The Pain Problem

According to an article in The Back Letter, from 1996 to 2006, the total amount spent on prescription pain killers has more than tripled.  We now spend $13.2 billion on these medications every year.  The researchers are not certain, but they believe that the trend is due to increased utilization as a result of higher rates of obesity, higher perceived stress levels, and a generally poorer American lifestyle.  I’m certain all this is true, but as someone who deals in peoples’ pain every day, I find it important to understand what pain really is in order to better deal with it.

Regardless of a person’s condition, understand that the pain is not really the problem.  Pain is merely a symptom of a problem.  Think of pain as your own personal smoke alarm or check engine light.  We are hard wired through our nervous system to feel pain at a brain level most every time that we have dysfunction or some kind of imbalance in our body.  In other words, pain is there to alert us that something is not right and to keep us from doing even more damage to that injured area.  So again I say that the pain is not the problem.  And any time you are taking a pain reliever, you are merely covering up the symptom of the real problem.  It is exactly like shutting off the smoke alarm and going back to bed.

So what should you do if you are in pain?  Find the problem.  Often times the pain can be the result of something you are doing repeatedly or a problem in your lifestyle (diet, exercise, stress).  It could be something from work, the way you sit, or the way you sleep.  If you can’t find the problem, make certain you find a doctor, chiropractor, therapist, etc. who does.  Do not settle for pain pills as a solution.  Pain is often the result of inflammation (swelling) in the body.  People who are in chronic pain need to deal with the chronic inflammation.  This is where changes in diet, beginning light exercise, reducing stress, improving sleep are all critical.  Drinking more water and reducing sugars, grains, and corn/vegetable oils can be effective as well.  As I’ve said so many times, the omega 3 fatty acids that are found in fish and krill oils are essential and necessary for reducing any inflammatory process in the body.  One thing is for certain; continuing to take increased amounts of pain pills is not solving the problem.