Chronic Pain, Addiction & Encouragement

Ten percent of people who are prescribed opioid analgesic drugs to address chronic pain become addicted to them.

 

Please allow that to soak in for a moment. Ten may not sound like much in the broad scheme but couple that with the finding that 20-30% of those prescribed these drugs are misusing them. That comes out to 1.9 million Americans living with prescription opioid abuse or dependence. These types of drugs are commonly prescribed for chronic pain and bear familiar names:

•codeine (Atasol, Tylenol 2, 3 or 4)
•morphine
•methadone
•meperidine (Demerol)
•hydromorphone (Dilaudid)
•oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet)

The CDC conducted a survey with the following as one of the findings...
"By 2010, enough OPR were sold to medicate every American adult with a typical dose of 5 mg of hydrocodone every 4 hours for 1 month."
 

 This has not improved despite efforts to more closely regulate and monitor, not only the drugs, but the patients themselves through adequate follow-ups.  Overdoses from opioid analgesics are frighteningly high and misuse is not decreasing despite widespread information of how damaging these drugs are.

The science and complexity of addiction are clearly a large body of information unto themselves. I keep learning about addiction and researching ways that massage is helpful as a tool in the treatment of addiction and there is so very much to learn; so much that makes me hopeful for the clients who need this kind of care. Which brings me to my point: Besides the obvious downsides of abused pharmaceuticals, are the reasons that people need them in the first place...pain.

Chronic pain cycles are often vicious and always exhausting. The symptoms can and do vary widely and what works to manage it during one pain cycle may not even touch it during the next. Opioid analgesics provide relief. They do not treat the problem but they do address the pain. There is nothing in the world wrong with accepting pain killers when you need them. There is no shame and no need for guilt because they are another tool and one with a definite place. Pain is underappreciated by those who have never really suffered with it long term.

What I would implore is that you...
1. Know the facts about the prescriptions that you take. Understand what it does. I mean, what it really does. Learn about the short and long term effects on the body. Learn about the addiction risks. Learn how to use them responsibly. Do not underestimate the power of brain chemistry and how it can change your behaviors. Research it a little. Even a few minutes spent researching is a few minutes that you have put toward being responsible for your well being. You'll know more than you did before and that is never a bad thing.

2. Explore your options for chronic pain control. Try a massage! Massage has a huge and proven success rate with c.p. sufferers. Make it part of your own wellness plan and don't let yourself be distracted from getting to those appointments. Engage your own self care and create the toolbox that you need to manage your pain. Talk to your massage therapist about protocols regarding prescriptions and getting a massage. There is a time period between when you have taken a prescription and receiving massage that must be respected and anything that you confide to your massage therapist remains private.  Try acupuncture! Try essential oils! Try meditating! Try Reiki! Blend holistic therapies into your standard medical care (with plenty of communication with your physician, of course.) to reap bigger and better results. You are mind, body and spirit. Address yourself as a whole.

3. Keep learning! Chronic pain syndromes are not curable as yet. It is diverse. Not all of them share a root cause and with many of these, there is yet to be a discernable cause at all. Hopefully you trust your doctor but, above all, I hope that you trust yourself as well. Be a responsible caregiver to yourself. Have your best interests at heart at all times because no one will care for you like you will! There is a world of knowledge out there and I hope that this will help lead you on the way to learning more about your prescriptions, more about why you are in a pain cycle, more about how to manage what you are going through.

Every day you hear of prescription drug abuses. "On the rise" is a phrase I regularly hear on the news when this topic comes up and, despite more and more public awareness, it is, indeed, increasing. Opioid analgesics are a current leading cause of death. Just be aware and know that there are options out there to aid you in pain relief and control. You are not alone. There are many health professionals out there who are devoted to healing pain and who will work with you earnestly to get you where you want to be as well as providing support. Believe me, pain treatment does not begin and end with pain killers. You have options.

References:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3328297/

http://www.wolterskluwer.com/Press/Latest-News/Pages/Press%20Releases/2015/pr30Mar2015c.aspx

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6043a4.htm

Three Types of Change

Change. We love it, we hate it but nothing stops it. Granted, some changes are more positive than others and so we understandably like to stick with what we know. There is safety and comfort in familiarity and that is not a bad thing. However, some circumstances in life demand our participation, our willingness to let go of what we know in favor of something perhaps much less familiar but far more positive and even necessary. Embracing change to become happy, healthy individuals is often surprisingly threatening, not only to us but to our family and friends who may not understand what all of this change ultimately means. That will pass as they see what you are doing for yourself and that it isn't a threat to them. It will also pass for you. As you work at it and make progress, even tiny increments, you will feel more sure of yourself and the forward momentum will gain speed. So, let's talk about the three types of change...

First Order

Second Order

Third Order

First order: You are reacting to the environment around you. This is not proactive. In this phase, there is no taking responsibility for the state or course of your health, well-being, etc. The mindset here is "the victim" and we all know what that is. Whether we recognize it in ourselves, past or present, we have almost all certainly seen it in someone else. Everything that has happened to us or is happening is because of someone or something else and there are no decisions being made.

Example: I hate my body and I am stuck feeling sick and unhappy all the time. This is just how it is.

