What do I look like, a lab rat?

It seems I have become my mother’s science experiment. I have suggested to her that if she wants to test out her methods, she ought to go and find someone else, thank you very much. “But I can’t do it on anyone else,” she has protested in reposnse.

Oy.

Mind you, I have no problem with the theoretical idea of giving my mom feedback about whether I am feeling better or not. But her invasive, detailed inquiries make the “name that number” on the 1-10 pain scale seem like heaps of fun.

Let me tell you about pain: It hurts. Period, end of issue. I’ll tell you if it’s mild or intense, and I’ll tell you if I’m feeling better or worse, but that’s as far as I’m going. Don’t ask me to peg it to a number on a chart or ask me to tell you the percentage of pain reduction I’ve experienced since you started your voo-doo magic. Doing so gives me a headache.

Plus, check this out: Doing so keeps me focused on pain. And the more I’m focused on pain – trying to figure out if I still have it, and if so, where and in what dose – the more I’m sensing, ie, feeling, pain. When I’m self healing, to the contrary, I’m specifically not focusing on pain. I’m focusing on healing.

I honestly don’t give a rat’s ass if it’s the anti-inflammatory diet or the healthy sleep habits or the exercise or the dancing or the energy healing or the positive affirmations or the whatever that is making me better. All I give a shit about is that I am getting better. And If I am getting better, and if the methods I’m utilizing promote overall healthy living as well, then heck, I’m just gonna keep on doing what I’m doing.

I also don’t have the diagnostic ability to determine which of the myriad of synergistic methods are doing the trick. That, in fact, is why complementary and alternative medicine is such a bad match for gold standard scientific studies: How the hell can you make a control group for all the different factors that go into organically healthy living? Must one group eat M&Ms all day long, while another eats organic vegan this-or-that?

Lastly, what I don’t think my mom is aware of is that when I have told her repeatedly that all I need is for her to send me love and healing, and that I’ll inform her if she needs to know about something; and when she keeps trying to talk about her latest approach and find out how it impacted me – or, as she did yesterday and today – when I can tell she’s dying to talk about it, but instead she talks around it, implying the desperate question she’s not spelling out – she’s making my healing be all about her.

And that’s exactly what practitioner after practitioner was busy doing when they “accidentally” injured me: They weren’t listening. They were busy trying to fit me into their method, instead of exploring if/how their method could fit me. Because that’s how they wanted the method to work. Or they were busy getting ego-bruised when I told them I needed gentler touch, instead of just reducing the pressure on my sensitive body. A number of them even tried to convince me that the pain was good and part of my healing.

Get this straight: When it comes to working with me on healing, it’s my way or the highway. Becuase It’s. My. Body.

A few months ago, I interviewed James Dillard, MD, for an article on how doctors can work effectively with chronic pain patients. I love one thing he said very clearly: “When you’re in the room with that patient, it is 100% about them and 0% about you.”

Amen brother.

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It helps me to remember that nothing in life is stagnant. Everything has the power and potential to change in an instant. And when we bring our intelligence, love, and arsenal of resources to a situation, we can turn it around — both promptly and radically.

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In addition, I have for the most part recovered from the thigh/groin injury I sustained working with a personal trainer about half a year ago. So I’m ready to get back in the saddle and once more pursue taking my natural pain relief to the next level: becoming athletic again.

In my late teens and 20s, I jogged up to 12 miles at a shot, swam up to 6 miles at a shot, and biked up to 60 miles at a shot. I hiked, camped, trained in full-contact self-defense, and danced for hours and hours straight – with little or no break in-between.  I feel fear when I think about biking or hiking today, because I never know if I might experience a pain flare when I’m far from home — which will make it difficult to get back to safety. But as I have challenged myself before, I intend to once again move forward in baby steps:

For example, I can bike on the roads, not on the beach, until I feel strong enough to get back on the path. And instead of hiking out into the hills, I can begin by walking on the beach or staying within half a mile of the parking lot in nature areas.

I have this vision of myself: I wake up at 6:30 am, eat breakfast, drink coffee, take a hot shower,  do a gentle morning dance routine, bike about 6-9 miles, then come back and do gentle Feldenkrais and physical therapy exercises with weights, until about 9:30 am. At that time, I start my work day, taking a break mid-day, at about 2:00 pm, do a longer dance routine, and go for a walk. I continue working until about 6:00 pm, when I eat dinner and relax for the evening, going out a few times a night. I start winding down at about 10:00 pm, doing meditation and some gentle movement, and I go to sleep around 11:00 pm.

The problem is that I have this stubborn resistance to going to sleep before the early morning hours. But I’m going to keep putting it out there that I want to change my ways, and I’m going to keep setting my mind on this new lifestyle, until I manifest it. I’ll keep you posted how it goes. But now, I’m going to get my ass into some biking shorts and go for a gentle ride.

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Keep in mind that, as Adam/DreamHealer says, natural pain relief is a practice — like playing piano well or excelling at a sport. There are good days and bad days. But chances are that the more we keep at it, the better we will get and the easier it will become over time.

