| |
Beyond
the Pain Barrier
Introduction
Pain, particularly chronic
pain, is much more than a neurological
response, a simple cause-and-effect. It
is a complex physical, emotional,
intellectual, environmental and social
response to damage, disease or distress.
While most pain becomes evident with
nerve or tissue damage, the origins of
some pain may be emotional, intellectual
or even spiritual.
Pain is a common human experience and yet
we don't really know what someone else's
pain is like. Pain is personal; we all
feel and respond to it differently and
our tolerance levels vary. What is
painful for one might be dismissed as
insignificant by another. Long-term pain,
or chronic pain, can be a lonely
experience and sufferers can feel
isolated and powerless.
Perhaps the most destructive aspect of
chronic pain is the way it steadily
erodes and fragments the life force of
the person in pain. The pain sufferer can
lose a sense of being in charge of their
life, becoming reactive and increasingly
powerless, devitalised and demoralised.
By its very nature pain can affect all
aspects of the sufferer's life - their
relationship with themselves and with
others, their finances and, if they are
able to work, their work performance.
In the range of help available to the
chronic pain sufferer, there is a vast
resource that is potentially and
consistently the most powerful of all.
This is the mind. In combination with
appropriate therapies, the healing power
of the mind gives us access to enduring,
effective pain management.
The body-mind network
Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI),
a science that integrates neuroscience,
endocrinology and immunology, establishes
that the nervous, endocrine and immune
systems are functionally integrated. What
all three systems have in common is they
each have a number of locations
throughout the head and body and they
'speak' to each other in a biochemical
language. PNI makes it clear that the
mind and body contain interrelated
components of the same system that
historically has been located only in the
head and attributed only to the workings
of the brain.
Pain affects more than the nervous system
and brain because the mind network
extends far beyond this. This mind is a
communications network of hormones,
chemicals and cells that move throughout
the head and body. These biochemical
couriers carry and deliver 'mind
messages' as they travel through the head
and body via the cardiac highway, the
circuitry of neuronal synapses and the
rivers of the lymph, cerebrospinal fluid
and other extracellular fluids.
Beyond the physical body is an energy
body called the aura or etheric body. The
aura surrounds the body in an oval shape.
In the average person it is between two
and three metres across at its widest
point and comprises several layers. It
also includes a number of energy centres
called chakras. Emotions, thoughts and
states of being, including pain, also
exist in the energy field around the
body. Bio-energetic changes flow on
throughout the entire system, including
the etheric.
In good health, this psychosomatic
network is in a dynamic state, a series
of friendly conversations throughout the
bodymind to create a constant flow of
information, feedback and response to
maintain homeostasis (balance). In the
chronic pain sufferer, the communication
system is 'down', conversations cease or
become distorted, the flow of information
is restricted or blocked.
Pain pathways
Pain generally begins with
neurological or tissue damage, though
this isn't always where pain begins.
Depending on the type of pain, messages
travel at different speeds and are stored
in different parts of the brain. Pain is
broadly categorised as acute or chronic,
though even these distinctions can become
blurred. Acute pain is sharp and
insistent, caused, for example, by a
heavy blow or fall, an infection or a
bite, which eases as the injury heals. It
doesn't last more than a few days. The
acute pain pathway involves pain
receptors reacting to tissue damage. The
information is sent along the faster
A-delta nerve fibres, through the dorsal
horn in the spinal cord. The acute pain
message is then passed along the
neospinothalamic pathway to parts of the
brain called the thalamus and the cortex.
Chronic pain is long-term. It can present
after the acute pain of an injury or
surgery has healed. In the case of
disease, it may increase in intensity as
the disease progresses. Chronic pain can
be neuropathic (nerve), inflammatory,
ischaemic (circulatory blockage causing
diminished blood supply), visceral
(internal organs), musculoskeletal
(muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones) or
psychological. In chronic pain, messages
are relayed along C nerve fibres, which
transmit more slowly along the
paleospinothalamic pathway. Its final
destination in the brain is different
from that of acute pain. Chronic pain is
registered in the hypothalamus and limbic
parts of the brain.
The brain's response to pain is an area
currently under investigation. There is
still much to be substantiated. What is
known is that the limbic system,
sometimes called the primitive brain
because it deals with survival and
emotions, is part of the pain pathway.
