September is Chronic Pain Awareness Month, an annual collaboration for spreading awareness of chronic pain and pain management issues that was established by the American Chronic Pain Association in 2001. According to the Institute of Medicine of National Academies, about 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, and this epidemic not only compromises our physical abilities, but also our mental and emotional states. With new studies defining our understanding of its effects and new methods being developed for managing chronic pain, the following tips can alleviate the strain and provide some relief.
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Keep Hydrated
According to the Mayo Clinic, getting dehydrated might actually aggravate some pain symptoms of chronic conditions like back pain, muscle cramping and headaches. Making sure to drink plenty of water will keep you hydrated and help keep your systems functioning optimally without the added calories, caffeine or sodium of other drinks like coffee, soda or juices.
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Reduce Inflammatory Foods In Your Diet
Almost everything we eat either encourages or discourages inflammation in our bodies, and inflammation can perpetuate sensations of chronic pain. The modern American diet of processed convenience foods are full of chemicals, preservatives, and refined sugars and oils that are pro-inflammatory. Reducing your intake in favor of whole, organic foods and anti-inflammatory supplements like turmeric and ginger will support a stronger, calmer system and can reduce pain.
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Learn to Be Mindful with Meditation
In a Wake Forest University study, researchers scanned the brains of volunteers, once while not meditating, and another time while meditating, with pain induced during both sessions. The study showed an approximately 40 percent reduction in pain intensity ratings during meditation when compared with non-meditation. They discovered that by activating and reinforcing areas in the brain used for pain processing, meditation has the overall effect of helping reduce chronic pain intensity.
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Protect Your Mind With Yoga
Practicing Yoga can be an essential exercise to manage chronic pain, by increasing flexibility and building strength to support the body, reducing stress to increase relaxation, and also for combatting the changes it can trigger in brain structure. Brain imaging studies have shown that chronic pain leads to changes in gray matter volume and the integrity of white matter connectivity. A yoga practice has been proven to have the opposite effect of chronic pain on the brain, by bulking up gray matter through neurogenesis and strengthening white matter connectivity through neuroplasticity.
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Talk It Out
The American Psychological Association speaks to the benefits of psychotherapy for managing chronic pain. It seems that talking about it may help reduce the effect it has. Group therapies help eliminate feelings of isolation, depression and anxiety, cognitive behavioral therapy can help develop better coping skills for pain, and biofeedback exercises can help patients better recognize and control their physical, mental and emotional responses to it.
Do You Need Help Managing Chronic Pain?
At Atlanta Medical Clinic, we not only offer a multidisciplinary treatment approach for managing chronic pain, we also provide wellness checks, weight loss programs, and nutritional counseling to help get to the root of your pain and eliminate it. Contact us today for your personal consultation appointment!