by: Yvonne Madison, LMT / Researcher and Writer
*Applicable in-house Treatments and Services: Myotherapy Massage Therapy, Swedish Gymnastics, Mobility work, Contrast Therapy. Infrared therapies, Chromotherapy. (see disclaimer below as we do not treat, cure or diagnose medical conditions).
Taking care of our body’s and having the ‘know-how’ to identify what triggers certain conditions is so very vital for maintaining optimal health. Our day to day lives should be lived optimally, with the least amount of pain, and disruption as possible. This idea of it being okay to be in pain or to expect illness is so destructive and something that I’ve found that we really need to reverse. Let’s stop ‘normalizing’ sickly thinking’. Yes, there are very legitimate diagnoses that we have to consider, as time ages us and injuries and other factors become present, however, we have the ability to become more aware of triggers, habits, and tools that can help us become more in-tune with our health and wellness. It all begins with a stop by your doctor’s office for your next physical. Bloodwork and a physical are two great starting points for establishing a baseline for your health and knowing where to begin improving your current state of wellness. Like life, nothing is perfect. We are life. Our lives and health are a direct reflection of the lifestyles we’ve created. But no need to fear, Inquisitive Health & Wellness was created to help share knowledge and help clients feel better one day at a time through knowledge, awareness, and our wellness treatments and services. This week, across the nation, we’ve been hit with every weather pattern imaginable and with the change in weather comes a change in bodily function. Sometimes we ache more, physically. Emotionally, we may be in a more somber mood as the highlights of summer wind down. Mentally, we may also be more hypersensitive or more stoic as we think about the upcoming holiday’s. These common changes can be a bit distracting or even off-putting. I mean, hey, we all want a little bit of sunshine in our lives right? Well, I say all of this to say that Fall and Winter have been noted to be one of the busiest seasons for Myotherapists (LMT’s) like myself with helping those struggling, overcome these symptoms that can be associated with chronic pain. We’re here to help you!
Chronic and even acute inflammation is no joke! Even moreso, it’s one of those tricky conditions that can be spawned from so many lifestyle factors, including injury, diet, sleeping patterns, the immune system, or any other bodily function that could be contributing to this condition. Knowing your body inside and out can help you understand and create a roadmap for your body on how to address and improve it daily. Yes, you can manage chronic pain.
So I love me anecdotes, but in this case, I can give a real life account of what it means to live with chronic pain because I have for over 20 years. It’s tiring, it’s daunting, it’s debilitating, it’s everything BUT living. I remember going to my doctor and not even understanding why? Where could it have come from? Why at such a young age am I experiencing it? The doctor’s were baffled because they couldn’t really pin down the source of the problem. I recall taking a blood test to check for blood count and to make sure there were no irregularities of my immune system and …. well, nothing. How could that even be? Xrays and limited mobility told a different story. Now granted, there were a few injuries I had sustained and I figured the pain was residual from untreated injuries and areas where I had previously had surgery so maybe that had something to do with it. I was given some NSAIDs for the inflammation and sent home. This occured for several year. To manage the pain, I often worked out to get the numbing rush of energy and to even induce soreness which felt better than the dull aching of the underlying inflammation condition I had. Fast forward, I finally decided to introduce fasting into my lifestyle, which was NOT easy. But once I got into a grove (which was, again, not easy) I began noticing changes in my body which led to me identifying triggers. Some were dietary, and some were lifestyle and as simple as not stretching before strenuous works and adjusting things that were creating an inflammatory response in my body. Yes, the surgery areas that help much scar tissue were still at play but at least I had my answer. I was happy to report to my physician what I had been doing and my results and it will always stick in my head, something that the doctor told me. He said, not many people, or any that I’ve ever seen in my years of practice have come back to me proactively with a solution or part of one like you have. He said medicine wasn’t and didn’t need to be the 1st option, especially in cases like this were there wasn’t a medical emergency for me to need to take the medicine, but finding the root cause to avoid that was the question and answer. He said he was impressed and shuffled through my tracking logs and finding and compared xrays – to his surprise, also finding comparable differences in my bloodwork as well.
I’ll leave this by saying that we all need to get serious about our health. Stop self -diagnosing and wondering. Go and get a physical and bloodwork to see where you really stand and if anything is off that may be triggering an inflammatory response. Take a long hard look at your diet. I was a big dairy fan (mostly cheese), never milks or ice-creams though and realized that once I eliminated dairy alot of that triggered inflammation changed. Over 20 years later, I’m still managing my diet and my pain triggers. Now look, that’s just my story. Everyone will have their own, I just hope this inspires you to be more aware of your body. Don’t be scared of knowing. Then go, my friends, and take action. I will note that there were several more holistic therapies I was either prescribed (like physical therapy – which was my alternative to the medications that we had determined in my treatment plan should be used based on the pain scale. When we damn ourselves and submit to the ‘unknown’ we give up on our body’s and our body’s feel that. Literally. Let’s do better and live healthier!
I came across a pretty awesome YT video where Shawn Stevenson explains a few things around diet and inflammation. I enjoyed it and wanted to share to help you start the though process and discussion about this condition.
Not sure where to start on your Wellness and Lifestyle transformation journey? Give us a call for a Wellness consultation. I see many clients that struggle with chronic pain and massage therapy is so very manual and therapeutic helping work your body at a cellular level to help reduce the symptoms of this painful and nagging condition.
I remember in school we learned about the makeup of fat cells, the immune system and Pathology. This did a great job pulling those ideas together. Enjoy!
IQH Bodyworks 