How to stop pain naturally: cure chronic pain

[Guest guest]

How to stop pain naturally: cure chronic pain--from back pain to headaches--

with this simple plan that targets both your body and your mind.

Natural Health magazine, 2003, by Henry Dreher

IF YOU SUFFER FROM CHRONIC PAIN, YOU know how difficult it can be to

find relief. But two licensed occupational therapists in New York City, Jane

Gatanis and Alyssa Frey, say they can show you how to cure your pain

naturally with an innovative plan that combines mind-body techniques and

traditional physical rehabilitation.

Gatanis and Frey began developing their program in 1996 while working in

the rehabilitation department at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City,

where part of their job was to study complementary approaches to chronic

pain. Soon they found themselves successfully treating some of the hospital's

most difficult-to-resolve cases of chronic pain.

Their methods work, they say, because they address a contributing factor of

pain that so many doctors and patients ignore: emotions. " I have come to

believe that about 95 percent of chronic pain has an emotional component, "

says Gatanis. " Emotions and stress can either initiate the pain or exacerbate

it. "

Portenoy, M.D., chairman of the department of pain medicine and

palliative care at Beth Israel Medical Center and a leading expert on pain,

supports their program. " There is actually more scientific evidence that mind-

body approaches can be useful for pain than there is for most of the drugs we

prescribe, " he says.

Gatanis and Frey now work in their own clinic in New York City, Integrative

Rehab, and what follows is the program they give their patients to practice at

home. It can help all types of chronic pain; however, the acupressure points

outlined in " Release Potent Energy, " page 74, are specifically for back pain,

headaches, and neck pain (the most common complaints among their

patients).

Practice the program daily. If you do all the exercises consecutively, it takes

30 to 60 minutes (but you can break them up if you like). Depending on the

complexity of your pain, you may begin to feel relief in a few weeks or it may

take as long as three months.

Fix Bad Posture

Poor posture can play a major role in chronic pain, causing tension along

your spine that can make your neck, shoulders, back, and legs hurt, say

Gatanis and Frey. It also restricts your breathing, reducing the circulation of

the blood and oxygen your body needs to resolve inflammation and tension in

your musculoskeletal system.

The Body Alignment Exercise, which you can perform in less than one minute,

realigns your posture and deepens your breathing, say Gatanis and Frey. But

it does more than physically correct your posture. Repeated practice of this

exercise will teach you to pay attention to specific parts of your body and

make you aware of how each part feels--an important step for pain sufferers,

who often try to forget that those aching parts exist.

At first, do this exercise five times a day for two weeks. Later, use it two or

three times per day. You can do this exercise almost anywhere, like while

waiting in line at the supermarket.

1. Start with your feet firmly planted, about 6 inches apart. Make sure your

ankles are parallel to each other and your kneecaps are facing front. Don't

lock your knees; keep them slightly bent. Try to keep your weight equally

distributed: Imagine that your big toe, little toe, and heel are the three legs

of a

stool that bears your weight evenly.

2. Place your arms at your sides with your palms facing forward; this position

rotates your arms so that your chest is more open.

3. Use your lower abdominal muscles to gently pull your belly up and in. Your

abdomen should flatten only slightly; don't shift the position of your lower

back

dramatically. Hold this position for 5 to 10 seconds while breathing normally.

4. Drop your shoulders down and back, and lift your chest slightly upward.

5. Imagine that your head is floating over your spine. Move your chin in

slightly toward your neck and chest. Picture your upper spine lengthening.

6. Breathe in deeply for 5 counts, and exhale for 5 counts; as you inhale, relax

your upper abdominal muscles so the lower portions of your lungs fill with air.

Release Potent Energy

Acupressure, a self-care technique, involves using your hands to apply

pressure to specific energy points on your body. It's similar to acupuncture but

without the needles. According to practitioners of traditional Chinese

medicine, manipulating these energy points frees blocked qi (or life energy),

helping your body to heal. While much is still unknown about these points,

researchers have found that acupuncture is an effective remedy for the

discomfort of ailments like low back pain and headaches.

These three acupressure exercises are for chronic back pain, headaches,

and neck pain. For information on acupressure for other types of pain, Gatanis

and Frey recommend Acupressure's Potent Points: A Guide to Self-Care for

Common Ailments (Bantam, 1990) by Gach. Practice these

exercises daily.

For Back Pain

1. Lie on your back on the floor on a comfortable surface, either on a rug or a

mat, with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.

2. Make two fists and place them, knuckles up, under your back, just above

your waistline and about an inch from either side of your spine. Let your

knuckles settle into your muscles and apply gentle, sustained pressure.

Breathe deeply, counting to 5 as you inhale and again to 5 as you exhale. Do

this exercise for 3 minutes.

For Headaches

1. Using the thumb and forefinger of your right hand, pinch the muscle mass

between your left thumb and forefinger, near the bottom knuckle of your left

forefinger.

2. Pinch this point as hard as you can, applying deep pressure, for 15 to 30

seconds. Slowly release.

3. Repeat on the right hand.

For Neck Pain

1. Sit and look straight ahead. Press your fingertips on the muscles at the

back of your neck so your fingertips are parallel to your spine and about an

inch from either side of it. Breathe deeply, inhaling and exhaling for 5 counts

each. Repeat 2 or 3 times.

