Re: Exercise Appears to Ease Nerve-Damage Pain in Rat Study

[Guest guest]

It does help some people

some of the time, I'm one of them... but it assumes an ability

to actually undertake the required exercise and I have to say

that sometimes this is just not possible....neither is it

sustainable in the longer term. It can and does sometimes

provide some temporary pain relief but no reversal of the

neuropathy itself.

[Guest guest]

My situation is a bit off topic here as it pertains to myself (we have adopted a child with HIV) but just in case it might be slightly interesting or encouraging to someone….I became ill while pregnant and lost the baby at nearly seven months of pregnancy. The way I knew that I was ill was that I woke up with a horrendous headache at 4am. The problem was that it didn't go away for over a year and a half. The pain stayed and was very resistant to pain meds and it nearly knocked me out of functioning. They tried me on migraine meds which made things even worse and they wanted to put me on prednisone. I was afraid of long term meds and weight gain etc so I refused to be a guinea pig anymore. I was miserable and in so much pain but I am also very stubborn, lol! My doctor told me that if I didn't do something for the pain that I would deplete all of my seratonin and I would likely head towards depression. I asked what I could do to increase the seratonin naturally and she suggested exercise but added that it would be too hard to do with the headache pain. I was determined to beat that stupid headache and I got on the treadmill. It was excruciating to exercise at first…every step hurt like crazy but eventually I found that it was starting to lighten up. I had to chime in here because I wanted to say that I religiously worked out every single morning (the more I revved the heart rate the more pain relief I got) until I had to stop due to another pregnancy. I was so afraid that the headache would return….but it was completely gone! My neurologist said that they were looking for something to hit the re-set button so to speak on the pain and it appears that the exercise accomplished that. http://www.adreamadoption.blogspot.com From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of ZedakahSent: Friday, June 08, 2012 3:06 AM Subject: Re: Exercise Appears to Ease Nerve-Damage Pain in Rat Study It does help some people some of the time, I'm one of them... but it assumes an ability to actually undertake the required exercise and I have to say that sometimes this is just not possible....neither is it sustainable in the longer term. It can and does sometimes provide some temporary pain relief but no reversal of the neuropathy itself.

[Guest guest]

Congratulations , both on your new family member (and for taking that on) and for persevering to defeat the headache. Another and complementary approach is massage therapy from a CMT who really understands upper back / neck / head muscles and nerves, and how to relieve headaches. In the mid-1980s I was having headaches that were so intense and persistent that the strongest narcotic painkillers didn't work. I called the Sonoma Mission in Sonoma north of San Francisco (where I was then living) and asked them to find an appropriate CMT for me. I drove up in agony. I had four massages over a 7-day period, along with long walks, swimming, working out at their fitness facility, and hanging out in the hot tub. By the end of the week the headache was gone and it has NEVER RETURNED.

Where I can get benefit from exercise or massage or a change in nutritional patterns rather than adding yet another drug, I much prefer to do that. So -- -- if you have a return of the headache you might try massage. But find a CMT who has extensive experience dealing with that problem. may have recommendations.

As for your new child -- to be adopted and loved and cared for with a condition that imposed before birth is truly a blessing. I note that in India the massage of babies, using warm oil, is a millennia old practice. It helps to stimulate normal neurological development, causes profound relaxation, and gives great pleasure to the infant. I highly recommend that you learn the technique and add this very loving and supportive element to your new relationship.

Hugs!

Jerome

PS: Regarding rats -- I mentioned to a colleague at NIH that I had become my own lab rat, having participated in many treatment trials over the decades. One of the passing docs overheard this and said to me "Jerome, we do NOT use that expression at NIH!" So guess what I am wearing to NIH this coming Halloween!

In a message dated 6/8/2012 5:34:03 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, rcwalker@... writes:

My situation is a bit off topic here as it pertains to myself (we have adopted a child with HIV) but just in case it might be slightly interesting or encouraging to someone….I became ill while pregnant and lost the baby at nearly seven months of pregnancy. The way I knew that I was ill was that I woke up with a horrendous headache at 4am. The problem was that it didn't go away for over a year and a half. The pain stayed and was very resistant to pain meds and it nearly knocked me out of functioning. They tried me on migraine meds which made things even worse and they wanted to put me on prednisone. I was afraid of long term meds and weight gain etc so I refused to be a guinea pig anymore. I was miserable and in so much pain but I am also very stubborn, lol! My doctor told me that if I didn't do something for the pain that I would deplete all of my seratonin and I would likely head towards depression. I asked what I could do to increase the seratonin naturally and she suggested exercise but added that it would be too hard to do with the headache pain. I was determined to beat that stupid headache and I got on the treadmill. It was excruciating to exercise at first…every step hurt like crazy but eventually I found that it was starting to lighten up. I had to chime in here because I wanted to say that I religiously worked out every single morning (the more I revved the heart rate the more pain relief I got) until I had to stop due to another pregnancy. I was so afraid that the headache would return….but it was completely gone! My neurologist said that they were looking for something to hit the re-set button so to speak on the pain and it appears that the exercise accomplished that.

http://www.adreamadoption.blogspot.com

From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of ZedakahSent: Friday, June 08, 2012 3:06 AM Subject: Re: Exercise Appears to Ease Nerve-Damage Pain in Rat Study

It does help so me people some of the time, I'm one of them... but it assumes an ability to actually undertake the required exercise and I have to say that sometimes this is just not possible....neither is it sustainable in the longer term. It can and does sometimes provide some temporary pain relief but no reversal of the neuropathy itself.