Category Archives: Pain Health

Back Pain

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I think each one of us lives with certain maladies that affect our sense of well-being. However, most of the time we learn to cope with it and are able to enjoy a fairly positive outlook despite the problems.

Here is my current list of health or appearance problems that plague me:

  • Back pain
  • Hand/wrist arthritis/tendinitis
  • Meralgia paresthetica in upper left thigh
  • Acne
  • Sinus congestion
  • Leg pain when standing (especially when wearing non-minimal shoes or on hard surfaces)
  • Kyphosis/Scoliosis
  • Digestive trouble
  • Eye strain
  • Depression

The worst of the items on this list, by far, is back pain. I first started experiencing twinges of this when I started college. Unfortunately, I ignored it at the time since it wasn’t that bad. Due to a lack of proper exercise and stretching, the condition grew worse over the next couple years. Now, I generally always have some level of pain in my back, which ranges from a 1 to a 7 on the comparative pain scale.

If there is one thing I have learned in the past couple years of dealing with various health problems, it is that moaning and groaning (or getting others to do this for me) does absolutely nothing to help me cope with the pain. Here is how I currently deal with my back pain. Hopefully you can relate it to whatever physical ailment with which you have to live.

  1. Create a treatment plan. I daily take turmeric and MSM (sulfur) powder which are both natural anti-inflammatory substances. In addition, I am now generally taking a daily dose of acetaminophen to help with pain outbreaks. I have decided on this instead of taking NSAIDs because these can have deleterious effects on the gut and my gut already has enough problems after the surgery I had a couple years ago.
  2. Self-crack my back. I do this every half hour. I try to not do it more often than this, because this can cause more problems than it fixes. This has become routine. I simply bend over to a 90 degree angle and then jerk back up. This will usually in a satisfying crack right in the center of my back.
  3. Have alternative methods to deal with pain if the above doesn’t work. If I am still experiencing back pain that does not allow me to function very efficiently, I will do one of several things. First, a cold shower usually makes my back feel better. Another option is laying on a foam roller in both directions and stretching. The last option is to make some tea and meditate. If nothing else, this can help me get into a better mental state.
  4. Focus on getting through this day. Sometimes it can seem overwhelming to me if I start worrying about how my back pain will affect me during medical school or my career. There may be a time and a place to think about such things, but not in the moment that I am experiencing the pain. Right then, the best thing is to just focus on coping with it as best as possible and fulfilling my obligations for that day.

This is a constant struggle and I still have bouts of depression on a fairly regular basis because of this. However, I feel like I am making progress and hope that these experiences will make me a wiser and more empathetic person in general.

Evaluation of my Month of Perfect Alignment

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The challenge for last month would have been better had I only focused on one or two aspects of proper alignment. If I do something like this again, that is what I will do.

Alignment is to some degree a very subjective concept. One reason for this is that humans are not statues; we are often in motion (and should be). Another reason for this is that each person’s physique is different than “normal” and some are majorly different. For this reason, when thinking about alignment, one has to take it to some degree with a grain of salt and think in generalities, not specifics.

Overall, my month was mediocre. There were some times where I really committed to my exercise routine and focused on really good alignment. However, there were also times where I was lazy both in maintaining alignment and in exercising.

Here is what I learned:

  • A “balance” must be found between relaxation and perfect alignment. Now, for some people, this might not be necessary. However, it was an imperative for me. Sustained tension can cause as much trouble (if not more) as improper alignment. This is something the Physical Medicine specialist I have seen several times in Houston warned me about as well, knowing my determination to achieve results.
  • Taking cold showers is a huge help in maintaining alignment. I am not sure why this is, I just know it is the case from experience. I learned this by accident. I have previously used cold showers strictly as a motivational tactic. However, if my back or neck feels tight or overworked, taking a cold shower dissipates the fatigue without compromising alignment. In my experience, hot showers do not do this, at least not to the same degree.
  • The best way to have perfect alignment is to constantly be flowing to different positions. When I am in classes, this is not very feasible. However, I am trying to find ways to easily adapt to different positions when I am studying or working on the computer. These include sitting, standing, lying down, squatting, and kneeling in a modified hero’s pose.
  • Find ways to crack your back if possible. If I didn’t do this many times a day, I would probably be miserable. If you are unable to do this, consider visiting a chiropractor, unless you feel that your back is perfect already. The main way I crack mine is by bending over to a 90 degree angle with knees straight and then jerking my torso upward.

