But it also made me cry… and as a vehicle for getting in touch with my emotions, it helped me step out of an intensity spiral 🌀 that had been brewing in me for a few days — the kind of spiral that, if left unchecked, can often result in a headache for me.

Here’s a step-by-step of how I was reluctantly healed by Barbie 😅. Regardless of what you think of the doll or the movie, you might relate to parts of this story…

It started with stress… and escalated into the stress cycle

When we experience a flare-up of anxiety or any of the physical symptoms that can come with it (like pain), we often want to trace the steps back to how and why the flare-up started. “What caused it? What could I have done to avoid it?” We’re often looking for one singular thing that we did “wrong” so that we can course-correct for the future.

But most of the time, it’s not one singular thing. Stress is cumulative. And in my case on this particular occasion, I’d recently heard several heavy stories of sad news, I was (and still am) undertaking a number of home improvement projects with my partner, and a week I’d taken off for vacation wound up being subsumed in to-do’s.

These normal, everyday stresses that come with life then kicked my stress cycle into gear. For me, it looks like this: I start fixating on stress-induced thoughts. Thoughts like, “I’m not doing enough. My partner is working harder than me, so I should be doing more. I shouldn’t relax because he’s not relaxing…”

These thoughts, of course, perpetuate more stress. It becomes a cycle that escalates.

I recognized the symptoms of the stress cycle starting to brew

In the old days, I used to think self-critical thoughts were true. And I thought that I just needed to do more and be better in order to quiet those thoughts down. I still get caught up in that kind of thinking… when I’m stressed.

What I recognize now is that those thoughts themselves are a symptom of stress. And they seem very true when I’m stressed! It’s an act of will to notice them and name them as a stress symptom so that I can start making choices that will help me unwind from the stress cycle.

Another stress symptom I noticed was that it was getting harder to concentrate on work. I felt like I was pushing myself instead of feeling led by inspiration or energy. Work started to feel like a drag and I began to feel resentment towards it.

In the days before I ever experienced a migraine, I would ignore these signals that are telling me to slow down. And I still do, sometimes. But what my recovery from chronic pain has taught me is that ignoring the signals can have very unpleasant consequences — and that as hard as it is to step off the stress merry-go-round, there are immeasurable benefits to doing so before my nervous system pulls the emergency break in the form of a pain flare-up.

I didn’t do it “perfectly”

Yes, I’ve gotten much better at listening to my nervous system’s signals. But I’m not “perfect” at it! I don’t always catch the stress before it manifests in physical pain. And I did wake up with a mild headache before fully tending to the stress.

The headache — along with increasing levels of feeling jittery throughout the morning — were my nervous system’s way of sending a louder signal. One that I decided to heed.

I’d planned to spend most of the day working on my podcast. But I made an executive decision to step away from my desk, play hooky for the rest of the day… and go see the Barbie movie. I figured two hours of sparkly pink Hollywood entertainment would get my mind out of productivity overdrive and overwhelm.

Then came the guilt!

I tiptoed out of the house, feeling tremendously guilty that my husband was still glued to endless Zoom meetings for work.

I debated whether to even tell him that I was going to the movies.

I finally sent a text message to let him know… and then sat with the waves of guilt mixed with waves of relief all the way to the theater.

Lights, camera, tears

The lights went down in the movie theater, and just as I’d hoped, the magic of Hollywood glitter took my preoccupied mind into another dimension. But much to my surprise, it wasn’t just a trip to the land of distraction and fluff.

Despite my misgivings about Barbie… that dang movie got to me. And I cried! I literally wept in the theater. Funny enough, the movie touches into a lot of the themes that we talk about in chronic pain recovery: Breaking out of numbness and feeling your full range of emotions, taking off the mask of perfectionism and revealing your authentic self…

I was reluctant to be swept up in the story — but it was exactly the emotional release that I needed. And my whole mind and body felt like they were re-set and re-energized by the time the lights came up again.

Laughter and perspective

By the time I got home, all the feelings of guilt that my stress-cycle churned up had subsided. My partner was still working away when I turned the key in the door, and when he got up to greet me he said, “Where’d you go? I didn’t know you were out!”

I had to laugh at all the angst and worry I put myself through debating whether it was okay to take time for myself while he was working.

It felt good to give him a hug and tell him about my movie escapade — and I could tell he enjoyed seeing me in such a good mood.

My takeaways from this vignette? While I might not have time to run away to the movies every day, feeling guilty about slowing down to unwind is always a signal that… it’s time to slow down and unwind. In whatever way, shape or form is available to you. Even if it starts off as a guilty pleasure, making time for pleasure will guide you back home.

➡️ If you need support with chronic pain and anxiety, take my FREE QUIZ called “Why the *bleep* am I still in pain?!” so I can help you get some clarity.

The post Reluctantly Healed By Barbie 😅 appeared first on Medika Life.

While this is great news, it can also make choosing a coach or online program overwhelming and confusing. Especially because one of the ingredients that contribute to chronic pain is a lack of self-trust and a belief that someone other than you has “the” magic solution to your recovery.

The truth is that we are each unique beings, and finding your unique path to healing is a bit like discovering your purpose in life:

• Your path isn’t going to be the same as everybody else’s, because it’s your path!
• Mentors and education can be a helpful and even life-transforming vehicle for exploring your path, but they can’t define your path for you.
• Finding your path is not about finding the “right” set of rules to follow, it’s about learning how to trust your intuition — and seeking out the supportive people, places and resources that reflect your intuition back to you, helping you strengthen your self-trust.

So, if there isn’t a singular coach, mentor, doctor, therapist or program that’s right for every single person, how do you find a coach or program that’s a good fit for you?

Here’s what I suggest: Explore a bunch of different options and do a “vibe check.”

Contrary to popular myth, therapists, doctors and coaches are not omniscient, objective beings — they’re people with value systems, beliefs and viewpoints. Ideally, a pain recovery practitioner will be your ally in healing and growth. And when choosing an ally — like with choosing a friend — it’s important to discern whether or not you have enough shared values around the issues that are important to you.

A good starting point for assessing a practitioner’s values is to take a look at their website, social media, blog, podcast etc. and notice how their point of view feels to you.