For the downswings, I find it useful to keep a list on the refrigerator with a natural pain relief toolbox written out — including things as diverse as dancing, taking a hot shower, meditating, calling friends, and blogging. Consider taking a minute to think about what’s in your natural pain relief toolbox and write it up, then put it in a place where you are sure to see it. And remember: Natural pain relief is a journey. Don’t let anyone psych you out of your healing path just because of an off day or week.

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For methods that involve practitioners, always take the time to interview practitioners ahead of time, even if doing so is a pain in the ass and delays your ability to begin. Ideally you want to work with someone who has a lot of experience with clients who have chronic pain and hypersensitivity. Regardless, be clear about your needs for extra care, and stay discerning as you move ahead with anyone.

Even someone who seems fantastic in an interview may not make the cut when dealing with your particular needs. Bring your bullshit detector along to every session. You deserve the utmost care, sensitivity, and responsiveness. Don’t stop looking until you find it!

No matter what you do and with whom you do it, remember to listen to your body, and stay out of your pain zones. Move slowly and gently, and if your pain jacks up, back off. Err on the side of caution. You can always add intensity, but you can’t take it away once you’ve crossed the line and gone too far. 

1. Acupressure
2. Acupuncture
3. Anti-inflammatory diet
4. Aromatherapy
5. Cranio-sacral therapy
6. Dance
7. Exercise of any sort
8. Feldenkrais
9. Omega 3 fish oil supplement
10. Guided imagery
11. Massage
12. Meditation
13. MSM supplement
14. Physical therapy
15. Qi gong
16. Reiki
17. Sound healing through music
18. Walking on sand
19. Yoga
20. Zyflamend supplement

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For years before discovering dance, I toted this book around with me whenever I traveled and was away from my bodyworker crew. It was a lifesaver. Sometimes I had dramatic results from following guidance in the book. For example, when I had excruciating knee pain a number of years ago, I sat in a hot bath and pressed the acupressure points recommended for knee pain. I heard a chiropractic-like crack, and my knee was suddenly back in alignment and pain free!

Then there was the time that I was poisoned by carbon monoxide and suffering from horrible dizziness. I pressed a point recommended in the book for headaches, dizziness, and nausea, and whamo! It cleared within minutes.

I did take an acupressure class at a local school before using this book. Actually, it was at the Acupressure Institute, founded by the author of this book (which is where I got it). I found it helpful to have that foundational information at my fingertips (as it were). I also had received a few years of acupressure therapy by then, so I was very familiar with it.

This all goes to say, I cannot vouch for how effective the book is if you don’t know diddly about acupressure. I would say that the most important thing to keep in mind is that you don’t have to do it perfectly, and you certainly don’t have to press hard, for acupressure to be effective. Some people claim you have to press till it hurts, but from my experience, that’s not only a load of crap, but a dangerous attitude. Pressing hard on my body has actually caused pain that lingers, whereas pressing lightly has relieved pain.

Anyhow, this is definitely one of those bible-type books I recommend having as a reference for natural pain relief.

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Regardless, all of these methods have been helpful to one extent or another for myself, as well as for other people in pain. And the way I see it, scientific data is fairly irrelevant to my own body. Even if 98% of people are helped by one method, I may be that other 2%, whereas if 98% of people are not helped by another method, I still may be that other 2%.

As long as a method has very low risk, and as long as we practice it with the utmost safety in mind — ie, as long as we and the practitioners with whom we work really listen and respond to our bodies – then we can check out various options, in the interest of putting together our own personal action plan for natural pain relief. 

Anti-inflammatory diet

A lot of pain is caused by inflammation. By increasing the intake of foods and spices that lower inflammation (salmon, flax seeds, tumeric) and by reducing the intake of foods that cause inflammation (most notably, sugar) we can reduce inflammation, and therefore, pain.  

Aromatherapy

Anything that increases our sense of pleasure has the potential to shift our experience of pain – whether by distracting our attention or by taking the edge off the “pain-pain-pain” neuronal pathway in our brain. 

Conscious breathing

Breath is the spirit of life. By becoming aware of where our breath moves freely and where it feels stuck; by visualizing our breath as a warm, gentle mist permeating the hard places in our bodies; and by experiencing our breath as fingers touching and softening areas in pain, breath can help reduce or eliminate our pain levels. In addition, by slowing down our breathing and making our exhales longer than our inhales, we can lower the panic response that often accompanies an episode of intense pain.

Dance

Not only has dance profoundly healed my own body, but I have by now met three people who have gone from bedridden or wheelchair bound to walking, through dance. The essential concept to keep in mind is that we never, ever move parts of our body that are in pain, but rather, we move the parts of our body that feel comfortable — even if initially that place is only in our imagination. And so we retrain our brain to experience movement as pleasure, not pain.

Exercise

In a nutshell, use it or lose it. As with dance, be careful to move in ways that gently expand the comfort zone, instead of barrelling through pain. Among other benefits, exercise increases the natural pain-reducing chemicals in the brain. So the more you exercise (again, safely), the better you can feel.

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