Our relationship with pain

Our relationship with pain

As I was driving home from dropping the kids off at school, I heard on the radio a doctor speaking about seniors and addictions. He was also speaking about addiction in general and how the majority of addiction stems from our relationship with pain. Although he lightly touched on this subject, I thought it was very intriguing. What is our relationship with pain? 

Let me throw some numbers at you. 5.1 million Americans reported use of prescription pain killers for non-medical purposes. That data was collected in one month. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 2 million people in the United States alone are addicted to prescription opiates. 3 out of 10 teens do not believe that prescription opiates are addictive. 1 in 12 high school seniors reported past-year non medical use of prescription pain reliever Vicodin. The total number of opiate prescriptions dispensed by retail pharmacies in the US rose from 76 million in 1991 to 210 million in 2010. The abuse of opiates has been on the rise, but why? It's because of our relationship with pain.

When you hear the word "pain" do you see that as a negative word or a positive word? When I was in school we were taught not to use the word "pain" and instead say "discomfort" because when we would say "pain" it triggered a negative response instead of a constructive one. From a young age, we are taught to fear pain, because well, it hurts! It's not fun or enjoyable. We have become a people of comfort. A people so focused on having a good time, that we are now afraid to feel pain whether it be physical, emotional, or psychological. This has also turned us into a people of addiction.

One of the reasons I became a massage therapist is because I wanted to help people be healthy. However after interning at a hospital for 8 months, I discovered that western medicine is doing it all wrong. Yes, emergency medical procedures are vital, and I respect that as a needed part of our society. However, I also saw many people who could have been quickly fixed, but they spent weeks, and countless thousands of dollars on unneeded treatment and drugs. ( Bear with me as my granola crunching hippie side comes out.) I discovered alternative medicine provided a preventative and long term solution to many ailments. 

The use of pain killers is getting out of hand. When I went in to get my wisdom teeth out a year ago, I was prescribed a month worth of Vicodin to help with my pain. On average it takes about three days to recover from getting wisdom teeth out. Doctors more and more are prescribing outrageous amounts of pain killers as compassion treatment. They don't want people to be uncomfortable, so they cover up the pain with opiates, but this only exacerbates the problem. Our bodies feel pain because there is something wrong. It's crying out for help. By taking opiates, it just covers up the discomfort, however the problem is still present. An extreme metaphor would be to take a crying baby and cover it with a blanket and lock it in a room. The problem is still there, but you can ignore it for a while.

So what are our alternatives? Here are some tips to help you transition from covering up a problem to finding a solution!

Tip 1: Find the problem!

When you feel pain, don't try to ignore it! You need to record what you are feeling. Specifically where is the pain located? What type of pain is it? What makes it better? What makes it worse? Bring this information to a chiropractor, massage therapist, acupuncturist, or even a Chinese medicine doctor. As a professional, we know the difference between a problem we can treat and one we can't. I will gladly refer my clients to doctors if I know it's out of my scope of practice. By coming to alternative medicine first however, you prevent unneeded prescriptions and tests. (With all medical emergencies call 911.)

Tip 2: Get addicted to something healthy!

More times than not chronic pain occurs in those who are not leading a healthy lifestyle. If your insides are not healthy your outsides won't be either. Analyze your nutrition, exercise, and relaxation habits. Are you eating good food? Are you exercising regularly? Are you giving your body time to relax and heal itself? Each of these are very important to fighting pain. If you need help, seek out professionals. Personal trainers, massage therapists, and nutritionists are all there to help you feel better. No judgement! 

Tip 3: Educate!

I cannot stress this enough. Educate yourself and your kids! We need to know that there are better alternatives to what we have now! I can't tell you how may times my kids have told me they need pain killers or sleeping pills. Every time I tell them that there are better ways to feel better. Show your kids how to massage their feet to fall asleep, or how to use foam rolling to relieve back pain. The more we know, the better off we are!  

If you are struggling with a drug addiction, call this number or reach out to a local clinic for help.

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What a pain! (Part5)

What a Pain (part 5)

In this final chapter of my five part series on pain management we will be covering nerve compression. If you are feeling an intense pain in your spine, please go see your doctor, as it could be signs of a herniated disk or other serious injuries.

Nerve compression or a pinched nerve is a painful experience. Most pinched nerves happen in one of two places, the neck/ shoulder or the sacrum/ hips. These two areas are homes to some of the biggest nerves in your body. Your sciatic nerve runs down by your hips, and the Axillary nerve runs through your shoulder to your deltoid. When these nerves get pinched, you can feel a localized pain, but it is also very common to feel referral pains as well. For example, many people who have sciatic pain feel it radiate down the side of their leg and into their knee.