For example, if you read my weekly emails or blog or follow me on Instagram, you’ll probably pick up on some characteristics that are specific to my personal style as a therapist and coach. Such as:

1️⃣ I talk about how the hierarchical culture we’re living in (otherwise known as patriarchy, white supremacy, capitalism, etc) creates our social social conditioning, and how this social conditioning (in the form of emotional suppression and self-harshness) feeds into chronic pain. I also talk about how we can unlearn our social conditioning and reclaim emotional freedom and self-kindness, both individually and collectively. In my view, this work isn’t just about healing from chronic pain, it’s about healing in a much broader sense.

2️⃣ I’ll never tell you that you need to trust my process in order to heal from chronic pain. My aim as a therapist and coach is to support you in learning how to trust your process by developing healthy communication between your mind and body. And I’ve got plenty of tools and resources to help you explore and discover your process!

3️⃣ I’m not just a licensed therapist and chronic pain recovery coach. I’m also a creative and an entrepreneur — I’m a lifelong writer and I had a career in television before becoming a therapist. I’m intimately familiar with all the particular ups and downs, strengths and challenges that come with the passionate creative’s recovery process!

To get a sense of what some other practitioners’ styles are like, you can use this resource list to start your exploration.

Bottom line: Go with your gut. Trust what feels right and what doesn’t. By doing so, you’re already engaging in the process of healing!

With love, encouragement and limitless faith in you,

💖 Anna

The post How to Choose a Chronic Pain Recovery Coach appeared first on Medika Life.

And I’ll start by saying that the life I live today is not a life of being perfectly pain-free or happy or balanced 100% of the time.

Instead, it’s something so much more fulfilling and rewarding to me than a life that’s centered around being “pain-free.”

My current life is one that’s fashioned around doing the things that bring me a sense of purpose, meaning and joy. And for me, that means living a creative life!

It’s a life in which symptoms are no longer the headline, but rather a footnote. They pop up, they come and go, but they no longer escalate to the point of taking over my time and stopping me from doing the things that I love.

The big shift that fueled my recovery:

There were many steps that fueled my recovery. Educating myself about the science of chronic pain was the first step that began to bring down the frequency and intensity of my headaches. Learning how to regularly and safely process and release emotions then brought my healing to a whole new level. And shifting my self-talk from critical to loving unlocked another level of healing yet again.

Then, my recovery plateaued for a while. Until I discovered the next shift that I needed:

Ever since I’d started my healing journey, I’d been focused on getting away from something: Namely, the pain. And initially, that focus was essential for my healing process, because it’s the thing that got me into all this healing work to begin with.

But once my healing trajectory was in motion, I began to realize something: Keeping my focus on something that I did not want (pain) was also keeping me in a protective posture of contraction — which is a core ingredient of the chronic pain pattern. And holding onto that posture will keep the chronic pain pattern going.

What I needed to do at that point, I discovered, was to shift my focus onto the things that I actually do want in life. And keep inviting my focus back to those things over and over and over again. Doing this brings me into a posture of opening up and moving forward, towards the things that I actively choose. And this not only sends messages of empowerment and goodness to my nervous system, furthering my healing day by day, but it’s also the whole entire point of healing!

With tons of encouragement and love,

Anna

The post If You Don’t Want Chronic Pain, Focus on What You DO Want. appeared first on Medika Life.

The good news is: We can change the way that we respond to flare-ups. And if we do so consistently, it can have a very significant impact, reducing the intensity and persistence of flare-ups.

Over time, symptom flares can go from being a pervasive and overwhelming headline of your life to a manageable and even helpful footnote that reminds you to slow down and take care of yourself when you’re dealing with the inevitable stresses in life.

👉 Here are some mindset hacks to re-configure the way you respond to flare-ups:

1️⃣

Don’t treat it like a personal flaw; treat it like the flu.

Don’t get mad at yourself; take care of yourself.

2️⃣

Don’t under-react and power through it, or pretend it’s not happening.

Don’t over-react and catastrophize or tell yourself that you’re “back at square one.”

Do take care of yourself and reassure yourself that this will pass — and that it’ll pass more expediently if you care for yourself like a loving elder would care for a child who has the flu, with warmth and kindness.

3️⃣

Don’t try to make it stop or go away.

Do support yourself while it passes through your system.

What we resist persists; what we support ourselves through will pass through us with greater ease and expedience.

4️⃣

You can also think of a flare-up as a rainstorm passing through you.

If you pretend that the rainstorm isn’t happening and you keep powering through, you’ll get drenched and sicker than you needed to.

If you try to fight against the rainstorm by sealing up your tent, the wind will destroy your tent.

But if you acknowledge that the rainstorm is happening, shelter in your tent and open a vent to let the wind pass through, you’ll get coverage without your shelter getting destroyed. And every storm runs out of rain, eventually. After the storm passes, you can dry yourself off, pick yourself up, give yourself a hug and move forward.

How do you like to take care of yourself while you’re “sheltering in your tent?” I like to lie down, slow down my breath, listen to soothing music, cuddle with my cats, watch some mindless television, take a walk if I feel up to that, take a painkiller (following recommended safety guidelines) if it persists… What are your self-care strategies to get you through a storm?

With lots of love and warmth,

💖 Anna

➡️ If you need support with chronic pain and anxiety, take my FREE QUIZ called “Why the *bleep* am I still in pain?!” so I can help you get some clarity.

The post Mindset Hacks for Chronic Pain Flare-Ups appeared first on Medika Life.

Simply put, when we approach our emotions from a place of fear, emotions tend to respond with fear — which can amplify pain. (If you identify with this, please know that it is not your fault. We’ve all been steeped in generations of social conditioning to be afraid of our emotions. This is a journey of learning and growth, and we are in it together!)

By contrast, when we approach our emotions from a place of love, emotions are soothed — which can reduce pain. (Again, we are all a work in progress when it comes to this. And wherever you are on the journey is exactly where you need to be right now!)

