By Dr. Alethea Eller
Unarguably one of the top reasons why people go to the doctor is pain. Something hurts or the whole body aches. Living with pain can be totally consuming. I am going to share information with you that will help you end this cycle of pain. The first step is to look at this one word…..“why?”. If you haven’t asked the question “why?”, then do right now. For example, your shoulder has been hurting for a year or your back. Why?
Your body’s muscles and soft tissue were created and designed to heal in a relatively short time. Inflammation, which causes the feeling of pain, is only necessary in high levels during the first week or two of an injury. Pain that lingers for months and years deserves a big fat WHY!
Lasting, lingering, annoying pain causes people to find some relief. The most common is over the counter anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen and prescription anti-inflammatory. When you take it, the pain is better. When you don’t, it seems to come back. Your symptom of the pain is being treated. Now ask “Why?”! Why is the inflammation not going away? Why is your body not healing this injury and moving on as it was designed to do?
Backing up your thought, now you are looking at what causes inflammation. Here is the cliff notes version: It comes down to what you are eating and your stress level. Everyone has some level of stress. When you lose the ability to respond normally to stress then you enter reactions that increase inflammation. This is incredibly important to address when you have the full body achiness familiar to fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. Make sure you have a normal stress response and your adrenal system is working well. If you feel overwhelmed and worn down, these are signs that your stress reaction is out of balance.
Yes, you knew it. What you eat will profoundly affect your inflammatory levels. To keep it simple: Stay away from the white stuff. White flour and white sugar are the hardest hitters when it comes to inflammation.
Want to find out more? I am honored to be a part of a group of integrative medicine community here in St. Louis – “Sliim”. We are hosting a community event on Nov 5th addressing this topic of inflammation. I hope to see you there!
Dr. Alethea Eller practices at Innovative Health Partners in Chesterfield. Her practices specialize in connecting your symptoms utilizing nontraditional techniques. Find out more at www.innovativehp.com.