Don’t ever get discouraged about alignment or let it negatively affect your self image. I am saying this for myself, but if you have similar tendencies, please take note of this. You will always improve the most when you have a positive motivation for what you are doing rather than a negative motivation. It also makes the process infinitely more enjoyable.

Finding the Willpower to Overcome Depression

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There are times of depression when our willpower just won’t cooperate, even though our minds and emotions might be in the right place. What is the secret for finding the willpower to live consciously? I have read several articles about how to use willpower most effectively once you have it. However, what do you do when you don’t have it and are just in a muddle? After all, it takes some willpower to seek willpower. It takes some willpower to do anything. Do we have to just be at the mercy of our will all the time? Obviously, there are not any easy answers to these questions, if there are any answers at all. However, here are some thoughts from personal experience:

  1. Find whatever small amount of willpower you do have and use it. Willpower is like any muscle in your body. The more you exercise and stretch it, the stronger and more flexible it will become. Maybe all you can find the willpower to do is to take a deep breath. Do that. Maybe you can put on a momentary smile. Do that. After each small thing you do, check in with yourself to see what you can do next. Don’t put a guilt trip on your willpower to do more than it is able, and then loathe yourself when it does not conform. This will only increase your despondency.
  2. Once you have coaxed your willpower to start doing small things that don’t tax its strength, create a new opportunity (NEW OP). In a previous post, I talked about how to create a NEW OP, which stands for nap, exercise, water, organize, and pray, all in 1-2 minute intervals. Of course, this step doesn’t have to be done; just monitor your willpower and see what it needs.
  3. Post something helpful or inspiring to hopefully prevent the same depression from happening again in the near future. This could be a quote, a short blog post, a Scripture verse, or anything else that works and could be done in a picture frame or on the desktop of your computer. Sometimes for me, reading one of my previous blog posts can be the most relevant option.
  4. Continue living in the present. Depression usually overtakes me when I allow myself to live in the past or the future. Both of these areas of time are useful for living fully in the present. However, there is a fine line between evaluating the past and living in the past. There is also a fine line between planning for the future and living in the future. If I can center my awareness on just being in the moment in which I find myself, I have the best chance of warding off depression, especially if I am living in appointed times by faith.

Lately, I have been battling a lot of depression, most of which is coming from existential questions. I believe being mindful of these strategies will allow me to both find answers as well as live consciously now. I agree with Socrates that, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” However, me must all find a way to examine our life while living in reality and avoid paralysis by analysis.

A Month of Perfect Alignment

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This next month I am going to focus on maintaining perfect body alignment, given my current limitations. This is something I already do focus on a good bit, but I have been getting a bit lax lately. One problem I have been having is finding a good balance between holding myself in the best alignment I can and totally relaxing. If I don’t maintain perfect alignment, my back generally feels worse. However, if I engage my muscles too much, that can produce stress, which affects my wrists and arms. Here are my general objectives to constantly maintain:

  • Engage the abs at least moderately. This supports my lower back and can prevent pain from spreading south.
  • Keep pelvis close to neutral. Sometimes I want to tip it back farther than neutral because it makes my back look a bit straighter, but I don’t think this is necessarily healthy and it can also cause stress in the back.
  • Mildly engage the trapezius muscles. This doesn’t have to be excessive, but I should always feel a slight pull back there. The right trap should pull down and to the left, while the left pulls down and to the right.
  • Keep feet parallel. Whether sitting or standing, it is best to keep the feet parallel to each other most of the time.
  • Externally rotate both legs. This means to engage the leg muscles so that the feet want to point outwards. However, the feet should not be allowed to move.
  • When bending down to get something, do a forward bend or a squat. I want to not do something in-between, because that type of oblique motion generally makes my back feel worse.
  • Keep chin tucked and head back. Making a double-chin is good for this. The head should be pulled straight back, not up at all.

The challenge for this month is of course not just doing these things, but maintaining them at all times. In order for this challenge to be successful 24/7, I want to be diligent with doing all my stretches and exercises every day.