Here are some common strategies we tend to use when we’re approaching our emotions from a place of fear:

👉 Getting angry at your emotion

👉 Shaming your emotion

👉 Judging your emotion

👉 Ignoring your emotion

👉 Panicking about your emotion

👉 Trying to silence your emotion or make it go away

👉 Interrogating your emotion (“Why am I feeling this way? Whyyyy?”)

I’m listing these out not to say that these strategies are “wrong” or “bad,” but to help you recognize the patterns. (We all tend to do these, including me!)

And here are some strategies you can play with to practice approaching emotions from a place of love:

👉 Acknowledge the feeling

👉 Accept the feeling

👉 Empathize with the feeling

👉 Reassure the feeling that you’re on its side and you have its back

👉 Take action on the feeling’s behalf (for example by setting a boundary to protect the feeling or by nurturing the feeling with care)

A journaling exercise

Here’s a journaling exercise that I use to practice approaching my emotions from a place of love. It’s a dialogue between two parts of the self: Your “wise self” and your emotion.

Wise self: I’m right here, emotion. What are you feeling?

Emotion: [Let the emotion answer in a sentence or paragraph; whatever spills out onto the page]

Wise self: It totally makes sense that you feel that way. I love you. Is there more?

Emotion: [Let the emotion answer in a sentence or paragraph; whatever spills out onto the page]

Wise self: it totally makes sense that you feel that way. I love you. Is there more?

Etc. etc. until your writing timer chimes or until the emotion has said its piece for now.

If you try this out, I’d love to hear how it goes!

Sending lots of encouragement and compassion your way,

Anna

➡️ If you need support with chronic pain and anxiety, take my FREE QUIZ called “Why the *bleep* am I still in pain?!” so I can help you get some clarity.

The post How To Handle Difficult Emotions appeared first on Medika Life.

The answer is… it really depends.

Pain is a danger signal that your nervous system sends when it feels unsafe. So should you obey the danger signal and stop what you’re doing? Or should you ignore it and keep going on with your life?

Or… could there be a different path altogether?

Consider this metaphor…

Imagine that your nervous system is a child and your mind is the parent. While playing, the child falls, scrapes their knee and starts crying in pain and fear.

What parenting style will help the child to reestablish a sense of safety?

👉 Would it be a pushy, tough-love parenting style — telling the child to “just get over it” and push through the pain? Probably not.

👉 Would it be a coddling, over-protective parenting style — telling the child to lie down in bed and sleep for the rest of the day every time they feel fear and pain? Probably not that either.

➡️ How about a style of loving acknowledgment and gentle encouragement?

If pain is mild…

That means the child is only a little unsettled. Offer them warmth and kindness — and then encourage them to shake it off. Reassure them that they’re okay and remind them that they’re strong and capable.

If pain is high…

That means the child is quite shaken up and may need time to reestablish equilibrium. Offer them warmth and kindness while they feel their feelings. Give them the time they need to settle. Sit with them and sooth them. And then…

Once they’ve settled enough that their distress and pain levels have decreased to mild — encourage them to get back in the game!

If the child resists, do NOT push them.

The goal is to help the child regain a feeling of safety. Pushing them and overriding their feelings will not accomplish that — it will only increase distress. Instead, honor their feelings and alternate soothing with gentle encouragement.

Translating the metaphor…

When you feel pain, what would feel kind and loving to your nervous system? Because kind and loving is what helps the nervous system feel safe. Safe enough to turn down the danger signal (i.e. pain.)

Treat your nervous system the way you would treat a beloved child — honoring the child’s vulnerable feelings with empathy, expressing confidence in their strength and capability, and encouraging them to re-engage in activities that bring them joy — and little by little, feelings of safety will return.

It may take time and patience. But your nervous system is worth it! 💖

With loads of warmth, empathy and confidence in you,

Anna

➡️ If you need support with chronic pain and anxiety, take my FREE QUIZ called “Why the *bleep* am I still in pain?!” so I can help you get some clarity.

And follow me on instagram for healing tips, inspiration and encouragement.

The post Should You Rest or Keep Going When You Have Chronic Pain? appeared first on Medika Life.

Lower back pain is arguably the most burdensome public health problem on a global scale, COVID-19 aside. In terms of years lived with disability and prevalence among adult populations, lower back pain is a perennial top contender in almost any study of global burdens of disease.

Opioid use, abuse, and the damage done to individuals, families, and the societal ramifications of these medications are likewise well documented.

So it is welcome to see that chiropractic care, and other conservative treatments for lower back pain, are associated with less reliance on opioid medications, which do not have a particularly great track record in resolving spinal pain complaints and are not recommended as first-line interventions for acute or chronic lower back pain.

From Reuters Health in 2019:

Patients with spinal pain who visit a chiropractor may receive treatments such as spinal manipulation, massage, acupuncture, exercises and education as appropriate,” said lead author Kelsey Corcoran of Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. These therapies may lead to decreased pain, improved range of motion and increased function, Corcoran said by email. If a patient’s pain is well controlled by the treatment they received from a chiropractor, they may subsequently need less pain medications or even none at all.

Addressing Biases

Of course, you might say, “You’re a chiropractor so obviously you’re going to tout these studies” and you’d be correct. Also, there is selection bias involved, people who self-select conservative care like chiropractic or physical therapy over medical care may be doing so with the explicit intention of avoiding the use of medications.

However, these studies were not just done by chiropractors, and they haven’t only been published in niche journals catering to the chiropractic or manual therapy professions. It is true that these types of studies tend to be retrospective and observational, and cannot imply causation, but evidence will continue to accumulate and it will be interesting to see what future work on this topic elucidates.

Final Thoughts

I’ve written on this subject several times before, but when it comes to addressing your pain, you have options. One of those options is to see a chiropractor. Unfortunately, chiropractic care is a mixed bag ranging from evidence-based multimodal care to, ugh, pretty much any of the trash you will see if you type chiropractic into YouTube.

In my personal opinion, and knowing the majority of lower back pain has a favorable natural history, I’m inclined to recommend conservative treatments such as yoga, walking, chiropractic care, PT, or a general exercise program over medical care and definitely before considering opioids, advanced imaging, injections, or surgery.

Thank you for reading and let me know what you think or share your experiences in the comments.

