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8 Actions You Can Take to Deal With and Heal Chronic Pain

17/2/2016

When dealing with and healing chronic pain, a top to bottom, inside to outside approach can have the best outcomes for you.

As we learned in the article “Chronic Pain, its ‘all in our head”, chronic pain is not necessarily a result of tissue damage but rather the brain’s response to a perceived threat. This can come in the form of physical or psycho-emotional.

This means that a holistic, combined therapeutic approach has a far better chance of being successful at managing pain than a singular and at best, temporary approach like pharmaceutical pain killers.

Here are 8 ways you can begin the healing process get relief from chronic pain.

Body Work : this is any type of hands on body focused intervention that increases circulation, reduces physical stress and releases toxins and stagnant energy from the physical body. It can include things like massage, acupuncture, trigger point therapy, etc. These can go a very long way to supporting your physical body with therapeutic touch.
Mind Sciences : This collection of mind plasticity tools are ESSENTIAL if you want to heal from chronic pain. Mind sciences reprogram the brain for less pain by modifying the way you think, lowering your stress response, and helping you to adapt your lifestyle in ways that supports your mind, body and soul. Learning Meditation, specifically mindfulness and visualisation, is a fundamental way to literally ‘change your mind’ about pain and give yourself a solid mental platform on which to stand as you embrace changes that will benefit your health. Included in the mind sciences is Neurolinguistic Programming, EFT Tapping and Matrix Reimprinting. These reframing techniques can uncover the hidden limiting belief systems that are affecting your pain levels, and help you to redesign the way you think to reduce and, yes, even eliminate pain! This is our speciality, see Kickstart Your Life and Kickstart Your Health programs.
Electrical Impulse Devices : Devices such as personal TENS or ENAR are extremely useful for pain relief in place of pharmaceutical medications. Both these devices work using frequency to interfere with pain signals to the brain. The ENAR is a biofeedback device so it can read your unique body signals and adapt its frequency input specifically to your needs and help to rewire neuropathways for less pain over time. For information on how and where to purchase these, contact My Holistic Nurse
Herbs, Supplements and foods : It’s possible that your brain and body is crying out for nutrients to feed its cells. Nutrients can influence brain chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine, low levels of which are implicated in pain response; herbs such as Turmeric and Cinnamon are excellent natural anti-inflammatories; magnesium can help to soothe muscle cramping and spasm; Vitamin B can affect the brain chemistry and improve your mood thereby relieving pain. There is so much to know in the field of nutritional medicine, but learning about and taking some of these top level ‘helpers’ can go a long way to dealing with and healing pain. We find that working with a health professional to identify the best combination to work with your body, lifestyle and finances is very helpful to avoid unnecessary expense and to carefully target your supplementation. Email to ask us for our recommendations.
Low Level Light Therapy (LLLP) : This exciting new technology is used extensively in Europe and is just now reaching Australia. LLLP improves peripheral circulation for greater nutrient transportation to cells and encouraging healing and regeneration at a local, and systemic level. It also aids nerve transmission, reduces nerve excitability and relaxes muscle tension, reduces inflammation and swelling helping with conditions like tendonitis, arthritis and bursitis. I personally use the Wellbeam for almost everything!
Movement : Our bodies are designed to move! Sedentary lifestyle due to chronic conditions or the nature of our work can really exacerbate chronic pain. Sometimes it’s not possible to move much, but simple stretches in bed or seated in a chair, gentle core exercises such as Tai Chi and Qi Gong can get circulation going, replenish nutrients and oxygen in the cells, avoid atrophy of muscles, induce ‘happy hormones’, move toxins out of the body and build your core strength and endurance. If you’re getting back into movement after a while, start SMALL. A walk to the letter box and back might be all you can manage to start with, but over time, this can be extended and improved upon.
Topical Creams and Tinctures : the skin is our largest organ, so it makes sense to apply topical creams or tinctures to the site of pain. These work well for acute pain and tissue damage (don’t apply to broken skin) for muscular aches and pains, bruising and swelling. After a fall, applying natural creams such as Arnica and Hypericum to the site will minimise physical trauma and aid more rapid tissue healing. These are also available as pilules or tinctures for taking orally. They’re also totally safe for kids. Ask us about the best brands.
Energy Medicines : This includes alignment of our body’s electromagnetic systems including boosting ‘Chi’ or lifeforce energy. Healing methods such as Healing Touch, Reiki, Spiritual Healing and other similar methods can lift your mood, shift ‘pain patterns’ held in your electromagnetic field, reduce stress levels which can increase inflammation and subsequently pain, and literally increase your lifeforce (measurable as volts in humans). (see our energy supercharge sessions)

