

Pain heals quicker when the patient is in a relaxed, stress-free state. Stress induces a release of cortisol in the blood. High cortisol levels have been shown to increase inflammation and pain.

 

Reducing stress is not always an easy feat to achieve for someone in pain, as its a cyclic motion - pain causes stress and visa versa.  However, there are things that can be done to keep you in a state of parasympathetic dominance and calmness.

 

Some of these include -

 

  • Iris-phototherapy of blue, violet or purple light (maximum 30 seconds) above the pupillary border of the iris.

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  • Auricular acupuncture 

 

  • Massage

 

  • Hot showers and baths

 

  • Breathing exercises

 

  • Limit your commitments

 

  • Daydream, rest, sleep, catnap.

 

  • Gentle yoga.

 

  • Guided deep relaxation exercises (can be done by using an audio recording)

 

  • Sleep 8 hours per night (getting to bed by 10pm)

 

  • Magnesium oil rubbed on the body twice daily

 

  • Epsom salts hot baths with lavender and chammomile essential oils)

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Even though many of us know these practices, we rarely take the time and effort to apply them. They work!

SO HOW DO WE HEAL PAIN?

 

Whether the pain is from a short-term recent injury or a long standing chronic condition, there are certain common elements required to assist the body to heal itself.

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  • All pain needs rest (removal of stress)

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  • All pain requires good blood flow to the area.

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  • All pain needs to resolve inflammation.

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  • All pain requires nutrients (especially to nerves and connective tissue) to repair.

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  • All pain is assisted by the removal of lymphatic waste fluid build up in the area.

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  • All pain needs protection from further repeated self-injury.

GOOD LYMPHATIC FLOW

 

The lymph system is often poorly understood and under-rated for its importance. The lymph is responsible to carry wastes out of our system. If it is blocked and not circulating properly, wastes from imflammation and metabolic functions just can't escape. This prevents the resolving of inflammatory pain and causes swelling, puffiness, a type of 'fake fat' and fluid retention.

 

In pain patients, it's imperitive to move the fluid carrying wastes away from the pain site, so that fresh blood and circulation can get in to do its healing job.

 

The best methods I have found for this are -

 

 

  • Vibrational massage (This gently loosens lymph deposits and re-activates the lymph flow. Its also very pain-relieving.)

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  • Dry skin brushing (daily before showering, moving the gloves or brush in circular motions over joints, and then upwards along legs and arms towards lymph nodes). The lymph system lays just below the surface of the skin.

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  • Walking, moving and gentle rebounding on a mini-tramp (if it can be managed).

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  • Suction chinese cupping (if done gently and moving towards lymph nodes, can also assist in removal of lymph waste).

NUTRIENTS

 

What is our body without nutrients?  We need nutrients to move, digest, think, renew and also to heal injuries.

 

Pain, whether it be in a soft-tissue, bone or organ, requires  nutrients to repair and heal.

 

One of the most important of these nutrients is Magnesium. Its been shown that people with low magnesium levels have higher CRP (Creatine Reactive Protein) levels which is the bio-marker (measurer) for inflammation.

 

Some of my favourite nutrient supplements to help heal pain and inflammation -

 

  • MSM  (Read more here)

  • Vitamin D

  • Magnesium

  • Flax Seed Oil   (see Budwig Protocol)

  • Quercitin

  • Rosehip powder (read more here)

 

Collagen is also required to fix the 'matrix' of soft-tissue or of other tissue which is in pain. An excellent form of collagen is Bone Broth (for vegetarians try Hemp Seed, Bee Pollen and Whey Powder which also contain high levels of  amino acids to assist collagen repair).

You can learn more about the effects of Sugar and Grains on inflammation in your body by ordering these books from your library

 

Sugar Crush

The Grain Brain

PROTECTION FROM FURTHER INJURY

 

Often overlooked, pain is a form of injury, and too often we push on, taking on the well meaning advice of therapists, who recommend that we need to stretch, exercise and get on with living life. To a certain degree this is correct. However if your soft tissue has mini tears which are in the process of healing, they DO NOT need stretching. Over stretching will re-open the wound. The stretching can come later when the injury is healed.

 

Some tips to follow in the light of this -

 

  • Avoid carrying weights more than 5 kg.

 

  • If you exercise and stretch, make it gentle! (For now..)