Works Consulted:

Wu A, March L, Zheng X, et al. Global low back pain prevalence and years lived with disability from 1990 to 2017: estimates from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Ann Transl Med. 2020;8(6):299. doi:10.21037/atm.2020.02.175

Whedon, James M et al. “Impact of Chiropractic Care on Use of Prescription Opioids in Patients with Spinal Pain.” Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) vol. 21,12 (2020): 3567–3573. doi:10.1093/pm/pnaa014

Whedon, James M et al. “Association Between Utilization of Chiropractic Services for Treatment of Low-Back Pain and Use of Prescription Opioids.” Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) vol. 24,6 (2018): 552–556. doi:10.1089/acm.2017.0131

Kazis, Lewis E et al. “Observational retrospective study of the association of initial healthcare provider for new-onset low back pain with early and long-term opioid use.” BMJ open vol. 9,9 e028633. 20 Sep. 2019, doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2018–028633

The post Chiropractic Care May Led to Reduced Opioid Use appeared first on Medika Life.

On my back, I lay and lean into this sleepy wisdom — we all have pain — every single one of us humans.

It may be heart-sting or a bruised ego or a bruised body. We all have pain.

I turn 43 years old this summer. For years my back would hurt so bad people could read on my face something was wrong. They’d say, “Aimée, are you okay?” I’d rub my lower back, which felt on fire with pain, and say, “Yes, I’m fine. My back’s just a little sore.” It hurt so much I needed to sit down. Standing hurt. I didn’t know what to say or how to explain this.

I was supposed to be fine. A genetic specimen of good health. 

My dad has a genetic disease called Gaucher. It can cause weakening of bones, intense pain, and myriad other problems.

My knees feel raw and tender as I lay still, wondering when and if sleep will overtake the nagging feeling of persistent pain cues from my body to my brain. At 10:00 pm I took some cannabis tincture. It’s 2:16 am. I hurt. 

I know I’m not the only one.

Yesterday when I typed, my stiff fingers ached. My back started to scream. My wrists firmly demanded, “Be careful. Be gentle with us.” 

I tried to listen. I tried to gain ease knowing I’m not the only one. We all have pain. 

In the world of Gaucher, many carriers have been asking if we could have pain associated with being gene carriers. For decades the answer was a definitive “No.” 

Why are so many carriers expressing symptoms of pain if that’s true?

There are new tests with more precision to identify carriers. In the late 1970s, they thought the carrier test was reliable. 

After the past year, in which I finally shared my pain with my family and friends, my mom began to wonder if there might be a connection between my pain and my being a Gaucher gene carrier. She researched and forwarded the information to me to share with my doctor. For example: 

There are more than 400 genetic mutations known to cause Gaucher disease. Not all of these were known decades ago, nor do all screening tests today cover every single one of them. In rare cases, it is possible for genetic screening to miss a mutation. An enzyme test called a beta-glucosidase leukocyte (BGL) test will almost certainly show if you have Gaucher disease. Find out about testing for Gaucher disease.

In the late 1970s, my mom got a test to see if she was a Gaucher gene carrier before my parents conceived me. They didn’t want to pass on the disease. They thought they were free and clear when her test was negative. They thought I wouldn’t have pain. 

We all have pain. 

My hip still stings this morning. My ankles, knees, and wrists are nagging, “We hurt. Go easy. Be gentle. Please.”

Yesterday I heard my husband in the kitchen, loading the dishwasher. He sounded annoyed. How do I know? 20 years together. The clanking of dishes. I just know.

I’d told him I’d been flaring and exhausted for days. I don’t think I’ve conveyed what that means very well. Or maybe I don’t give him enough credit. Maybe I feel guilty and ashamed and misinterpret the clanking of the dishes. 

It takes all my energy to get out of bed. Running a load of dishes feels like running a marathon. 

Yesterday, I felt guilty, so I got up to run a load of laundry. I opened the garage door and heard the machine already whirling. I checked the dryer. Empty. I picked up my clean clothes off the back of the dining room chairs and hung them up. I didn’t touch the kid’s clean laundry; I handed David a pile of his clean shirts and pants. I knew I couldn’t do it all. Or rather that the pain would start screaming if I did too much.

Determined to do something useful, I grabbed plastic bags and headed into the sunny June day to pick up the dog poop in our backyard. 

The sun heated my back and shoulders. It felt like a gentle massage. Heat therapy. I am thankful for our pets. They are my pet therapy. I wandered the yard and repeated the stooping motion to pick up Nugget’s small poop piles (Chihuahua and Jack Russel Terrier mix) and Juno’s huge poop mounds (Chow, Staffordshire Terrier, Weimaraner, Akita, Rottweiler). 

Near the Red Haven Peach Tree were scattered fallen peaches that never got the chance to ripen. I picked up the peaches to add to the bag. The tree is diseased or has a pest problem. Or both. The tree’s buds swell and bloom. Peaches set and begin to grow. But, about a month into their growth, the fruit begins to ooze clear gooey sap from their flesh and out of their skin. I wonder if peaches feel pain. We all have pain. 

I tied up the bag of dog poop and tossed it in our outdoor trash can. I washed my hands. Washed the faucet. Washed my hands; realized a little bit of my OCD was creeping back in.

We all have pain.

I know this will shock you, but I’m not perfect. Caffeine and sugar likely contribute to my pain flares. I drank coffee yesterday and had a Payday candy bar and a bag of chewy Sprees. I quit eating processed sugar like that over a year ago, but last night I indulged.

My pain hadn’t abated and I wanted a sugar high. The hug of candy. I told my husband. He doesn’t usually indulge me with my candy cravings. I don’t usually ask for candy anymore. He went to the gas station and bought me some.

Earlier in the day, my intuition told me I needed to drink cold water, so I asked him to go get me ice. He grabbed a huge gas station cup of ice and brought it to me. I added electrolytes and sipped the icy water. I felt a wave of relief wash through my brain, my body. I thanked myself for leaning into my intuition. I was thankful I asked my husband and my husband went to get the ice. Lately, even driving anywhere feels like a monumental task. 

I didn’t chastise myself for this. 