I have personally trialed, use and recommend every single one of these ways to deal with and heal my own chronic pain. I now experience pain free days more often than not. If I do find myself dealing with pain, I know what my pain triggers are and how to handle the fallout effectively and quickly! If you're interested in how and where to get hold of any of these methods please contact me personally. I am passionate about passing on the love!.

I'd love to hear from you... how do you manage your pain levels? have you found a technique or tool that works particularly well? Feel free to share in the comments section below or visit our page directly on Facebook.

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7 Secrets No One Told Me When I Learned to Meditate

4/2/2016

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Meditation doesn’t have to be hard if you understand a little about what it is, and what to expect!

I started meditating and teaching meditation at aged 20 when experiencing a spontaneous spiritual awakening and opening of my third eye. My spiritual teachers were ‘not of this world’, and so, they were not able to help me with the nuances of a meditating human body and mind in the 3rd dimension!

For me, opening to the enormous psycho-emotional and physical benefits of meditation was easy and immediate. However, establishing a regular practice was a little more difficult as it came with a whole host of belief systems and doctrines that no one could explain for me. I trust that these 7 secrets that no one told me when I learned to meditate will help you hone and enhance your practice, and help you cut to the chase to get the most out of your meditations.

Your body AND mind will play up. It will wear you down like a small child on sugar and will not want to stay still for more than a few seconds before a random collection of aches, pains, itches and scratches kick in to grab for your attention. You'll probably also find that your head just won't shut up and rant on about all the things you should be doing instead! This is all OK and perfectly normal! It is not a sign that you’re doing it wrong or are “no good at meditation”. In this very fast paced world of ours, we have forgotten that being relaxed and peaceful is actually our natural state. A guided meditation can help you to focus and also teach you how to work with the body instead of against it.
You don’t have to meditate like a Zen monk. Sitting with an Indian Guru and ‘Ohm-ing’ for hours on end really also isn’t the most efficient way to make a difference to your wellbeing. Scientific studies now show that as little as 10 minutes of meditation each day will have a beneficial effect on your entire being. It doesn’t even have to be a sequential 10 minutes. In fact, the harder you try, the more resistance you create in your body and mind. This then contributes to greater stress levels and dis-ease! Just relax - Meditation can be very straight forward if you let it.
Meditation is not a team sport. It is an intensely personal, precious, quiet moment within your day that you get to be still and take the pressure off. The content of your meditation doesn’t need to be shared, it isn’t a competition, and it doesn’t matter what someone else thinks of it. This is because it comes from YOU and your unique divine expression of the Universal energy – you’re one of a kind, so please don’t judge your ‘brand’ of meditation by other people’s standards.
Meditation is not spiritual Hoo Har. It’s also not about making yourself permanently blissful and walking around in a state of eternal ecstasy (although glimpses of that is definitely possible!). And if anyone tells you they don’t have any issues now that they’re meditating, they’re probably in denial (see the next point). Meditation is a practical, perfectly natural method of enhancing body, brain and spiritual function getting in touch with your creative potential. From there you can take actions that bring you greater peace, strength, resourcefulness and wellbeing than you’ve ever experienced before.
Meditation gives you access to the ‘real you’. The benefit of this is that you can begin or expand your ability to live consciously, purposefully and from a truly authentic place. For this reason, it can sometimes be very confronting and a not a little bit scary at times! We can discover elements of ourselves that have previously been denied or hidden. This is a BLESSING when embraced for the gift that it is! Once seen, limitations can be cleared or transformed opening the way for a happier and more joyful life than you can possibly imagine.
You can’t "do it wrong". I REALLY wish someone had told me this when I began. I might have better spent the energy I wasted on guilt and self-punishment! But hey, that was also part of my journey! Although Meditation is not something that you can make a mistake with, it can get faster and easier to get into a relaxed state as the body and mind remembers and recognises what you're doing! It is also worth noting that no two meditation experiences will be exactly alike – therefore, it is impossible to judge a meditation as good or bad without limiting your experience. Accept every meditation as it comes to you and trust that everything is exactly how it is meant to be right now for your highest evolution.
There is no single BEST way or better style of meditation than another – they all have merit and purpose. Although it can be said that certain meditation styles work particularly well for certain people, or certain circumstances. For example, guided Mindfulness and Creative Visualisation meditation are great for first timers. Mindfulness can help to manage out-of-control thoughts, switch off the fear centre of the brain to bring about an instance physiological relaxation response, and supercharge the awareness of what's happening with your beliefs and thoughts about yourself and the world.. Creative visualisation is great for beginners as it utilises our imagination – something that is usually pretty active in most people – to imagine positive outcomes and future experiences that we wish to bring about in our life.