Pinched nerves are often caused by muscles pressing into a nerve. Imagine your nerve as a cat, specifically their tail. A healthy nerve can send signals to your brain, like a cat flicking their tail. However, if you apply pressure to them, they will let out a pain signal. The same as if you accidentally stepped on a cats tail. There is an initial OUCH! moment, often followed up with lingering discomfort in the area. That is an example of a momentary nerve compression. Now imagine if you maintained pressure on a cats tail. They would probably get very angry and lash out to try to get you to get your foot off. The same maintains with nerve pinching. The nerve is going to "lash out" or send pain signals to the brain to try to get the pressure removed from them.


A smart teacher of mine used to continuously say, " The body is very smart, but the body is very dumb." The body is smart by sending these pain signals to try to get the muscles to release. However, the body is dumb, because in response to this pain signal it tells the body to protect itself by tightening the muscles around that area. So if the body is being dumb, how do you get rid of this compression? First lets review why there is pressure in the first place.


The pressure you feel is caused my muscles contracting and not letting go. With this motion, the nerve is pushed between two muscles. The body then tells the muscles to protect itself, so they tighten up even more, making a continuous loop of OUCH! However if you can isolate the muscle that is causing the pinching, there are some remedies to help the muscles let go and therefore get rid of the compressed nerve. Here are some tips to help relieve a compressed nerve.


Tip 1: Massage

I know I say it a lot, but I am a firm believer in massage therapy. A massage therapist will be able to easily pinpoint the muscles causing the compression, and can loosen up the muscles to relieve the pressure on the nerve. With maintenance, one massage a month can get rid of a lot of discomfort.


Tip 2: Breathing techniques

Are you a chest breather? If you are, you probably also get migraines or headaches. Practice safe breathing. Our body is made to use our diaphragm to breathe. In fact, that is the diaphragms only job! When you breathe you should be able to see your stomach move in and out, like a baby breathing. We have been taught to use our scalene muscles to breathe so that our bellies don't poke out. However, that leave a huge job to tiny muscles, that happen to sit on top of a huge bundle of nerves. So, as much as possible breathe with your belly not your chest! Watch this informative video on how to breathe!

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What a pain! (Part 4)

What a pain! (part 4)

Welcome to part four of my four part series written on pain management. Today we will be going over dull and achy pains. This type of pain is usually a sign of a long term injury or the healing of an injury. Often times it is hard to describe as anything else but dull and achy. It is the type of uncomfortable pain that makes you want to just sit on your couch all day and become one with the fabric. If you do get up and move, it is always lingering in the back of your mind, and after a while you just get used to it. This pain can often be attributed to chronic pain diseases some of which are listed in the chart below.

You caught me on this one, I don't have some hocus pocus way to magically make your pain go away over night. However, with new daily health techniques you can combat the pain, and make it easier on yourself. About two years ago, I was suffering from ovarian cysts, which caused extreme and constant pain in my pelvis, low back, and stomach. I had been dealing with this kind of pain since I was about 13 years old, and I also suffered from migraines and constant headaches. But after my doctor told me I may have endometriosis or PCOS I decided I needed to make a lifestyle change. After thorough research and partnering with many health gurus, I changed my diet and exercise, and began taking supplements to help my body heal itself. Since I made this change, I have only had one flare up in two years, and I am in better shape than I have ever been in!

Now you have to make the decision, am I done living in pain? If so, here are some helpful tips to begin helping your body heal itself.

Tip 1: Reduce inflammation

It's all about inflammation! When you start to feel achy or dull pains, it is often a sign of inflammation in your body. Depending on your diet, you could be putting food in your body that causes inflammation, such as caffeine, alcohol, red meats, and acidic foods. Look into supplementing these foods with another food. For example, switching from ground beef to ground turkey.  Small changes like this can help reduce the amount of inflammation in your body, not to mention they are healthier alternatives. Below is a list of foods that help reduce inflammation

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Tip 2: Supplements

I am an all believer in the magic of a multivitamin. But Brandi, if I have enough vegetables and fruits in my diet I should have enough vitamins. No. The argument that multivitamins creates expensive urine also doesn't fly with me. Yes, you may have lots of vitamins in your diet, however, they do not equate to your recommended daily amounts. And yes, when you take multivitamins some may end up going down the toilet, but would you rather be running on half full? If you don't believe how important multivitamins are, do an experiment. Track your moods for one month. After that month, take a multivitamin and see if your moods get better or worse. I can almost guarantee they will get better, because your body is now running on a full tank of gas.

Tip 3: Mental health

Your mind is a very powerful part of your body. If you are in poor spirits, it is more likely for you to feel this dull and achy pain. To improve this, try guided meditations 3 times a week. Remember, with this type of pain, you need to fix the inside before the outside can heal. Here is a good guided meditation for chronic pain.

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