For most people, chronic pain can be overwhelming. Not only does your body hurt, but it also changes your mood, your mind, and everything else. The effects of chronic pain are all consuming.
When clients come to my office with knee pain or hip pain or back pain, it’s usually not just that one isolated symptom. This person probably isn’t sleeping very well. Their digestion isn’t that great. Maybe they’re not even going to the bathroom every day, so they may be kind of constipated. The knee pain may be the spot where the chronic pain is felt, but not where the pain originated from.
So, in that respect I look at all the other symptoms that somebody’s experiencing and their history of things that they’ve experienced. We dive into things like:
- Surgeries that they’ve had, and medications that they’re taking as well as all blood work.
- Recent injuries or a previous injury that never quite healed.
- Any trauma’s incurred
- If they have had a recent or past infection
- A Diet log
Viruses as a root cause of chronic pain is often overlooked. But, because viruses secrete what is called a neurotoxin (this is when viruses feed on a poor diet and toxins ingested) they can attach onto nerve fibers that haven’t quite fully repaired, this can cause inflammation. For example, a patient may have had a case of Epstein–Barr in the past , or they’ve had shingles, which then can cause long-term effects like inflammation later down the line. This a bit oversimplified but you get the picture.
Chronic pain is not just physical, it’s also emotional
Beyond the physical pain, I work with my patients on the emotional impact as well, which is part of my unique approach as a restorative physician.
I suffered from the effects of chronic pain myself for many years, so I can relate to what my patients are feeling. This was one of the gifts I received. I remember first starting out and trying to be a doctor practicing when I was physically in so much pain which was causing me emotional stress as well. Back then, I was searching myself to try to find solutions and always searching to try to find an answer for the pain; I had to— how could I possibly help patients if I couldn’t even help myself?
These experiences connected me on another level, more deeply to a patient’s pain and suffering, because I can almost feel what they are feeling and have felt. It has given me insight into the psychological aspects of getting better. Your mind can stop you in your tracks. You start to think you’re not going to get better, and you’re never going to get better, and you want to quit, and you’re frustrated, and you’re anxious, and you feel lost, and that nobody can help you.
I get it.
I’ve been a long-time believer of food as medicine
Now that we’ve established the many ways chronic pain affects us, we must start to look to daily, doable solutions to mitigate it. One step at a time.
This is where food comes in. Eating a diet of fruits and vegetables along with herbs and supplements can be a great way to further reduce inflammation and chronic pain and finally overcome these issues.
I’ve seen how it works with my patients and myself. I have been a high plant based diet eater most of my life and although I have made various changes along the way, I have found I feel so much better physically and emotionally since making those changes. Now, I’m not saying you need to be vegan to get the benefits, you don’t—just make sure to incorporate fresh, organic fruits and vegetables into your diet everyday.
To help you understand the power of healthy foods I created the Immunity Guide. This free comprehensive guide shares what to do on a daily basis to start feeling better. It very much is a holistic approach putting all the pieces together to stop the effect of chronic pain.
You don’t need to suffer from the effects of chronic pain. Call me for an appointment, and I can help you start to get on track.
