When I saw the Five Steps for Pain Relief article posted by Arthritis Today, I felt pleased with the information in general. There’s a lot of good info in this article. I encourage you to read it carefully when you leave here. But first, keep these things in mind:
#1) Step 1: Learn about your arthritis pain. First off, you need to learn about whatever pain you have. Some people who read this Health Matters Show blog may have Arthritis, but the large majority have either Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Both of those conditions are associated with chronic pain, too. The best thing that you can do is read positively-slanted material which espouses the opinion that getting control of your pain is possible and necessary. If you can manage to do that without resorting to high-powered pain drugs, you will be further ahead.
#2) Step 2: Rehabilitate your body. Now this is important, but not always easily accomplished if simply walking across the floor leaves you in agonizing pain. You can aim for rehabilitation, but take it slowly as your body improves. This point also lists:
• Regaining posture. (This is doable, but it is not such an important issue with Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.)
• Exercising. (This is very important, but exercise at a pace that does not trigger a cascade of symptoms or a worsening of your overall health.)
• Finding solutions. The article seems to only state the problems concerning this point, but let’s go a step further. Whether you have arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or some other chronic pain condition, constant pain does make living a regular life that much more difficult, if not impossible. Finding solutions may be the key in truly conquering your illness and they can include: diet adjustment, the type of exercise that you do, re-evaluating your sleep pattern (e.g. where you sleep, the conditions, the bed, the time period before sleep, supplements like Melatonin to encourage a more normal sleep pattern, etc. etc.) There are many answers and solutions!
#3) Step 3: Help yourself at home. Their basic suggestions for helping yourself are for learning how to use heat and cold applications for arthritis. Some of these same ideas can be applied likewise for easing Fibromyalgia symptoms, although not too many people tolerate cold therapy well.
Personally… I will warn you about getting into too hot a temperture water. Hot water easily can trigger an immune system reaction and you don’t want that!
Arthritis Today’s third suggestion in this category is rest, but with a different slant. They suggest that rest can help to ease the symptoms of inflammation. I’m not sure I’m onboard with that, but either way, your body needs adequate rest when it’s fighting to stay healthy, so you can consider this point valuable from that standpoint. Rest is truly a necessary requirement, if you have more of a Chronic Fatigue Syndrome presentation to your illness.
Plus, some people do have an inflammation component to what they are fighting if they also have autoimmune symptoms going on, too. Adequate relaxation and rest cannot be the “only” friends of your health, but they are necessary components if you are to obtain long term good health along the way of living a sensible and healthy lifestyle.
Step 4: Consult nonphysicians. Well, of course, I like this one. As the creator of Sacred Cellular Healing and as an ordained minister, I am certainly a non-physician who is trying to help people get well from chronic pain and illness. Yes, most people do need to consult a doctor for diagnosis and overall medical needs, but often their greatest help and progress lies with what they learn about themselves and what types of alternative theologies they endorse and seek out to get well.
I invite you to investigate Sacred Cellular Healing and the exciting Learn How to Heal Yourself membership course, which is designed for those folks who want to learn more about their own bodies, how to get well and how to stay well long term. I developed this course specially for people like you. Just think… when and if you learn how to heal yourself, you’ll be able to get in charge and stay more fully in charge of your health for the rest of your life!
This Arthritis Today article also suggests that you partake in acupuncture, massage and ultrasound. The first two therapies I have recommended for a long time, but the third I haven’t spoken about specifically. I used to get heat ultrasound treatments at my chiropractor and they helped greatly when I was having increased pain and inflammation in a certain area. This type of therapy feels good. 
Step 5: Calm the mind to calm the body. The first two suggestions in this category are very worthy: hypnosis and biofeedback. They can be of great benefit in dealing with any chronic pain condition -or- health condition, for that matter.
The third suggestion is Cognitive Behavior Therapy and I’ll blog more about that tomorrow, specifically for my UK friends who suffer with ME/CFS and who get cognitive behavior therapy applied to their health unwillingly.
Hint… come back on Friday’s Health Matters Show blog and podcast to get more information about this hot topic!
No matter how you view these 5 steps or suggestions, there is much good information here. Pick and choose what you will use; apply at will. Just be sure to listen to the small, tiny voice inside of you that is whispering to you and advising you about what is good and healthy and what is not. Sometimes, simple is best. Sometimes, different is best. But surely, long term use of strong, pain-killing prescription drugs may not be in your best interest. They are just easier when you feel desperate. Go the extra mile and don’t stop with that one answer.
Wishing you good and recovering health,
Cinda Crawford, host of the Health Matters Show
PS- here’s the direct link to “Five Steps to Pain Relief” by Arthritis Today for your further reading. Also, don’t forget to come back to the show on Friday to learn more about CBT. If you think you might forget, sign up to get new email post alerts on the right hand side of the website, or sign up to get the podcast from i-Tunes.
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