Chronic Pain – Cope or Cure?
Fibromyalgia, debilitating arthritis, severe headaches, neuropathy, these are all common causes for chronic pain. I have been talking about the effects of fibromyalgia for sometime now but I felt it important to address the needs of those who suffer from many forms of chronic pain; including fibromyalgia.
Once a person begins to experience constant, debilitating pain that does not seem to ease, a frequent questions that is asked is “will I have to live with this for the rest of my life?” This is a very difficult question for any doctor, chiropractic or medical, to answer and it is even more challenging for the chronic pain sufferer to learn whether she must cope with it or seek for a cure. As your fibromyalgia and chronic pain chiropractic physician, it is my hope in writing this article that every chronic pain sufferer will learn that you can cope with your illness while seeking a cure.
Almost every health condition, illness or diagnosis comes with its very own disclaimer. Although science, chiropractic and medicine have made significant breakthroughs with the treatment of many diseases, seldom is there a guarantee of a cure! Do cures exist? Yes they do and they occur more often than one might expect. “But what about fibromyalgia, can fibromyalgia be cured too?” Whether it is fibromyalgia or any chronic pain illness, the answer this chiropractic physician always gives is -maybe.
There are many cases of people who have suffered the debilitating effects of chronic pain due to arthritis or fibromyalgia who, through a series of steps or procedures, report having been cured from their illness. I have seen it personally in my Mesa, AZ Chiropractic clinic. Allow me to share a story of on of my chiropractic patients suffering from fibromyalgia.
Angie (not her real name) suffered from fibromyalgia for over 14 years but was diagnosed just eight years ago. I first saw her in my Mesa, AZ Chiropractic Clinic approximately 3 1/2 years ago where we discovered a possible beginning to her fibromyalgia. Our treatment, which included whole food nutrition / supplementation, chiropractic therapy and massage (very gently I must add) began immediately. The process was expectantly slow but after one year Angie’s pain intensity fell from a frequent 7 to 9 out of 10 to an occasional 2 to 3. She went several weeks, even nearly two months without pain or her other multiple symptoms. After the completion of her second year of treatment she had been pain free for over 5 months. During her third year of chiropractic and nutritional care she had fibromyalgia like symptoms only once for one week; during the cold and flu season. She continues to be pain free and over 90% of her other fibromyalgia related symptoms have resolved.
However, in medicine, chiropractic and science you can never proclaim a permanent victory in recovery and you must “never say never” to a cure. One can be permanently cured from an illness like fibromyalgia or from any cause of chronic pain but their must be caution in proclaiming it so. Cancers return many years later for example or, illness or injury may open up a reoccurrence of any previous illness; including fibromyalgia or chronic pain. But cures do happen sometimes.
Hope is so important to the chronically ill. When in pain, you must never give up hope for a cure. Yet you must also learn to cope properly with your illness while searching for that possible cure for you! Never give up and never give in to your illness; whether it is fibromyalgia, arthritis, neuropathy or any cause of chronic pain.
When necessary, medications can be beneficial in controlling pain. However, prolonged use of almost all medications has the potential for serious long term consequences. These may contribute in the long run to an increase in your perception of pain and limit your body’s ability to provide its own miraculous healing capabilities! I believe in the use of whole food nutrition and other non pharmaceutical means to strengthen you and your body’s pain fighting capabilities.
To learn more about natural healing, search the internet for articles that may give you an idea or two on how to cope or discover a possible cure your chronic pain. Seek the advice of a chiropractic or medical physician that has training in the use of whole food nutrition or you may read about the use of chiropractic, whole food nutrition, balance, exercise, massage, drug toxicity, environmental causes of fibromyalgia and many more articles of interest found in my blog.
Most importantly, remember not to ever “give up or give in” to your chronic pain! There is a chance that you will find your specific answers to the question: Chronic pain – cope or cure. (May I suggest you can successfully have both!)