I asked for help. 

I was honest with myself and my husband. 

I was gentle.

I’ve felt pain since I was a child. I don’t remember exactly when I realized my body talked to me through pain signals. I do remember being a teenager and feeling intense pain. I told myself I shouldn’t feel pain. That I was young and healthy. That I should tough it out. My dad was the one in real pain. Not me. I tensed up and barreled on — exacerbating the pain, I’m sure.

The scent of BenGay triggers memories of my dad in excruciating pain, rubbing the minty cooling ointment onto his skin, his tender screaming pains, searching for some relief. 

My pain isn’t the same as my dad’s. Over a year ago, a doctor finally confirmed I am flare-y. I show symptoms of someone in chronic pain. She sent me to a rheumatologist. After a slew of tests, nothing was found, except I might have some arthritis in my hands. I failed (passed?) the fibromyalgia pain points test (though I’ve read this information from Mayo Clinic that this is no longer the best or only way to diagnose fibromyalgia). 

My PCP advised me to accept my pain and to focus on treating my symptoms. She told me that research hasn’t caught up to autoimmune disorders that cause chronic pain.

She told me she believed me.

You see, for years I thought I might be crazy. I might be making this up. It might all be in my head. I might be over-reacting to my aches and pains.

When I was diagnosed with OCD, I was informed that Cymbalta helps with the treatment of faulty pain processors (what happens with fibromyalgia) and OCD symptoms. It has helped alleviate my symptoms of both OCD and pain. I think it’s more effective for OCD, anxiety, and depression, but it also puts a dent in the pain. For that, I am thankful. 

We all have pain.

Getting the genetic tests ordered has taken several weeks. On June 17, I go to see my doctor to pick up a prescription to bring to a special lab. That’s when we’ll start looking at whether or not my pain is related to being a Gaucher gene carrier or if further tests are required to see if I have a version of Gaucher disease. This could only happen if the 1970s test my mom took was incorrect and she is a gene carrier. 

My feelings are mixed. Most people might think I want a result that clears Gaucher from having anything to do with my pain. 

In my family history, there’s osteoporosis, arthritis, mysterious chronic pain. It’s not exactly shocking I live with pain when I think about my family’s health history.

Part of me wants the test to say, “Yes! Gaucher is the reason for your pain. Here are some treatments to try.” 

Because then there’s an answer instead of a mystery.

I can’t get comfortable as I type this, laying on my back, in bed, thumb-typing on my phone. My hips are stiff and sore. My shoulders and neck ache. My husband came in to check on me. He squeezed my leg and asked how I was doing. I tried not to cringe. All my pain receptors seem to be on overdrive. 

“I’m still flare-y,” I said. 

He nodded and let me get back to thumb typing.

Now I’ll make some coffee — espresso and oat milk. I’ll add some cannabis tincture. I’ll wonder when this flare will pass. My aunts come to visit us from out of town in a few days. Will I still feel like this?

I’m done tensing and barreling through pain and crying behind closed doors. If I feel like this, I’ll be honest with them, with myself.

When I finally drifted off to sleep last night, it was with this wisdom I knew I’d share with you in the morning: 

We all have pain. It helps when we are gentle with ourselves.

Go gently into the world, friends. 

It took me decades to realize the inherent strength and wisdom in gentleness. To talk with my physical, emotional, and psychological pain with kind honesty.

We all have pain. 

This approach of interacting with pain in a gentle manner feels like a balm, a massage for my deep wounds and aches — physical, emotional, and psychological. 

I invite you to try the same approach.

The post We All Have Pain appeared first on Medika Life.

It hasn’t been tested, at least not in meaningful ways that would allow traditional medicine to give it the green light. Additionally, current pressure in the public sphere from groups of Kratom supporters reeks of ulterior motives and their strategies look remarkably similar to those used by the anti-vaccination campaigners. 

So what is the truth? Is the drug a godsend, as users would have you believe? Is it a dangerous narcotic that needs to be banned, or is it perhaps something more important? A medicine, waiting to be formally recognized. I asked a few users from within the Kratom community to share their stories. I’ve received many but wanted to share the two below as they highlight the two different benefits of the drug claimed by its supporters, namely pain relief and release from opioid addiction. 

To be clear, I am not an advocate for Kratom, not as it currently distributed. I do however believe the drug offers a real window of hope to many suffering from chronic pain and it is my firm belief that action needs to be taken to both protect users and to ensure. availability of a clean and safe, clinically trialed product. I’ll discuss the routes to this below. 

Let’s hear from Keith first, a Kratom fan and potentially, a life long devotee. He has been using the product for a while and his story is reflective of many Kratom users. Here. unedited, is his response to my request for information. 

Hi Robert. I am a 48 year old Catholic School Teacher in NYC the last 24 years. Had terrible DDD and didn’t want to use any Rx drugs. Found Kratom in 2011. Got my pain down so much I put a full gym in my house. Down 120lbs. Healthiest I’ve ever been. Kratom has been a God send. I saw what opioids did to my dad and swore never to take them. Found it in a simple Google search and now I’ve been on network news 3x (NBC, CBS, PIX11) and have contributed to many interviews and podcasts. I have to say, your statement that it’s deadly is misleading. Sure, theres some bad apples out there, but I am getting pure, lab tested, cGMP Kratom. Never abused it. I drink 2 cups of tea a day with a few grams of it in each. My entire family (wife is a Doctor. Mom an RN) support Kratom after seeing the amazing results. Energy, focus, motivation…All fantastic. Zero side effects. Zero WD. Have to have a good honest source with labs. I look forward to a productive conversation\debate.

Next up is Kendell. Kendell was addicted to opioids and experienced life threatening symptoms from Tramadol use. This is his experience with Kratom, verbatim from his response. 