Up next: Evaluation of my Month of Orderly Surroundings.

Life IS Fair

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Someone is born with down syndrome; another person gets cancer; yet another has a terrible accident and becomes a paraplegic. Why does life just seem so unfair? There are two ways most people deal with this:

  1. Moan, complain, and regret. Bitterness, self-loathing, and depression is one common response to pain and suffering in life. However, what does this really accomplish? It just makes one more dependent on emotional help from others and medications to cope with these destructive attitudes.
  2. Accept that life is not fair. Realists try to suck it up and just make the best with the cards they have been dealt. I believe this to be a much more sensible reaction if it can be pursued. However, I have experienced that there are times when it is difficult if not impossible to have this realist outlook on life.

I have engaged in both of these responses. I even blogged here about how life is not fair and to simply focus on accomplishing everything you can given your condition without comparing yourself to others.

However, I cannot seem to really embrace this perspective. Perhaps others are stronger than I, but for me it still fosters a sense of bitterness, regret, and despair, as much as I fight against these feelings. I am now in the habit of forming personal empowering beliefs that have the possibility of being true and whole-heartedly embracing them in my philosophy on life.

So, in dealing with pain, I have decided to believe that life IS fair. That ultimately, somehow, compensation will be made if I deal with pain consciously.

Now, I have pondered extensively over how this compensation will happen and what the compensation will be when it happens. As with everything, I realize that I will not figure out a good answer for this today, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, and most likely not even in ten years.

Despite not knowing the particulars, I choose to believe that there will be  compensation for the things people suffer in this life, but some conditions must be met in order to receive this.

  1. You must connect with the Source. Who or what is the source? I believe He is an almighty and eternal being who directly interacted with His creation via Jesus/Y’shua the Christ. I will never claim to know who He is except in a very, very small way, since I believe He operates in a different dimension that is difficult if not impossible for me to fully comprehend (Isaiah 55:8-9).
  2. You must live consciously right now. Don’t worry about what you did in the last year, last month, or even the last second. Just choose this moment to live consciously. If you would like a framework in which to do this, check out my posts on living in appointed times by faith (part 2, part 3, part 4). You may also find my statement of belief helpful.

In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Abraham said to the rich man, “Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things: but now here he is comforted and thou art in anguish.” Now, I have no idea whether this parable is commenting at all on a principle of compensation or not. However, I believe it is plausible to think that it is. Abraham should have said, “Look, you refused to believe in the Messiah, so now you are suffering!” But that is not what he said, though that was additionally implied later.

There was a suggestion that Lazarus was being compensated for the evil things he suffered in life. Now, would this not also mean that a believer that has a suffered more than another believer will be compensated more for that suffering? This is mainly conjecture on my part, but it is a theologically fruitful one. It helps to make sense of the things in life that just seem so unfair. This could mean that those born with down syndrome or with a disability will be the ones with the highest capacity for knowing the Father or something equivalent to that. This idea makes all suffering more meaningful. I believe it is an empowering belief worth adopting.

Dealing with Physical Pain and Irritation

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What should you do when you experience physical pain or irritation? This could be something chronic, like I experience with my back and my hands, or something acute like a headache or sore throat. Here is how I take an integrative approach to dealing with pain.