When pain messages are received in the
brain, the limbic system sends messages
to the periaqueductal gray (PAG), a part
of the brain stem, which is filled with
opiate receptors. The PAG acts as a sort
of analgesic dispensary and these
'natural painkillers' are then sent to
the site of pain.
Ligands and receptors
Receptors are sensing
molecules found on cell walls. The ligand
is the chemical partner of the receptor.
It binds with the receptor to cause a
chemical change that results in a
biological response. There are three
types of ligand: neurotransmitters,
steroids and peptides. Ligands, broadly
speaking, are the couriers in the
bodymind network; they travel throughout
the nervous, endocrine and immune systems
to find the particular receptor they
'click' into.
Natural ligands are produced in parts of
the brain and at other sites throughout
the body. The natural ligands of
particular interest to the pain sufferer
are epinephrine (also called adrenalin),
norepinephrine (noradrenalin), cortisol,
serotonin and endorphins. These ligands
all play a vital role in alleviating
pain, lifting depression, normalising
biochemistry and promoting healing.
Ligands to help the pain sufferer can
also be synthesised in a laboratory. For
example, morphine and codeine are some of
the synthetic opioids used to treat pain.
Another group of drugs produced to help
with inflammatory pain are NSAIDs
(non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).
Researched & Compiled by William
Brien
Post-traumatic stress
disorder
Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD) or Post-Traumatic Stress
Syndrome (PTSS) are terms that describe a
number of unpleasant symptoms,
psychological and physiological, that can
develop after a painful event such as a
serious car accident or repeated surgery.
If left untreated, symptoms can persist
and even escalate long after the trauma.
PTSD can add to the pain and suffering of
someone who has been injured or badly
traumatised, but not everyone develops
PTSD.
As well as the physiological trauma
suffered at the time of the event, there
may be psychological trauma stored within
the bodymind. For the person with PTSD,
symptoms and sometimes memories of the
trauma will keep replaying, sometimes at
the slightest provocation. While PTSD
isn't fully understood, it is believed
that repeated post-trauma arousal may
cause damaging changes to the nerve
fibres in the limbic brain. The
post-traumatic response isn't clear-cut
but the following states can be
identified and individuals may at times
exhibit a combination of these.
Hypervigilance is the result of elevated
levels of catecholamines (adrenalin and
noradrenalin) and cortisol, the
fight/flight hormones. It is a state of
full alert, ready to fight or flee. Heart
and respiration rates are elevated and
there is a release of extra glucose into
the bloodstream. When trauma has not been
treated, relatively minor events can
continue to trigger this arousal in what
can seem to be an exaggerated reaction.
Dizziness, shakiness and trembling may be
felt. The individual is bio-chemically
re-traumatised, which results in further
emotional arousal, insomnia, irritability
and anxiety. Repeated episodes of
hypervigilance may lower cortisol levels
in the long term.
Freezing or numbing affects the
individual by creating tension deep
within the body. It affects respiration
and fluid movement. In this state the
level of neurotransmitters tends to be
low. In the frozen state, the individual
will have a tight chest with shallow
respiration, a rigidity or stiffness to
their posture and appear to be
emotionally numb. Freezing affects
homeostasis by restricting the flow of
cerebrospinal fluid, lymph and other
extracellular fluids, thus restricting an
already depleted supply of neuropeptides
throughout the bodymind network.
Dissociation is caused by excess levels
of adrenalin and endorphins,
neurotransmitters that affect memory, and
can result in amnesia of sorts. The
person will be forgetful, depressed,
disconnected and lacking motivation.
These people may not feel very good but
can't identify what is wrong and they may
not be fully aware of pain. The pain
sufferer becomes disconnected from the
bodymind network and the ability to
manage pain. It dulls the pain but also
nullifies personal power and volition.
Psychological trauma in many cases
accompanies physiological trauma. Someone
who has been injured in a car accident
will have possibly experienced fear,
confusion and feeling out of control at
the time of injury. Emotional states can
become stored with the physical pain.
Just as the nervous system responds to
injury by setting off a chain of chemical
reactions, so too the emotions that
accompany a traumatic event produce an
energetic pattern and a chemical response
when injury occurs. Candace B. Pert,
author of Molecules of Emotion, provides
an explanation for the interrelatedness
of energy, emotions and body states. She
describes some ligands and their
receptors as the biochemical substrate of
emotion. For those with PTSD, emotional
reactions become part of a cellular and
etheric memory, locked in until there is
a conscious release. The cortex, the
conscious, thinking part of the brain,
and limbic system, in part responsible
for survival instincts and emotions, are
both involved in the experience of trauma
and pain.