2. On your next inhalation, gently tilt your head backward about 45 degrees,

keeping your fingertips in place. Exhale and bring your head forward about

45 degrees in the opposite direction.

3. Repeat 2 or 3 more times.

Create Space for Your Pain

Oatanis and Frey teach their patients to use meditation combined with

visualization to think less negatively about their pain. They say pain sufferers

tend to condemn the painful parts of their body, which increases their mental

distress and muscular tension.

" We teach our clients to approach their pain with curious and caring intention,

not anger and blame, " says Gatanis. The following meditation not only

loosens the mental and physical tensions around body parts that hurt, but it

can also increase circulation, bringing oxygen and other nutrients needed for

healing to tense areas. Practice this meditation for 10 to 15 minutes every

day. Then follow it with the " Talk to Your Pain " section of the program, below.

1. Sit in a quiet place and think about which part of your body holds stress or

pain.

2. Slowly inhale and imagine space and light around the pain; let the pain

float freely in this space and light.

3. As you slowly exhale, make an " ahhh " sound and gently move the painful

part of your body in tiny increments.

4. Continue slowly inhaling and exhaling, and on each exhalation move the

painful area in a different direction. Pay attention to whether any of these

movements ease the pain. As you explore your pain, imagine the space

around it growing larger.

5. Don't pressure your pain to go away or get into a struggle with it. Just

continue visualizing it floating in space and light.

Talk to Your Pain

As strange as it may sound at first, talking with your pain can help you

understand issues and emotions that may be causing or exacerbating it.

" Your pain can hold information about the mysteries of why it's there, " says

Gatanis.

This exercise works best if you are relaxed, so practice it after you finish the

" Create Space for Your Pain " section of the program, above. Your goal is to

allow a free flow of thoughts and feelings, bringing a compassionate, curious,

healing intention to this process. Don't worry if at first you don't get

answers. It

may take several tries before you feel relaxed and comfortable enough to

listen to your pain. But keep practicing daily.

Start by thinking of yourself as a hospitable host, inviting a guest (your pain)

in

for tea. After you make your pain feel as welcome as possible, ask it the

following questions. You do not need to write any of this down (although

writing in a journal helps some people). Simply talk, either aloud or to

yourself.

1. Ask your pain: " How did you get here? " Invite your pain to answer. The

response may come in any form--as a voice, a shape, an image, a memory. It

may be concrete or intuitive. Open your senses and feelings to whatever

answers your pain gives.

2. Ask: " Did something emotionally upsetting happen just before you first

affected me? " Listen to the answer.

3. Finally, ask: " Is there something you need from me so I can make peace

with you? " Listen to the answer.

Calm Your Nervous System

Craniosacral therapy releases restrictions in the bones, tissues, and fluid that

surround and protect your brain and spinal cord, together known as the

craniosacral system. Structural misalignments and energy imbalances in this

system can contribute to chronic pain, say Gatanis and Frey, and craniosacral

therapy can help by calming your central nervous system and relaxing

muscular tensions. Gatanis and Frey studied the meningeal approach to

craniosacral therapy, which osteopathic physician Upledger developed

following studies he conducted from 1975 to 1982 as a researcher and

professor at Michigan State University in East Lansing.

To strengthen your craniosacral system, Gatanis and Frey recommend using

a still-point inducer, a small rubber device developed by Upledger. It costs

about $15, and you can order it by contacting the International Alliance of

Healthcare Educators. Do not use this device if you have or have had an

acute stroke, cerebral aneurysm, brain tumor, recent skull fracture, or any

other condition in which fluid pressure changes within the skull. Practice the

following once a day:

1. Lie on your back on the floor, either on a rug or on a mat.

2. Place the still-point inducer under your head, in line with your ears, 1 to 1

1/

2 inches above the junction of your neck and skull.

3. Allow your head to rest on the still-point inducer. Close your eyes and

relax.

4. Remain in this position for 10 to 15 minutes, using the time to breathe

deeply or to practice whichever form of relaxation (like meditation or guided

imagery) works best for you.

RELATED ARTICLE: How one woman overcame pain.

SUCCESS STORY

Betsy , 55 New York City

When (name changed upon request) got off the bus on September 11,

2001, she looked up and saw what everyone was screaming about: a huge

gash spewing smoke and flames from the North Tower of the World Trade

Center. She ran into her office at a firm across the street from what is now

Ground Zero and joined her co-workers in front of the television. But after the

second plane hit the South Tower, she fled on foot to her apartment. On her

way she kept turning to look back. She saw people jumping from the buildings

and watched both buildings collapse.

Several days later, developed chronic neck pain and a constant

headache that did not yield to aspirin. Five two-hour sessions of Swedish

massage and shiatsu (a kind of massage using acupressure) didn't help

either.

Three months later, and still in continuous pain, sought help at

Integrative Rehab, a physical rehabilitation center in New York City founded

by occupational therapists Jane Gatanis and Alyssa Frey. In addition to

receiving treatments at the clinic, followed the self-help program

developed by Gatanis and Frey that combines mind. body techniques and

physical exercises and is described in this article.

faithfully practiced the program daily. Within weeks she noticed a " small

shift that reinforced me to stick with it, " she says. Within three months she

felt

significant improvement, and less than a year after her pain began it was

completely gone. The program also improved 's posture, helped her

relax, and allowed her to understand that her physical discomfort was linked

to her traumatic experiences on 9/11.