  1. Do what “needs” to be done if possible. Obviously, one must define what a necessary activity is. For me, I define this as my first round of exercise as well as tasks that are both urgent and important.
  2. While doing what needs to be done, try to breathe and/or drink water and maintain good posture and body motions. In other words, I try to be as healthy as possible without stopping what I am doing.
  3. If necessary, stop and treat symptoms quickly and naturally and then finish what needs to be done. If I just cannot seem to focus because of the pain or irritation, I quickly treat the symptoms without medications. So, for example, if I had sinus pressure, I might make some peppermint tea or do a sinus rinse. If I have irritation in my wrists, I sometimes stop to exercise them with my handball and then put some therapeutic gloves on them. If my back is hurting and cannot be ignored, which happens often, I will lay on a foam roller for 5 to 10 minutes.
  4. If what needs to be done cannot be completed despite quickly treating the symptoms naturally, take some medications. I don’t avoid pharmaceuticals, I just don’t use them as my first line of defense. However, if I have a headache that I have done some quick natural treatments for and I still cannot get through what I need to do, then I will take some tylenol or advil or some other pain reliever so I can complete the agenda for the day.
  5. After completing what needs to be done, treat the symptoms extensively. I look at this as an incredibly pertinent use of time, since I am going into the healthcare profession and want hands-on experience treating symptoms. I use pharmaceuticals when something is really bad or I fear I will not sleep very well. Also, I might think about the next day. So, if my nose was running incessantly and I had class the next day, I would probably take something before I went to bed so it wouldn’t be running the next morning.
  6. Consider meditation or yoga for all-purpose treatment. If I am not sure how to treat something or perhaps cannot think straight enough to try, I default to doing meditation or yoga. For an all-purpose exercise that incorporates stretching, posture, balance, breath, meditation, strength, and flexibility, I know of nothing better than yoga. If I don’t feel the need for yoga, I will try meditating. I find a comfortable position where I can keep my back as straight as possible easily. I then focus all my thought and attention on my breathing. Read this post by Leo Babauta on how to start meditating.

These steps can work fairly well if I am in more of a personal situation. However, what if I am in a group setting, such as sitting in class or at a social event? What then? If I need to be focused (such as when I am in class), I will do what I would want my students to do if I was teaching a class. Pay attention and give eye contact without staring. Show interest but don’t be overexcited. Participate without dominating the classroom discussion. This is what I would do whether I had pain or not. However, doing these things mindfully helps me to focus more on what is being taught rather than on the pain I am experiencing. Instead of focusing on myself, I totally focus on doing to the teacher as I would have done unto me. Even if this means I leave with a sore back, hurting hands, and feel like I really did not get much out of the class, I at least fulfilled the command to love my neighbor as myself.

In social situations, such as at birthday parties or receptions, I would probably really focus on my breath and possibly silently repeat a one-syllable mantra so I can ignore the pain. Also, I would keep a semi-pleasant expression on my face. I would also try to leave early without doing so prematurely.

If you are one of those fortunate people who read this and go – “Huh? Who needs all that?” – then I envy you. However, I feel that most of us deal with something at least on a semi-regular basis and having a paradigm of how to deal with these pains and irritations is most helpful. Truly, paradigms are amazing!

Dispensing with a False Dichotomy

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A dichotomy is a strict division between two positions that are looked at as mutually exclusive. A false dichotomy occurs when only two positions are presented when there are actually more options to consider.

Such a condition exists today in the battle between conventional and alternative medicine.

In her article Integrating Alternative Medicine and Conventional Medicine, Evelyn Lim provided good definitions of the two general categories:

Conventional medicine is used to describe the services that treat the symptoms of a disease or illness with prescribed medications and surgeries. Conventional medicine treats the ailing part of the body but may not address the underlying causes of the illness or disease. This area of medicine is what is practiced in hospitals and most doctor’s offices in the Western world. Backed by the FDA and multiple scientific studies, conventional medicine is highly regulated for the benefit of the patient.

An alternative form of treatment to conventional medicine, alternative medicine attempts to treat the patient as a whole – the mind, spirit, and body — to prevent diseases and illnesses from occurring and creating a better overall quality of life rather than just a body free of symptoms. Because it acknowledges that the patient’s physical health is directly affected by state of mind and spiritual health, alternative medicine offers preventative treatments that are often relaxing and non-invasive.

This description in Wikipedia rounds out the second definition:

Alternative medicine is any practice that is put forward as having the healing effects of medicine but is not based on evidence gathered using the scientific method.[1] It consists of a wide range of health care practices, products and therapies,[2] using alternative medical diagnoses and treatments which typically have not been included in the degree courses of established medical schools or used in conventional medicine. Examples of alternative medicine include homeopathy, naturopathy, chiropractic, energy medicine and acupuncture.

These definitions reflect what I said in a previous post about the multiple levels of health and how each is important. Conventional medicine deals with symptoms, while alternative medicine deals with prevention. Obviously, this is a major generalization. There are many practices in conventional medicine that target prevention, such as vaccinations and treatments given in response to the patient’s blood work. Many of the practices in alternative medicine also target symptoms, but this is done by attempting to fix the alleged cause of the problem.