Stored trauma, hurt and shock and the
emotions that go with them remain
subconscious until we do something to
release the 'charge'. Does this awful
stockpiling contribute to insidious
diseases such as cancer, Parkinson's
disease, MS, fibro-myalgia, chronic
fatigue and chronic myofacial pain
syndrome? The bodymind reaches a state of
dysfunction and is unable to revive
itself. Energetic patterns are distorted,
bio-feedback is blocked, nerve pathways
are broken, receptors wait in vain for
ligands to 'fire-up' the cell into
healing and pain-alleviating action and
the pain state gets worse.
Emotional repercussions
Pain is rarely confined to
aching, stabbing, burning or gnawing felt
in the body. It often blurs into feelings
of anguish, despair, anger and futility.
Mind and body, thoughts and feelings mesh
together in a series of unhappy
reciprocal interactions. Exhaustion
following a poor night's sleep can lower
tolerance to pain. Lowered tolerance can
make interaction with others and
maintaining daily activities seem too
difficult. Depressive withdrawal and
inactivity may appear to be the only way
to cope. This will, in turn, affect
biochemistry, mood and pain levels.
The psychology of pain explains, in part,
the factors that influence our experience
of pain and recovery. The Olympic athlete
with a painful chronic injury who is very
likely to win an event has greater
motivation and purpose to heal their pain
than an injured worker who hates a job
where they feel undervalued and
underpaid. The athlete is motivated,
feels important and, with a support team
behind them, has much to gain by winning
the event. The worker sees nothing to be
gained by getting well and getting back
to work. The emotions felt by the athlete
and the worker will influence the pain
state, which will have repercussions
throughout their bodymind network.
The body can be the repository for
repressed or denied emotions and
thoughts. The body speaks a language all
of its own. Learning to interpret this
language gives us insight and a means to
help heal disease and injury. Louise Hay,
in her book Heal Your Body, makes a
connection between disease and belief
systems. The pain of the psyche can
present ultimately in the physical body.
Hay speaks of how she healed her vaginal
cancer by mentally and physically
cleansing deep resentment she had
harboured in her body, mind and heart
since being sexually abused as a child.
Healing
Pain is a warning signal
that something is wrong, so it is
important that you establish as clearly
as possible the causes of your pain, both
physical and metaphysical, in order to
treat it most effectively. It may take
time to change your pain. If you have had
pain for a number of months or even
years, you will have developed a pain
habit. The pain will have become part of
your life. There will be a certain degree
of psychological dependence, as well as
possible drug dependence, so taking
charge of your pain needs to be a slow
and steady process.
A combination of therapies -- meditation,
clinical nutrition, movement and body
therapy, psychology, subtle energy
therapies and medicine -- will support,
empower and encourage you to get your
life back. Self-awareness is the key. It
turns the tide on the wave of
powerlessness that threatens to engulf
the chronic pain sufferer. Taking charge
of your pain empowers you to take charge
of your life again.
Acute pain tends to be a more obvious
cause and effect. Chronic pain is more
complex and a lack of information or a
wrong self-diagnosis can result in the
wrong treatment. At best this may be a
waste of time, effort and money; at worst
it may delay proper treatment and this
could be fatal. For example, pain felt in
the chest that is thought to be
indigestion could be cardiac dysfunction.
Ask your doctor or specialist to explain
X-rays, test results and procedures.
Identify where your pain is coming from
and, where possible, what is causing it.
Understand how your drug therapy works
and be aware of any contra-indications.
Many synthetic opiates block the body's
natural response, so you may be able to
plan to reduce or even eliminate pain
medication under the supervision of your
doctor. Many of these drugs are addictive
and can have side effects. Morphine, for
example, inhibits the production of the
brain's own natural pain-killing ligands
- enkephalins and endorphins.
Seek other opinions and enlist other
health practitioners, such as a
naturopath, herbalist or homoeopath. If
they too prescribe remedies, be sure that
all your health practitioners know what
you are taking and doing. Herbal
remedies, nutritional supplements,
homoeopathics and allopathic medicine
don't always combine well. For example,
if you are taking pharmaceutical
medication for depression and the herb St
John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum), you
will be running the risk of a serotonin
storm. An overdose of serotonin may
increase dissociative states. Some drug
and herbal medicine combinations can be
fatal.
