Originally, I had a post on the docket about the (now infamous) "Twinkie diet" - but since then there have been *several* wonderful blog entries on the topic by Registered Dietitians and other professionals in the wellness world: much like this one.
What has also been on my mind in the past couple of weeks has been pain and pain management. This is a subject near and dear to my heart, as I have been an advocate of natural pain management my entire adult life. A couple weeks ago - seemingly out of nowhere - I began to experience a significant pain in (what seemed to be) my right rhomboid major. For me, any muscular pain is frustrating in the very least as it requires me to assess and reassess what part of my routine was the probable cause for the discomfort and take extra time to stretch the troubled muscle. After consulting with my trainer and receiving some target stretches, I began what I thought would be a short rehabilitation process.
A few days passed, and the pain did not budge. In fact, not only had it intensified, but I began to suspect that it wasn't muscular at all. Burning, not throbbing or dull aching, was the afflicting sensation. I scheduled an appointment with my doctor as soon as possible and that following Monday I was diagnosed with shingles.
Let's just skip over the whole "I have no idea how this happened because I haven't been sick (not even a cold) in over 10 years and my family can't remember me having chickenpox EVER" part. Instead, let's focus on the point of the blog entry - the pain.
If you Google "Shingles," the most common phrase you'll find is "Extremely painful." If you dig deep enough (as I did, obviously), you'll find several forums with people sharing their experiences dealing with Shingles - some even claiming to resort to narcotics to deal with the pain. The horror stories I found were all quite disconcerting to me, as even though shingles was not the easiest thing to deal with, it surely wasn't as bad as some people (my age, mind you) were making it out to be. Yes, yes, yes - I know that it's possible that some people's pain could have been more intense, but I assure you that this was an INTENSE pain. It wasn't a walk in the park. My point is - there are several ways to manage pain without resorting to either over-the-counter or prescribed medications. Unfortunately, we live in a society that (metaphorically and literally) shoves medication down our throats at the first twinge of discomfort!
Now, there is nothing exceptional about my biology or body composition that allows me to endure pain - nothing abnormal, no over-active adrenal glands or anything of the sort. I am your average run-of-the-mill healthy 20-something who has suffered injuries and illness (albeit the latter not in many, many years) much like anyone else. The difference, I think, between myself and others is that I have made myself *aware* of the capabilities of the human body to endure and function through pain. I *believe* that my body *benefits* from feeling pain - because when I do feel discomfort in its uninhibited form, I am in the best position to correct it - and I never forget what needs attention and work. This philosophy was first tested when I broke my knee at age 19, when I suffered a 3rd degree ankle sprain in 07, and solidified when I ruptured my L4/L5 in the fall of 09. Various other small inflictions and injuries between the most significant ones were also healed without the aid of medication, only resorting to anti-inflammatory medication when the pain was intense enough to affect my thought processes.
Do I think I'm Superwoman? Hell no. Do I think other people can do exactly what I've done? Yes! It takes nothing more than considering the possible long-term consequences *not* of the medications themselves (I'm not a doctor or a pharmacist, although I've heard that too many meds can negatively impact certain organs), but of the *mindset* that people have when it comes to the slightest discomfort. If you're constantly seeking a "quick fix" and you're unwilling to allow your body to tell you what needs attention - when will you ever truly *feel* anything? Yes, back pain is one of the most awful experiences one can ever have - I know this first-hand. HOWEVER, allowing myself to *feel* my back tell me exactly what was wrong and where it needed attention, I was able to rehabilitate the injury over the course of several months. Had I just popped pain-killers daily, I would have been masking something that needed work - ignoring it until it screamed so loud that I couldn't shut it up.
I believe the aforementioned hypothetical scenario is why so many people are in chronic pain these days. Nobody is too busy to listen to their own body, and nobody is too weak to stand up to pain and let it run its course. I urge people in my life every day to realize their potential when it comes to many things: nutrition, time-management, fitness, and pain management. We are born at full capacity and it is only we who allow that capacity to be whittled away slowly but surely until we are convinced that nothing but a bottle of Tylenol can make the pain subside.
Be strong. Live well. You are worth it.