Now, it is nice to say that you are working on fixing the root cause of a disease, but often this is not easy to determine. It is relatively easy to determine if some treatment minimizes the symptoms. It is very difficult to say some treatment fixed the root problem. I believe this is why conventional medicine tends to focus more on treating the symptom, because that is something that can be definitely tested.

In my estimation, misunderstandings exist on both sides. Here is what some think of alternative medicine:

  1. “It has not been scientifically proven yet.” Neither was the benefits of hand-washing a couple hundred of years ago. While I would be very hesitant to advocate something as a main treatment for a problem that had shady scientific credentials, I would definitely recommend trying it out on the side if others had good experiences with it and it did not pose any risks.
  2. “It is too ‘mystical’ to be valid.” Even if some practice or alternative treatment does have some seeming clinical support, many conventional practitioners would still avoid it if it just seems too “mystical” or “new-agey.” This is more of a worldview problem than anything else.

Here are some common critiques of conventional medicine:

  1. “They just treat the symptom.” As if this is a bad thing! Treating symptoms is half of what medicine is about. Also, this is untrue, as conventional medicine does also try to prevent diseases and treat root causes, such as removing tumors.
  2. “Drugs, surgery, and radiation are ‘unnatural’ and therefore bad.” Pharmaceutical drugs are synthesized in a lab, so they must be bad, right? No, they are chemicals just like everything else around us. Some might contain substances that will not be good for our health in the long run, though they certainly can help out in the moment of need. Certain words just mean ‘bad’ to some people. Radiation! Oh, no! (sarcasm)

If these misconceptions can be cleared up, and people start realizing the value that both sides of this false dichotomy can bring to their lives, this will be good for everyone involved.

Living for Total Health and Consciousness Forever

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My first purpose paradigm states that I desire to live for total health and consciousness forever. I would like to unpackage this a little in this post. First off, what do I mean by total health? Health is not just lacking a horrible ailment or feeling okay, but rather possessing a vibrant internal energy which can manifest itself in any number of physical actions. There are three main tiers of health:

  1. Symptom health, or comfort. I, like everyone else, would rather not have pain or irritation, be it from a sore back, arthritic hands, or runny nose, all of which are symptoms I deal with on a daily basis.
  2. Preventative health. This includes all the things I do with my diet, posture, exercise, and alternative modalities to hopefully guarantee more longevity and general physiological functionality.
  3. Vibrant internal energy. This could be thought of as a state of being where the physical and the spiritual begin to blend. However, this is not the result of a shortcut, such as psychedelics, which will not last, but rather a sustainable existence.

I distinguished this paradigm from that of ‘Living in Appointed Times by Faith‘ by using the word ‘for’. I am not living IN total health but living FOR it. It is a state of being I am working towards, and even if I don’t ever fully attain it, this will still be a fulfilling endeavor. Moreover, I hope to experience this in the afterlife.

In reaching that place of vibrant internal energy, one must deal with the first two layers of health first, that is, symptom health and preventative health. These often seem to be at war with each-other. A vital practice is to lessen that battle by finding modalities that can help both symptom health and preventative health. This is often a challenge.

Consciousness is the next key word to tackle. Dictionary.com defines consciousness as the awareness of one’s own existence, sensations, thoughts and surroundings. I view consciousness as the ability to ask ‘why’ and not just live in the ‘what’. I desire not just to experience bliss, but to understand what makes bliss so blissful. What this practically means is that I want to live life proactively and not reactively. I want to choose every action I take based upon rational thought and philosophical understanding, not live on impulses, urges, traditions, or the whims of others. I want to rise above my fleshly, animal lusts and transcend to a higher order of existence.

This aspect of consciousness I believe finds its origin in the divine, who made us in His image, and the most prominent aspect of this image is the higher consciousness that we have the potential of attaining. When I live my life simply responding to animal lusts and the tyranny of the urgent, I miss out on the rich rewards of living consciously. I recommend you read an article by Steve Pavlina entitled The Courage to Live Consciously. This will both inspire and challenge you to not let fears prevent you from experiencing everything life has to offer.