 

  • Sometimes immobilizing an area by a splint or brace (even though its not a broken bone) can be extremely helpful to prevent the 're-tearing'.

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Allow 12 weeks to heal soft-tissue injuries. Treat them like bone injuries. They deserve the same attention, otherwise they become chronic, unhealed and troublesome.

Its useful to gauge the level of inflammation in your body. Time Magazine printed a cover story named 'Inflammation - The Silent Killer'. Its now recognized inflammation is at the core of virtually every disease, including pain.

 

You can find out the severity of your inflammation by certain blood tests (bio-markers for inflammation) from your doctor. The best is testing for Highly Sensitive CRP.

 

Also very helpful is a test of your ESR (Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate). Additionally, high neutrophil counts can also indicate inflammation. (See Live Blood Analysis)

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THE MECHANICS OF INFLAMMATION 

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When the body first undergoes a physical trauma, an invasion of a pathogen or threatening factor, the body will respond with acute inflammation. It is a protective defense mechanism to localize and eliminate the problem.

 

First,  blood vessels dialate so that blood flow is increased. The vessels then become permeable (leaky) to allow for clotting factors and white bloods cells (neutrophils) to enter the area. Neutrophils attempt to remove the problem and clotting factors attempt to stop the spread of the problem. This manifests in signs of heat, pain and swelling.

 

Normally, healing will occur naturally by cells regenerating themselves.  Fibrous scar tissue usually forms (even internally) and sometimes scar tissue can impede free flow of blood supply, making the area vulnerable to future inflammation and problems.

 

If the acute inflammation does not resolve, a chronic inflammation sets in. This is characterized by high numbers of macrophages, lymphocytes, and plasma cells. Macrophages are the main cells involved in chronic inflammation. and  cause more tissue damage. 

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After a period of time, chronic pain injuries will isolate themselves off from the rest of the body, by increased scarring and clotting resulting in a diminished blood supply to the area.

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In order for healing to be re-established, new blood needs to circulate continuously to the area to provide the oxygen and nutrients needed for repair.

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GOOD BLOOD FLOW

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Good blood flow can be achieved by -

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  • Avoiding sitting for too  long.

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  • Move around throughout the day

 

  • Exercise - walking, riding, swimming, gardening, (but not excessive exercising or stretching)

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  • Tai Chi  or gentle yoga will keep blood flowing

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  • HEAT is excellent to keep the blood flowing (Infra Red saunas, Infra Red ray lamps, hot water bottles, hot wheat packs, hot showers and baths).

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  • Avoid COLD. It constricts blood vessels.

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  • Rub circulatory stimulants onto the skin (DMSO, Cayenne pepper oil, essential oils such as Black Pepper, Ginger, Rosemary, Wintergreen, Peppermint)

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  • Hot Ginger compresses (made from hot ginger tea over the area)

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  • Keep your diet free from junk food, sugar, excessive dairy, wheat and meats, which all make blood sticky and clotty.

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Please Contact Me

If You Want to Know More

 

or Would Like To Book  A Series of Sessions

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Contact Here

WHAT IS AN IDEAL DIET FOR PAIN & INFLAMED PEOPLE?

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Before Breakfast, Gentle Exercise

Breakfast - A Protein Shake with Pea Protein, Linseed, Sunflower seeds, Almond Milk & Berries

Lunch - Tuna & Salad

Dinner - Salmon & Green Vegetables

Dessert - Yoghurt & Berries

Snacks - Raw Nuts

NATURAL PAIN RELIEF

 

Even though I do not advocate the use of excessive pain relief (as it can mask the need for healing - and if medicated, can be higly addictive and harmful in other ways), I do recognize the need to curb down the peak intensity of pain at times, as the healing is in action.

 

For this reason, I advocate natural pain relief in preference to medicated pharmaceutical substances.

 

Here are some herbal analgesics which I have noted to work effectively (depending on pain levels and dose taken) -

 

  • Californian Poppy Extract

 

  • Jamaican Dogwood Extract

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  • White Willow Bark (the original plant for making aspirin)

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  • Corydalis (Chinese herb)

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SAGE ACUPUNCTURE and LIGHT THERAPIES

Safe  Natural  Effective Therapy

contact@light-acupuncture.com

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4 Mortlock St, Hamilton Hill,

W. Australia. 6163

Ph - 0437 968 277 

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