Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.
Coming into this New Year, many
people are faced with the same old chronic pain of last year. It is estimated
that some 100 million adults in the United States suffers from chronic pain.
That is more people than diabetes, heart disease, and cancer combined.
There are many causes of chronic
pain. Sometimes it is associated with a specific injury, event, or disease such
as a back injury, infection, and arthritis. Other times, there is no clear
medical cause, and the pain simply continues on for weeks to years. Low back
pain, headaches, and nerve pains commonly fit into this category.
Chronic back pain is the leading
cause of disability in America. It interferes with quality of life and work
productivity. According to the American Pain Foundation: 59% reported an impact
on their overall enjoyment of life; 77% reported depression; 70% say they have
trouble concentrating, and 86% report an inability to sleep well due to their
pain.
Dr. Mercola has identified six
common pain triggers that most people overlook. Few people want to be told that
their pain is psychological or emotional in origin, but there is quite a bit of
evidence to show this can be the case in some peoples’ pain situation. A Doctor
John Sarno specialized in treating patients who already had surgery on the low
back, with no relief. He had an 80% success rate using emotional techniques to
relieve these peoples’ pain.
Painkillers are, ironically, one of
the most common causes of chronic pain. They are prescribed by most physicians
to treat pain, but end up causing more pain. How? Simply put, their
effectiveness is shown to wear off over time. In one study, patients reported
only 30% of the original amount of relief after just several months of regular
pain killer usage. Once the effectiveness is lessened, most people
instinctively start taking more and more pills, even though they no longer
provide the relief they once did. The worst side effect from painkillers is
that they diminish the body’s drive to breathe. Add some alcohol, and you may
go to sleep and not wake up again. This happens more than you know.
A third impact of chronic pain is
poor sleep. The circadian rhythms drive your biological activity at the
cellular level. Sleep is when your body repairs and grows; something crucial to
recovering from pain. In a British study of adults over 50, poor sleep was the
greatest predictor of a person having pain. Better sleep equals less pain.
A leaky gut can have a significant
impact on pain. Common foods such as grains increase intestinal permeability.
This allows unwanted particles into the bloodstream, which can lead to
inflammation and chronic pain.
A serious magnesium deficiency can
also lead to pain. One of the main roles of magnesium is to block the brain’s
receptors of glutamate, a neurotransmitter that may cause your nerves to become
hypersensitive to pain. Roughly 80% of Americans are deficient in magnesium.
Stress and prescription drugs deplete magnesium in the body, making chronic
pain patients even more vulnerable.
And lastly, Lyme disease must be
considered in chronic pain cases. This is one bad disease, and with it comes
many co-infections and chronic pains. Be sure to rule this out if you have
chronic pain.
Next week, we’ll look at what can
be done naturally for chronic pain patients.