Chronic Pain: Don’t Just Manage It, Eliminate It for Good
By Michael Prevec
Anyone with chronic pain knows very well the toll it can take on your life. Every day can be a challenge. Chronic pain doesn’t just affect a person physically, but can also change a person’s outlook on life; not knowing if you will ever be without pain. Often there is no one to turn to who can understand your daily experience. All you want is to have your pain free life back and to feel healthy once again.
Chronic pain sufferers often rely on painkillers just to get through the day and many Primary Care Providers have no answers to why you hurt; they just prescribe higher doses or switch the patient to another type of painkiller. Painkillers just work on the symptom, not the cause; they are a way to keep a person functioning, which is why they are not a solution for the problem. And, when the painkillers stop working, your left with no relief from the pain. Unfortunately, chronic pain is a very poorly managed condition. This is because it is a subjective experience, and often, there appears to be no direct cause for the pain such as with migraine headaches or fibromyalgia. Physically, a person could appear 100% normal, but be living with pain so severe that they find it hard to enjoy life.
In 2005 I was involved in a serious motor vehicle accident. Over the course of 18 months I received treatment including; acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, & physical therapy. While these therapies helped me recover from the acute injury to the point where I could function and live a normal life, I was left with chronic back & shoulder pain. At first the pain was mild and I could manage the pain during flare ups, but after over time it began to wear on me. The stress of going to school and working began to take a toll. Rarely was I not in some kind of pain. I would use whatever I could to manage flare-ups, while trying to recover in remission periods. In the end, I realized I was not taking care of myself. I had to make some changes to my life and start taking better care of myself. I also had to find and treat the root cause of my pain, not just the pain itself.
Traditional Chinese Medicine has been used for thousands of years to treat many chronic conditions including pain. It is a holistic medicine that treats the whole person, not just the parts. By using acupuncture, herbs, therapeutic massage, as well as other modalities, Chinese medicine can help bring the whole body back into balance. Here at An Shen Wellness Clinic, we specialize in treating chronic pain. Having experienced chronic pain for myself, I understand what my patients are going through; how much of an affect their pain is having on their life. Treating the pain alone will not solve the problem.
Our approach is to treat the root cause of the pain, not just the pain itself.
The first step in the healing process is to create a space for healing to begin. At An Shen Wellness Clinic, we provide a comfortable and relaxing environment for our patients. The next step is to treat the pain itself. When the patient can experience relief from pain, they can see a pain free future. Next we look for the root cause of the pain. Is it an old injury that was never treated correctly? Is the patient holding on to a past trauma? Using Chinese medicine theory, we can treat the imbalances within the body, mind, & Spirit. Finally, we will work with the patient to make the appropriate lifestyle changes that will be most beneficial to the patient. The very best results come when the patient can take control of their own healing.
