Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.
As we saw in the last article,
there are many causes of chronic pain from prescription painkillers to Lyme
disease. Most chronic pain patients have no idea where to start to search for
help. Unfortunately, most doctors are just as clueless.
A study of European and American
medical colleges found that most undergraduate medical colleges have no
mandatory courses for studying pain. Even the ones that do have compulsory
courses, they represent just twelve hours of credit in the total six year program.
Unfortunately, my quick review of chiropractic colleges did not show any better
results. When physicians are presented with chronic pain patients, their first
response is to resort to what they know: prescription drugs. We know from many
studies and common sense that prescription pain killers to nothing to affect
the underlying cause of chronic pain.
There are multiple non-drug
options for those with chronic pain. Obviously first on my list would be
chiropractic care. According to a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine,
funded by the National Institutes of Health, patients with neck pain who used a
chiropractor and exercise were more than twice as likely to be pain free after
twelve weeks compared to those who took medication.
Massage is another procedure to
add to chiropractic care. Massage releases endorphins which help to induce
relaxation and relieve pain. It can slow the heart rate, respirations and
metabolism, as well as lowering blood pressure.
Acupuncture has also shown a
definite effect in reducing chronic pain better than standard pain treatment.
Physical therapy/exercise is
another highly effective modality for pain rehabilitation.
Chiropractic care
and exercise are shown to be better than either one individually. Part of
chiropractic care should be posture analysis and correction. By strengthening
the back and core, you can move better and feel better.
Dietary changes should always be
a part of the discussion in chronic pain. What you eat has major consequences
on how you feel. Ask any person that has lost a significant amount of weight,
and you will get a first had account of how much better they feel with less
body mass.
When you have chronic pain, you
must change your diet. Get rid of the processed foods. They not only contain
excess sugar and additives, but also most likely have lots of omega 6 fats,
which cause inflammation in your body. Eliminate almost all grains and sugars,
especially fructose, from your diet. This will lower insulin and leptin levels,
which are profound stimulators of pain.
Add more omega 3 fats such as
krill oil to your diet. These counteract the bad omega 6 fats that cause
inflammation. Omega 3 fats are anti-inflammatory.
Also, optimize your vitamin D
levels. High levels of vitamin D work on many systems to reduce pain.
There are also natural pain
killer from Mother Nature. All of the following help reduce either inflammation
or pain in some way: ginger, curcumin, boswellia, bromelain, cetyl myristoleate
(CMO) – found in fish and dairy butter; evening primrose, black currant and
borage oils; and cayenne cream, or capsaicin cream as well as an EFAC cream.
Try them all to see what may work for you. After all, if you have chronic pain
you have probably tried many “mainstream” cures that did not work. At least
these have no side effects.