Pain

Pain has become such a prevalent, and complex, health challenge and can affect all aspects of someone's life. Though more and more research comes about, allopathic medicine still does not offer much for pain management. However, allopathic medicine can absolutely work wonders with pain when we need surgeries or short-term immediate relief. Allopathic medicine treats the symptom, not the problem. Physical therapy can also help a lot with pain and natural therapies such as acupuncture, massage therapy, yoga,and chiropractic are known to help with pain management and reduction. Yet, pain is still such a widespread challenge.

There are two things I would like you to initially contemplate: 1) Other cultures do not experience pain as much as we in the US, and perhaps western world, do. Why might that be? 2) Ayurveda is not widely known for pain management like other natural therapies. Why is that?

Ayurveda should be known to be extraordinarily helpful with pain management. In order for this to happen there has to be a mindset shift. If we look at the most common natural pain management therapies of massage, yoga, physical therapy, and chiropractic every single one involves physical manipulation of the tissues. Acupuncture, on the other hand, does not. It is more commonly accepted as a treatment modality for pain, yet there are still those who question it (despite it being evidence-based) because there is no physical manipulation of the tissues and it cannot be proven in western allopathic terms because it is a completely different system of medicine. Ayurveda helps with pain so much, but again, there is no physical manipulation of the tissues and it is also a completely different system of medicine.

Here is my story of having my world turned a little upside down regarding pain, and how I thought what I was doing as a massage therapist was efficient for pain management, when I somewhat recently discovered I'm just another symptom manager. I have worked over for over 20 years as a massage therapist focusing on pain management, injury prevention and management, acute and chronic pain and stiffness, etc. I can absolutely give a relaxing massage, but that is not the draw for most people to see me. When I hear frozen shoulder I know how to get rid of it in one or two sessions. When I hear sciatic, I have the same response. Shin splints, plantar fascitis - this list can go on and on. People would see me for a massage and their pain would be reduced tremendously or completely go away. They just needed maintenance or it would come back - maybe it was every two weeks, every three weeks, or once per month. I used to think I was dealing with the problem, but I only recently realized I was just another symptom manager. If they have to see me once per month for their migraines or headaches to not come back, then I am just a bandaid. The problem is not getting resolved.

Ayurvedic anatomy, physiology, and philosophy is a completely different perspective of what causes the pain in the first place with a clear map of the steps to reduce or get rid of the pain. I have learned this diving deeper into Ayurvedic academic studies the past few years, but only recently in India did it actually connect on a personal level. When I studied and learned the pain management components and more specifically treatments through Ayurveda, I did listen and learn, but there was a part of me that said, "Why do I need to go about it that way? I know how to take care of it." My background in therapeutic massage was clouding things a wee bit. It wasn't until I was in India receiving treatments myself that I finally understood the Ayurvedic reality of what I had learned. I keep my body pretty healthy, and so the only thing I really had to work on with the Ayurvedic Doctor was with pain from a really scary fall a couple years ago. Initially, for about 4 months after the fall it left me having occasional episodes with extreme debilitating pain, and an inability to move my legs, with one episode (in the backcountry - super scary) resulting in loss of bladder and bowel control. It got better with my daily yoga therapy, but was definitely still present.

I only received five days worth of Ayurvedic treatments - I needed more to fully resolve the issue but five days was all the time I had. Yes, there was touch and medicated oil, but no actual physical tissue manipulation. The healing was night and day. Honestly, I was open, but perhaps also a little skeptical because my 20+ years of being a massage therapist that focused on pain told me that there was high likelihood the treatments would not help, because there wasn't any tissue manipulation. Energy work is wonderful, but never worked more than a couple days for me regarding deep acute or chronic pain - yet I do know there is a lot of power and healing there as well. Regardless, my pain after those five days was 85% better, and this is key - it has stayed 85% better. I have full confidence that if I had received a few more treatments it would have been completely healed.

So, how has my mind been blown? We don't need physical manipulation of our tissues for the tissues to heal completely. Deeper pressure can actually aggravate Vata. Yes, I'm still practicing traditional massage therapy but I'm really trying to educate others on the power of working with the problem rather than just having me be another symptom reliever for a few weeks. Ayurveda and its treatments are still so new, not painful, and can help with pain so much.

It never hurts to have an open mind and try something new. There are too many people in this world in unnecessary pain.