I’m responding to your request for kratom input. I can’t speak to other advocates, but me personally, I use kratom for 3 things. TO manage chronic pain from scoliosis, to keep me away from medications of the opioid class, specifically tramadol, and to manage the mild depression that goes along with my tramadol withdrawal. I’ve been using it for a total of a year this december, so I’m new compared to most other kratom users. One of your reporters wrote a very negative article on kratom claiming it to be a legal narcotic that people can buy at gas statations, he’s right, it can be bought at gas stations, but it’s no more a narcotic than coffee is. Others will probably send you good scientific proof of this, so all I can do is share my own personal kratom story. Read here at kratomherald.com/real-life-kr…. We don’t ordinarily respond so passionate to reporters but this article was particularly unpleasant, with a host of assumptions, mainly that all kratom users are drug addicts looking for a legal high or to get around the regulations on opioid pain meds. Kratom is a partial bias gProtein agonist at the mu opioid receptor, so yes it does bind at the same site as opioids, but it binds differently. Most opioids are full agonists, and cause a huge release of dopamine into the nucleus acumbuns, leading to addiction. Kratom’s alkaloids don’t affect this area of the brain, and one of them, mitragynine, reverses the downregulation of opioid receptors caused by chronic opioid use, and also reduces the upregulation of cAmp, cyclic adenasine monophosphate, which happens when you use opioids for a long time. We fight for kratom’s legality because we don’t see any other choice, but we aren’t ordinarily so harsh with reporters unless they treat kratom advocates rather badly, as this one did.

In case you’re wondering about that nasty reporter, guilty as charged. You can read the article he is referring to here. 

That feedback was not what I had expected, given the drug’s bad reputation and FDA advice. It wasn’t the end of it though. My DM’s on Twitter soon filled with similar stories and this has led me to a few conclusions I will share below. First off though, let’s have a closer look at some of those ingredients Kendell was referring to. It’s important, as these alkaloids are at the very heart of the Kratom controversy.

The two primary alkaloids of Kratom that are in contention are Mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine. We’ll start by examining each of these ingredients individually.

Mitragynine

According to a ScienceDirect article (reproduced in part below), Kratom is a psychoactive compound (drug) found in the leaves of M. speciosa. It can be consumed in fresh, dried (leaf or powder), or concentrated liquid extract form. The use of M. speciosa as a narcotic is not new; however, the extraction and refinement of the alkaloids from the plant into Kratom is relatively neoteric (new).

This is an important point and lies at the heart of regulation. There is a world of difference between chewing on a leaf and extracting and refining the active ingredients. It is very likely that this practice has led directly to regulation and bans imposed globally (see countries listed below).

A common route of administration is by chewing the fresh leaves at a dosage of normally 10 to 30 leaves per day. Kratom can be ingested as crushed dried leaves by taking the powder, drinking as a tea, or by smoking the leaves or the extract. Mitragynine is the major alkaloid (up to 66% in the extract) in kratom and is the principal compound responsible for analgesic activity due to its potent opioid agonist property

Recently, 7-hydroxymitragynine, a minor constituent (2%) of M. speciosa, was isolated and demonstrated potent antinociceptive activity in mice. It is now considered to be a major contributory factor for the analgesic properties of M. speciosa due to its selectivity for μ- and κ-opioid receptors. The presence of an hydroxyl group at C-7 increases the potency of 7-hydroxymitragynine to be 13- and 46-fold higher than morphine and mitragynine, respectively. This clearly indicates that this is one of the main pharmacological markers of kratom products’ quality and potency.

In addition to analgesic activity, mitragynine is also a key component for the anti-inflammatory properties of kratom by suppressing prostaglandin E2 (PGE-2) production in the cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) pathway [73].

This all sounds very promising but is there a downside, According to the research documents, yes.

Mitragynine has been shown to demonstrate a wide range of adverse effects. Opioid-like adverse effects have been observed and include constipation, dry mouth, and loss of appetite. There have also been reports of patients suffering from intrahepatic cholestasis after two weeks of kratom use and seizure and coma which might result from opioid agonist action of the major components in kratom.

Studies in mice showing serious conditions after administration, for example, elevated blood pressure and hepatic enzymes after a single dose, impaired cognition and behavior from long-term use, and acute lethally hepatotoxic and mild nephrotoxic effects after high dose administration. Kratom extracts and mitragynine have also been shown to possess cytotoxicity to some human cancer cell lines namely SH-SY5Y cells (neuronal cells).

In conclusion, the author cites the following;

A study looking at ‘kratom dependence syndrome’ has suggested that as it is a short-acting μ-opioid receptor agonist, therapeutic agents such as dihydrocodeine and lofexidine are effective in aiding detoxification. Further studies on kratom toxicology and other natural NPS are crucial to understanding the harms associated with this material due to their increasing popularity.

7-Hydroxymitragynine

7-Hydroxymitragynine is a potent opioid analgesic alkaloid isolated from the Thai medicinal herb Mitragyna speciosa. The following is again courtesy of ScienceDirect and the link will take you to the article, parts of which I have highlighted below.

In clinical studies conducted on mice, Subcutaneous (s.c.) administration of 7-hydroxymitragynine produced a potent antinociceptive effect mainly through activation of μ-opioid receptors. Tolerance to the antinociceptive effect of 7-hydroxymitragynine developed as occurs to morphine. Cross-tolerance to morphine was evident in mice rendered tolerant to 7-hydroxymitragynine and vice versa. Naloxone-induced withdrawal signs were elicited equally in mice chronically treated with 7-hydroxymitragynine or morphine.

7-Hydroxymitragynine exhibited a potent antinociceptive effect based on activation of μ-opioid receptors and its morphine-like pharmacological character, but 7-hydroxymitragynine is structurally different from morphine. These interesting characters of 7-hydroxymitragynine promote further investigation of it as a novel lead compound for opioid studies.

Important research by a mouse does not a man maketh. How these ingredients react in humans still needs to be established and clinical trials are already underway, but are very limited and have no doubt been affected by the Covid pandemic. 

The Alkaloid Takeaway

Clearly, we are dealing with two very promising and potentially lethal (If abused) compounds here, a fact which has no doubt prompted the countries listed below to act against Kratom. Remember the extract comment earlier. We aren’t simply dealing with a leaf you chew anymore. We’ve now extracted the useful bits in concentrations that are untried and untested. These are potent concentrates in quantities previously not available through simply chewing a leaf. 