Counselling and
psychotherapy
Disease and injury are not
simply bad luck. Thoughts and feelings
are energy, which causes biochemical
reactions in the psychosomatic network.
There is no such thing as a bad or
negative emotion. Love, anger, joy and
grief all have a place in our emotional
repertoire. An emotion that is repressed
or denied could be considered unhealthy
rather than bad. This pent-up energy has
an effect on respiration, cardiac
efficiency, bodymind chemistry and the
etheric field. Repressed or denied
emotions cause breakdowns in the
communications network of the nervous
system, endocrine system, immune system
and etheric body.
A less obvious but still significant
emotional trauma can emerge from the
circumstances around chronic pain. Anger,
bitterness and resentment may be part of
the pain of someone who has been disabled
by pain and can no longer earn enough
money to support themselves. Raymond B.
Flannery, author of Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder, suggests that some chronic pain
is psychological in nature. He calls it a
somatoform disorder. Somatoform disorders
are those disorders in which a person's
psychological distress is expressed in
bodily symptoms rather than in words,
feelings, or recurring thoughts. This
pain may have no apparent cause, but it
is nonetheless real.
Psychotherapy can help you identify and
release such health-damaging energy by
changing belief systems, behaviour and
emotional responses. The counselling
process provides you with a trained
listener with whom you can share your
thoughts without censorship.
Self-discovery and solutions emerge.
Counselling, art therapy, psychotherapy,
psychology, or psychiatry will encourage
you to release submerged emotions.
Discussion and processing will bring to
your conscious awareness the beliefs that
affect your pain levels and recovery
rate.
Meditation and breathing
Meditation is perhaps one of
the greatest analgesics available. The
particular benefits of meditation for the
pain sufferer are:
It changes brain
waves. It is believed that
'natural pain killers' serotonin
and endorphins are produced by
the body while in alpha and theta
states.
It helps integrate
all your therapies. Meditation
communicates with all levels and
aspects of who you are. It
unifies body, mind, heart and
spirit and provides you with a
powerful synergy.
It brings you into
the moment. Time can become
blurred for the chronic pain
sufferer in remembering past pain
and preparing for future pain.
Meditation can do much to stem
this energy-depleting behaviour
by focusing attention on the
moment, the here and now.
Meditation
potentiates change. Meditation is
a time-out zone, a space in which
anything is possible. It provides
a gateway into a space and time
separate and different from what
you know. It is a place where
things can be re-ordered,
regenerated.
Conscious breathing.
This does more than oxygenate the
body and boost the production of
opiates. It restores life force -
known as chi or prana, among
others - that sustains all
aspects of who we are - physical,
mental, emotional and spiritual.
It encourages you to
face yourself and live
consciously. In the stillness of
meditation you have an
opportunity to be more aware of
your inner self. Just as a cloudy
glass of water will settle and
clear if left undisturbed,
meditation will bring recognition
and clarity.
You don't have to
make this journey alone. As you
heal your pain, you can draw on
Universal Life Energy (Source,
God/Goddess) with every breath
you take. There can be much
comfort, solace and inspiration
in connecting with this energy.
Clinical nutrition
Help your body produce its
own opioids and anti-inflammatories. See
a naturopath or herbalist. Clinical
nutrition can, at the very least, improve
your nutritional state. Nutritional
deficiencies will affect healing and
mood. Some pain states can be exacerbated
by a deficiency of macro- and/or
micro-nutrients. A deficiency of
magnesium, for example, may cause muscle
cramps and spasms.
It is known that some nutritional or
herbal supplements decrease the side
effects of drugs. In some cases,
supplements will help the body produce
its own opiates and moderate inflammatory
pain. Tryptophan (a precursor to
serotonin) will decrease the perception
of pain and DL Phenylalanine will
potentiate the effect of opiates. Zinc,
GLA/EPA and Vitamin C are nutritional
modulators of the inflammatory pain
cycle.
This Web site is intended
for Australian residents and is not a
substitute for independent professional
advice. Information and interactions
contained in this Web site are for
information purposes only and are not
intended to be used to diagnose, treat,
cure or prevent any disease. Further, the
accuracy, currency and completeness of
the information available on this Web
site cannot be guaranteed. Lifestyle Home
Services, Its Affiliates or agents do not
accept any liability for any injury, loss
or damage incurred by use of or reliance
on the information made available via or
through this Website whether arising from
negligence or otherwise.
|
Certified Organic
Healthy Lifestyle Choices
|