 

Second order: This next level is when something vital has shifted that allows us to take in more information about our situation. Perhaps a breaking point has been reached. Reactivity to our environment drops. You begin to consider that by integrating the new input into your life, you can make positive impacts. This is where change begins and the key word here is "integrative".

 

Example: I can like my body more, feel healthier, and be happier if I make these changes.

Third order: We have integrated the new ideas and change has and is occurring. We have kept up with the hard work to see results and now we have them and are transformed. Our beliefs about ourselves have changed and breakthroughs are happening. Life has changed and will continue to change...for the better. The word here is "transformative".

Example: I am doing good things for myself and my quality of life has improved.

The three orders of change can be viewed as a tool to assess where you are and where you want to be. Expand your comfort zone, research and integrate positive protective factors into your life. It is common sense that the more healthy, life sustaining elements you add, the better off that you will be. Your best strategy for success is to be aware of the areas of your life that need your attention and must be addressed to get the results that you are looking for. This might even include asking ourselves what our worldview is that creates our very individual reality, what are our core beliefs  that are at the root of the decisions that have gotten us where we are. Self knowledge is super important!

Where does a massage therapist fit into all of this? So many of my clients are STRESSED OUT, combatting chronic pain, or don't like their bodies very much. There is a disconnect because, in all of the aforementioned cases, they are unhappy with themselves on some level or another. Massage really does help change that. It decreases the stress response, can help manage chronic pain syndromes, and reconnects us with our bodies in a positive way because that is the magic of respectful, healing touch. So, yeah, get a massage! It will be one of the positive elements that can change your life especially if you do it on a regular basis.

Also, mantras are a simple means of hitting the reset button on your thought patterns. Find one that clicks with you and use it often. Change it when it stops working and find the new words that you need. Your needs will change over time. I like to journal my mantras as well as saying them. Getting creative and painting them might be something that you'd enjoy.

Exercise within your abilities and within the range that your doctor is cool with. Exercise has a number of benefits provided your aren't injuring yourself. I have a membership at Planet Fitness that I love. It works for me better than exercising at my house. I also have a yoga practice that I love and I recommend yoga to everyone. Yogis and massage therapists tend to go hand in hand.

De-clutter your house! It will ease depression, and lower chronic stress levels. It worked for me and it can for you, too. There are a lot of ways to get this done but one of the best that I have found is getting a Facebook group that is dedicated to this. The before and after pictures along with their stories are the best motivator that I have found.

Help others! It's a fact that a "helpers high" exists. Not only do we feel good when we help other people but it also moves us into a mindset of gratitude. Find a cause that you feel passionate about but not one that stresses you. I have a pretty tough rule about refusing to stay in toxic situations and that includes volunteer situations that are volatile.

Find something that gives you purpose and direction. You may already have this but maybe not. If you don't, then find it. From personal experience I can tell you that finding that purpose, that thing that stokes your passion, is pivotal and necessary for positive change. It keeps you from just floating along, something that I once found myself doing.

These are all just suggestions and I can only speak for what has worked for me. I have completely changed my life in the last few years and it has become better and richer for those changes. I still have things to do, areas to improve, projects to complete but I know that I have the ability to do those things now where three years ago, definitely five years ago, I did not. As a massage therapist, the only thing that I can really speak with authority about is massage. As a person with their own struggles, I can speak to you as a friend. I hope you find this post useful and that it is received in the spirit of friendship. Namaste, my friends.

Any feedback that you would like to leave would be awesome. This article is not meant to diagnose, psychoanalyze or anything else along those lines.

New year, healthier you...

 

The benefits of massage are incredibly well documented. More and more, people are becoming aware of the health benefits of bodywork rather than thinking of it only in terms of a luxury. With that in mind, this is the ideal time of year to set about creating time for you; an hour of massage once a week or even once a month will get you noticeable results. That hour will come to be one that you look forward to and massage can be a life-changer. Among it's many benefits is increased immunity, stress relief, and building a strong body image.

We live in a world that keeps many of us saturated in stress and that encourages all of us to be critical of our physical selves. Over time, just those two elements take a toll and that is excluding a lot of other existing factors. The wear and tear on our minds translates to wear and tear on the body and sickness soon ensues and then it becomes a bit of a vicious cycle until such time that we manage to break away from it. I know because I have been there myself and seen it over and over with others. Stress is a killer.

Begin this year with a resolve to self-care and to receiving regular massage. Settle your mind that the time on the table is a priority for you and see what it can do for you. If you don't care for massage where you had a session then see another therapist because massage therapists are not the same and all have different techniques. Explore and invite healing into your life!

Anxiety & Depression...

Benefits of massage for cancer patients (Feel free to print out and use)

Benefits of Massage for Cancer Patients

· Massage reduces anxiety & depression.

· Massage improves immune function including increased natural killer cell number.

· Massage reduces pain perception by an average of 60%, decreases anxiety by 24%, and enhances relaxation by 58%. [Ferrel-Torry & Glick (1003)]

· Massage stimulates the lymphatic system.

· Massage reduces muscle tension.

· Massage aids in the healing of the body post-surgery including mastectomies.

“Healing takes courage, and we all have courage, even if we have to dig a little to find it.” ~ Tori Amos

Benefits of massage...

This is the first graphic I put together detailing the benefits of massage. :)