Sometimes, taking the first step to start meditating is the most difficult.
If you always wanted to try it, but perhaps you didn’t think you’d be able to do it, or maybe it’s not easy for you to attend a group class, you may find a private guided meditation lesson is a great place to start.

In a private session you will learn how to break through any beliefs that are stopping you from getting the most out of your meditation. You’ll be able to hone in on any specific life challenges that is bothering you or weighing you down and get immediate relief, and I’ll be there to guide you the whole way, which will help you to anchor your mind, reign in a restless body and really tap into your true personal power. We also record your live guided meditation for you to keep! A personalised meditation that is exactly customised to your needs can be used to practice your meditation skill as often as you like at home. Better still, come to my consult room and experience meditation with me in person, or let's meet via skype if you’re somewhere else in the world!

Head over to the My Holistic Nurse facebook page and let me know about your experience with meditation. Are you just starting out, or a seasoned meditator? Let's connect!

Kristy

Do you want to learn to meditate but can’t get to a group class?
Do you want to focus on a specific personal issue in a meditation but have trouble guiding yourself through it?
Are you interested in how meditation can help you manage chronic illnesses like pain and fatigue?
Find out more at www.myholisticnurse.org or call My Holistic Nurse on 0487 769 629.

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Chronic Pain: "It's all in the head"

4/2/2016

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Back when I first read this phrase in a research document, I have to admit I got angry. I was on a search to cure my chronic pain, and was trying everything to solve the pain problem. My thoughts flared; Pain is NOT a figment of my imagination, it is a very real condition that I have to manage every minute of every day, for years. Clearly the author has never experienced chronic pain. Luckily for the author, unlike my pain, this rant was in my head!

Since I was determined to find a way to deal with my pain, I kept reading in spite of my offended and wounded ego! What I found was initially very confronting.

Then a light began to go off in my head and a wave of excitement flooded my mind. If chronic pain is “all in the head”, then I have the power to find the trigger and turn it OFF. If it’s all in my head, then I have control! This was a revelation…and then also a little scary. I am responsible for my pain, and for its healing. Not responsible in a negative way, but rather a feeling of empowerment and possibility.

What is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain is defined as pain that lasts longer than 6 months. Irrefutable scientific evidence now shows that pain is a function of THE BRAIN and does not necessarily indicate damaged body tissue. It can be signalled in the brain by any perceived or actual threat from any source; emotional, mental, historical trauma, stress, physiological damage, you name it. This is why pharmacological interventions to manage chronic pain have limited effect – they suppose that there is a physiological cause for the pain. At time of writing, there are no pharmaceutical pain relievers that are designed specifically for chronic pain. This poses serious consequences for long term use.

Trauma and its link to pain
On the other hand, there is now lots of research about trauma tic stress and how it relates to chronic pain. Interestingly, the trauma can be very old and manifest as chronic pain years, sometimes decades, after the traumatic event, i.e. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder-PTSD.
It is important to note two things here

that chronic pain does NOT necessarily have its roots in physical trauma, and
that trauma cannot be healed with pharmaceutical medicine
Traumatic stress is experienced differently by everyone, i.e. what a child finds traumatic may seem of little consequence to an adult. This does not lessen the trauma to the child.

