Almost ten percent of the American population suffers with non-cancer related chronic pain, and an even larger percentage of the population medicates their emotional, as well as physical pain with overuse of prescription pain relievers. Pop star Michael Jackson’s recent death serves to highlight the abuse of prescription pain medications.
We spoke with recognized chronic pain management expert, Dr. Richard Materson, President of the Institute of Spirituality and Health, about the subject.
Chronic pain is different from acute pain, which is what most doctors treat, says Masterson. Acute pain results from damage to bodily tissue, such as the severe burns Jackson suffered to his head from the 1984 Pepsi commercial accident. Physicians typically treat acute pain with a pain prescription until the tissue or bones are healed and the pain gone. In contrast, chronic pain is neurologically located “all in your head,” Materson explains. Nonetheless it has a damaging effect on the patient, until the patient understands the nature of the pain and learns how to cope.“People remember their pain,” he explains. “The brain stores the memory. When neurons in the brain are affected those cells keep firing long after the real reason for the pain has healed and gone away; this can make other cells that are related to that area hypersensitive. The next time the patient gets hurt in the same area, not only does that person feel it, but the pain can be double or triple that of the pain first experienced and the patient becomes hyper-vigilant.”
The body’s natural defense is to pull away and to avoid doing anything that might aggravate the pain, says Masterson. The patient minimizes movement which can range from just lazing about the house to not getting out of bed.
Additionally, when people don’t know the cause of the pain, they often blame themselves which can trigger depression; they become miserable and are unpleasant to be around, causing family and friends to ignore and avoid them. The patient begins to drop out of life’s usual experiences and responsibilities, like work and play.
“My experience is most of these people are really, genuinely frightened. The biggest fear is that the doctor doesn’t believe them, and is missing a cancer or some bad thing—which is very rarely the case. They have to be convinced of the reality of chronic pain and how it works, and that millions of people have beaten it.”
“To treat chronic pain safely,” Masterson continues, “you use a tailored regimen acceptable to the patient, perhaps including cognitive behavior therapy, meditation therapies, and physical modalities like ice, heat and massage – techniques that allow you to relax the mind.” Additional treatments can include acupuncture, chiropractic sessions and different types of movement therapies.
One exercise, a form of cognitive behavior therapy, includes the patient giving the pain a descriptive color, size and shape. The patient observes it and notices over time that it goes from a bright color to a duller shade; it gets smaller and is slowly cooling down and going away.
The goal is to reprogram the pain message, and it’s a learning process. “The brains cells may fire, and say, ‘toothache, toothache.’” Materson says. “In the past you had a horrible headache; you couldn’t go about your job. Now you experience it and say, ‘Yeah, every now and then that tooth is more sensitive, but I don’t pay attention to it.’ We reprogram our computers all the time. This involves reprogramming our thinking.”
“The goal is to understand the pain, not be afraid of it and to use things which are effective for the patient. There is a whole smorgasbord of non-pharmacologic treatments which change the physiology of the body in a positive way, reduce suffering, and allow people to be functional despite an awareness of a disagreeable sensation. The message is always, ‘You’re going to beat this. You’re going to be fully functional.’”
The goal is to reprogram the pain message, and it’s a learning process. “The brains cells may fire, and say, ‘toothache, toothache.’” Materson says. “In the past you had a horrible headache; you couldn’t go about your job. Now you experience it and say, ‘Yeah, every now and then that tooth is more sensitive, but I don’t pay attention to it.’ We reprogram our computers all the time. This involves reprogramming our thinking.”
Dependency on narcotics is not the only or the best way to treat chronic pain. There are better, safer and effective ways of coping. Learn more at the Institute for Spirituality and Health, www.ish-tmc.org.
Author’s Note: This appeared in the September 2009 issue of Change.