Further study is definitely warranted, given the initial research and user feedback, but this raises a particularly interesting question, one which should be at the forefront of most people’s minds.

Where is big pharma? Why do they apparently express very little interest in the plant or its compounds? Make no mistake, combatting pain is big money. The only market more lucrative, and arguably one they have created themselves, is dealing with opioid addiction, one of the biggest challenges American healthcare faces in the coming decade. There are two possible answers to this question.

The first is simply this. They may have already evaluated the compounds and not seen the financial viability in further development, given the clinical risk profile associated with (perhaps unfairly so) both ingredients. The second is that they may simply view any opioid-related products as tainted, given their current market saturation and the associated negative press surrounding opioids. Simply put, if the drug works, pharma is all over it.

The conspiratorialist that lives on my shoulder would also like to raise a third possible scenario. Existing treatments for opioid addiction, developed at huge cost and generating massive income for big Pharma may have seriously affected decisions to explore a cheaper alternative. Pharmaceutical companies don’t down-sell. It is simply not in their makeup. 

Next, let’s examine global regulation and then look at the nutrition and health sectors’ role in Kratom distribution in the US.

Global Regulation and Bans

This is a definitive list of countries across the globe that have either ruled Kratom to be a regulated medicinal drug (available from your doctor on prescription) or classified it along with other illegal substances, such as heroin and cocaine, meaning possession of the drug is illegal. The information below was sourced from this webpage.

European countries

Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom,

Worldwide

Ironically, Indonesia. It is the world’s largest producer of Kratom but use and possession are illegal. Shipping it off to users globally is however encouraged. China and Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Middle East (all countries), Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Egypt, and Argentina all regulate Kratom. 

USA (States)

Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Mississippi, Vermont, and Wisconsin have called for a ban on sales. It’s is freely available in most other States or can be ordered online. 

That makes a total of 45 countries (excluding American states) globally that either ban or regulate Kratom as medicine or a controlled substance. Many of these countries have only recently (within the last decade) applied bans or stricter regulation, indicating a growing awareness globally of the dangers of Kratom’s two psychotropic substances in unregulated use. The fact the plant is now sold as an extract has undoubtedly also impacted this decision-making process. 

The Business Side of Kratom

In 2016, Kratom exports from the region of West Kalimantan, Indonesia conservatively reached $130 million in annual profits. Most of these exports were to the USA and in the subsequent years till 2020, profits and volumes have risen annually, but not for much longer. 

A law was passed in late 2019 in Indonesia banning the further production of Kratom. Farmers have been given a five-year “window of grace” to switch over to another crop, but you can be sure production will be ramped up in that period. Make hay will the sun shines. 

The world will soon be facing a Kratom supply problem. This is great news for countries with the right climate and lax legislation. As shrinking demand drives up Kratom prices, the supply chain will be rubbing its hands in glee, in anticipation of the financial windfall to follow. To sell your product though, you require a legal marketplace to peddle your wares, and America’s lax regulatory system allows the perfect climate for exploitation.

To clarify, Kratom is currently sold and marketed by the natural products sector. A sector Medika views as a real danger to public health. These are the same companies and individuals that encourage the sale of Covid cures, bleach-based treatments and that make a plethora of ridiculous claims about the products they sell. 

They are unscrupulous, driven by profit, and a complete lack of ethical responsibility to the users who buy their snake oils. They are also largely unregulated. 

If anything, every effort should be made to ensure Kratom distances itself from this market. The accompanying reputation of dishonesty and deception the natural products market brings with it will do nothing to further Kratoms case to be recognized as a real medicine with legitimate benefits. 

Enter the AKA (American Kratom Association). This not for profit is essentially a group of lobbyists petitioning anyone and everyone for the right to legally choose to use Kratom. Their pitch is essentially this. Fund us and we will ensure that you retain the right to have access to your drug. 

Again I take issue with the tactics being employed by the AKA. Confusing freedom of choice and the safety of the patient is misleading and a clear effort at diversion. Diversion from what though? Could the AKA simply be a tool of the natural products industry to secure future sales? This is simply my suspicious nature at this point smelling smoke, but further investigation is, in my opinion, warranted. If I am wrong, I’ll be the first to hold up my hands.

There are supposedly over 25 million Americans who currently use Kratom if the figures the AKA give out are to be seen as reliable. This figure is an indicator of the size of the market in America and any product with this potential reach is worth its weight in gold to the retailers selling it. 

The looming issue around supply will only serve to drive up prices and poses a further potential risk. The development of synthetic versions of the two key ingredients to ensure availability and dilution of existing formulations to stretch existing stock. 

As there is currently a lack of regulation there is little to stop manufacturers from lacing or watering down formulations with a myriad of potentially life-threatening cocktails. That’s 25 million potential fatalities waiting for us, not so far down the road. 

The AKA’s efforts to ensure self-regulation and quality control, impossible and unenforceable within the natural health sector, in my opinion, may simply be an attempt to avoid regulation from a higher authority. Yeah, I know. Cynical, but sadly a very real possibility. 

I intend to reach out to the AKA to discuss these issues in more depth in a later article. 

What’s the Value of the Kratom Industry in the US 

Great question, but I am not certain anyone has reliable figures. How could they? Product quality differs wildly as does presentation. Kratom takes the form of anything from vapes to powders, teas, and tablets, and with a user who requires the product on a daily basis in varying strengths, the numbers are huge. 

The actual active ingredients or alkaloids in the product are often not measured or represented correctly and as there is no testing of products made available to the public, it’s pretty much a question of going on what the label says. Labels sadly are often misleading. Particularly when you’re dealing with the unregulated natural products industry. Fancy packaging isn’t an indicator of quality or content. No matter what the marketing blurb says. 

Protecting current users

If there are in fact 25 million Americans using Kratom then the issue truly is pressing. Finding a way forward that protects both the users and assures them continued access to Kratom matters. Particularly to those individuals that rely on Kratom to combat chronic pain. 

Banning the drug is short-sighted and counterproductive to its acceptance as medicine if that is where it truly belongs and mounting evidence suggests that to be the case. 