Let’s look at an example of experienced trauma and how it may relate to chronic pain:
3 year old Susie is sitting on the floor carefully pulling the eyes off her favourite teddy. She is curious about Teddy and wants to understand why his eyes don’t move. Mum enters and catches Susie damaging the bear that she had carefully and lovingly spent an entire evening making for Susie when she really needed to be sleeping. Mum is tired, stressed and overwhelmed. The sight of her hard work being ‘damaged’ sets her off and she yells at Susie for “hurting teddy” and then bursts into tears. The shock of the loud yelling rips Susie out of her bubble, the sight of her mum’s angry scrunched up face frightens Susie and the sound of her mum’s accusing tone hurts her heart. In that moment, Susie unconsciously forms a limiting belief that she is the cause of pain in others. From then on, Susie imprints that event and the attached belief, internalising the trauma, fear and hurt. Years of repeated reinforcement of this belief system compounds and associates her actions with feelings of pain and trauma in the form of ‘life experience’. One day, decades later, that little girl who believes that she always hurts the ones she loves, reaches a tipping point. Her relationship breaks down. Now being highly sensitised for emotional trauma, her brain perceives the breakup as danger and threat of injury (emotional in this case), and this seemingly ‘new’ traumatic event (actually compounded from similar events from the age of 3 onwards) triggers pain in her body that can’t be healed with medicines.

This is, of course, a simplified version of how chronic pain might work from emotional trauma, but you get the general idea.

If medication doesn’t work, then what?
If medical drugs can’t heal our chronic pain, there must be another way. We need to limit their use and shift focus to finding and dealing with the true cause, then set about rewiring the brain for less pain.

Whether physical, emotional or mental pain, chronic pain is a signal that something is amiss in within the healthy functioning of the person. Thus, we can take the approach that our pain is trying to give us a message; there is something within us that our brain perceives as a threat to our wellbeing. It may be physical, but in the case of chronic pain, more often than not, it is triggered by our emotional response to events around us now, in the past, and thoughts around possible pain in our future too!

My personal experience with chronic pain stems from both chronic musculoskeletal damage, compounded and triggered by a lifetime of painful emotional traumas and stress which, in 2012 resulted in a chronic illness that stopped me in my tracks. Since then, I’ve tried many approaches to chronic pain management and researched my butt off to find answers for management and a cure.

Manage pain from the inside out, AND the outside in
I have found from cutting-edge scientific research, best practice medical approaches, natural and alternative healing practices, and from my own practical and holistic approach to pain, that a multidisciplinary, multi-modality approach is the most effective way to manage chronic pain, and has the greatest chance of successfully eliminating it all together. We need to address chronic pain from the inside out, AND the outside in to be pain free.

It is my contention that by using a combination of management techniques that include:

Mind sciences and energy medicine: to get to the psycho-emotional cause and re-imprint new beliefs and thoughts about traumatic events
Non-pharmaceutical interventions: ENAR and TENS, physiotherapy, acupuncture, massage, etc.
Herbal and vitamin supplementation: to enhance physical function, regulate hormones and lesson the body/brain toxic load
Pharma medicines : short term (acute) use as needed for any pain flare-ups
Lifestyle adaptations: such as pacing, modified activities, dietary intake, financial assistance & management, relationship support

Changing minds about pain
We can teach our brain to rewire neural pathways that are highly sensitive to physical and emotional pain triggers. This is why I got excited… we have the ability to literally CHANGE OUR MINDS about chronic pain, and heal it!

What's your experience with chronic pain? Do you have it or care for someone who does? What management tools to you use to keep on top of your pain? Leave a comment about your experience. I'd love to hear from you.

If you'd like more information about how to deal with and heal your pain, you may like to look at our Nurse-led packages for chronic conditions. The Kickstart programs are a great place to start, or simply call My Holistic Nurse on +61 (0)487 769 629.

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8 Actions You Can Take to Deal With and Heal Chronic Pain

7 Secrets No One Told Me When I Learned to Meditate

Chronic Pain: "It's all in the head"

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