Make a claim, substantiated or not, relating to the use of Kratom and its ability to relieve pain or assist users to kick an opioid addiction and you’ve just moved the product into the realm of medicine. Let’s be completely clear about this point. There is no getting around it. Kratom is a medicine that hasn’t as yet been labeled as such. 

You can dress it up any way you like, it will always come back to this one simple fact. What Kratom purports to do and what you claim as users, makes Kratom a medical drug, a medicine. 

If it’s to be sold OTC or under the supervision of licensed doctors remains to be seen. My gut feel tells me that it is going to require medical supervision, particularly for patients looking to escape the vicious cycle of opioid addiction. 

Dosing and safe levels need to be established. Interactions with other medications need to be listed and monitored. Long-term usage brings its own risks and with it, the need to monitor for symptoms that would indicate problems. For all of the above, you require the hand of a trained medical professional. Not an online Quack with a degree in bullshit and shelves of herbal products waiting to be sold.. 

These individuals are neither properly trained nor do they have the best interests of the patient at heart. Admittedly, neither does every doctor, and it is the duty of the patient to recognize poor care and seek an alternate care provider. 

How do we get Kratom reclassified?

Human trials are an essential part of any medication’s journey to acceptance by the FDA. There aren’t any short cuts. Not unless your name is Covid and you’re threatening the globe. Kratom may be controversial but it’s definitely not in that league so it’s going to be subject to lengthy scrutiny. 

What may very well benefit the drug is its widespread usage in the US. We have, in effect, got real live clinical trials underway and some of these subjects have years of exposure to the product in varying degrees. 

The whole scope of usage is covered. From the occasional mild dose to daily cocktails that would send an elephant into a coma, we have data at our fingertips. Data that could easily be harvested and would reveal the drug’s true risk profile. 

Additionally, testing of users for blood toxicity and related safety concerns centered around the liver and high blood pressure would be easy to determine. As would dependency. 

It is our intention, through our MOBILIZE Health platform to enable a start to the collection of this data. We will, over the coming days, reach out to research groups involved currently in assessing Kratom’s alkaloids. 

Hopefully, harvesting data, data which current users are all too keen to share, will help this novel drug find a safe path onto the shelves of pharmacies across the country. 

In doing so, this will also ensure the safety of current and future generations of Kratom users. Feel free to register a free account and add your comments below to join in the conversation. We value your opinions.

The post Kratom, the Undiluted Truth. Is it a Dangerous Drug or a Godsend? appeared first on Medika Life.

While there is no miracle drug or solution that can take away your pain completely, there are some strategies that you can explore that may help you cope with chronic pain in your daily life.

Explore your strengths, abilities, and things you are grateful for

This can be very challenging to do, especially when your mind is absorbed with the pain you are feeling in your body. It can be useful though to keep in mind what you are able to do, what is going well, and what is in your life that makes you happy.

Shifting the focus to a positive outlook can possibly help you ever so slightly to redirect your attention to other things, even if they are fleeting moments throughout the day.

Pace yourself, prioritize your to-do list, and break tasks into smaller pieces

Keep in mind that you may have more energy at specific times of day, you may need to take frequent breaks, and you may have to prioritize some tasks over others because you only have so much energy and time in the day before your body and your pain levels force you to stop.

Carefully mapping out your day, and knowing that you understand yourself and your needs better than anyone else, can help you maximize your daily function.

Try out relaxation techniques

Try deep breathing, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, mindfulness, yoga, or using your senses to relax you (sight – getting out in nature, making art, imagining scenes and memories that make you happy); smell – scented candles, essential oils, listening to music); touch/sensation – feeling a soft blanket or pillow, having a warm bath, using ice or heat pad, stretching); etc.

There are many other options out there. Test out ideas to find out what works well for you.

Get a massage

If you enjoy massages and feel comfortable with accessing these services, book a massage regularly as per your schedule and finances. Having a massage can help ease tight, painful muscles and give you some intermittent relief.

Exercise regularly based on what is physically possible for you

In a similar way, regular physical exercise – in whatever way you can and in whatever method you enjoy- can help you feel good and ease your stress at the same time.

If possible, consider booking an assessment or services with a personal trainer who is experienced with your type of needs. They can give you some strategies or develop an exercise program that works for you. You can pursue sessions with a trainer or take what you’ve learned and use it when you exercise on your own time.

Optimize your pain medication with support from your family doctor (if you are using pain medication)

It can be hard to find a way to balance using medication so that you can cope with the pain while also not feeling too sedated, or foggy. Let your doctor know if you are having any unusual symptoms and they will do their best to figure out the best dosage for you. Keeping the line of communication open with your doctor can help you find a good balance. Not everyone uses pain medication, but this may be helpful to consider if you are.

Reduce substance use (if you are using substances)

Sometimes, people use substances, such as alcohol, smoking, marijuana, or other drugs as an escape or a way to avoid the pain. However, using substances can significantly impact your daily function, sleep, and ability to navigate all of the important areas of your life. Substances mask the pain but don’t eliminate it.

Taking a harm reduction approach, speaking with your doctor, exploring addiction services (such as the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health), and replacing substance use with more adaptive coping strategies can help you as you strive toward optimizing your health.

Access support groups

Connect with others who are going through similar experiences for a sense of belonging, building meaningful relationships, sharing personal experiences, and learning from peers who may have gone through or are currently going through similar hurdles as you.

Distract yourself

If you can, try to focus on things other than your pain. In doing so, it will help you feel that there is more to life than your pain, keeps your mind and body occupied, and enables you to not be so consumed, absorbed, and overwhelmed by your pain.

This is easier said than done but is definitely worth trying even for a few minutes or an hour at a time.

Start to slowly adjust to your diagnosis while you work toward your goals

You may have heard this saying before: it’s a marathon- not a sprint.

Taking time to clearly understand your diagnosis that is causing your chronic pain and beginning to adjust to it doesn’t mean you are giving up or have no hope. It means you are discovering a way to deal with the challenges you are facing right now while also holding hope for the future as you continue trying different coping strategies, working with your health care team, and living your life in the best way you can based on your current circumstances.

The post 10 Coping Strategies to Help You Deal With Chronic Pain appeared first on Medika Life.