Pain is a part of life. It sounds a little wrong, but in reality people experience pain all the time. It is a normal and important signal that your body uses to communicate. We have a saying in our office,
“Pain is mandatory. Suffering is not!”
When pain becomes enough to interfere with our lives, we go to the doctor. Typically, your doctor has about ten minutes to see you at your appointment. It may be difficult to get an accurate diagnosis of the cause of your pain and what the most effective treatment would be, so you will probably leave with a referral to see a physical therapist, maybe some additional testing, and a prescription for pain medication.
As we have seen all too often, the result of not treating pain properly is the prescribing of stronger and stronger opioids. This makes sense, because if you don’t treat the cause of the pain correctly, the pain will likely get worse. As the pain gets worse, it will take more medication to get relief.
Whatever the reason, when pain is not adequately addressed and the problem is not corrected, individuals are left depending on pain medications to function. And because of restrictions on opiate prescriptions, there will be a point in time when they cannot be prescribed those medications anymore, and the person must either choose to suffer with the pain, or to self-medicate with other, more harmful substances. If we are going to treat pain, then we need to look beyond medications.
The Backstory
To give an example of how big the problem really is we can look at one specific type of pain. An alarmingtwenty-six million patients report frequent or persistent back pain. Unfortunately, most physicians’ methods for treating back pain, including surgery, are unsuccessful. They either fail to address the underlying causes of pain, or they ignore the emotional and psychological components that are part of all pain.
Unfortunately, most pain treatments fail to incorporate the mind-body connection when dealing with pain. The number of pain patients continues to rise across the country. Most physicians treat pain by simply prescribing medications. The number of pain management clinics across the country give a pretty clear indication of how pain has become a big business.
In 2000, the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (Joint Commission) set new standards for pain assessment. This standard for evaluating pain became known as “the 5th Vital Sign”. Even though the Joint Commission did not create the slogan, the Joint Commission did create the standard for a pain scale. Every patient was to be asked “What is your pain on a scale of 0-10, if 0 equals no pain and 10 the worst pain you have ever experienced?” The reason behind the pain measurement standard was the Joint Commission’s studies showing patients were being under-medicated for pain.
This created a culture in healthcare that centered around the suggestion that patients were experiencing pain. The result was that more and more patients were reporting more and more pain because of the effects of that simple and well-intentioned suggestion.
The Cost of Pain
Half of the American population lives with chronic or recurring pain, and that pain costs individuals and businesses in a big way.
A study by the American Academy of Pain Medicine found that overall, workers lost more than 4.5 hours of productive time per week due to a pain condition. The cost of lost productivity due to pain is estimated to be more than $95 billion per year.
There are also hidden costs of chronic pain. It was reported that 17% of people change their jobs due to issues with pain. With more than 100 million adults experiencing chronic pain in the United States, that adds up to a lot of people switching jobs and a lot of money being spent to train their replacements. Replacing and training new employees is one of the larger costs associated with human resources.
Treating the Cause
Pain contributes to many problems within our lives, and those same problems often contribute to pain. A cycle is formed of pain, depressions, anxiety, stress, weight problems, and other issues. Physicians and patients constantly search for pain relief, and tend to overlook or fail to address those contributing factors. Pain management is much more effective when it is treated holistically.
Physicians and traditional health care providers have said that they do not have the time or resources to adequately address the factors that contribute to pain, and they rely on medications that are often ineffective or that become harmful. This is exactly why there should be collaboration within a team of providers, so that patients can receive well-rounded care that fully addresses their needs. If you are only relying on your family doctor for all of your needs, that is like building a house with only a carpenter. It may look great from the outside, but you won’t have very good plumbing!
If we are going to treat pain, then we need to look beyond medications. Fortunately, there are many alternative and complementary health providers in the Upper Valley. Chiropractic, massage, hypnosis, acupuncture, Alexander technique, and others are all effective in treating different aspects of the pain experience. They can be used separately or used in combination for even greater results.
If you have chronic pain (or know someone who does), build yourself a healthcare team that includes your primary care, and add some of these other treatment providers to help you effectively address the factors that may be contributing to your pain.
Despite all of the national attention being given to the Opioid Crisis, we will never solve the problem without giving serious consideration to how we treat pain in the first place.
The Role of Hypnosis
Hypnosis offers an individual control over pain, their emotions, and ultimately their recovery. Hypnosis is one of the most effective and under-utilized tools for helping patients deal with chronic pain. The results are immediate, there are no harmful effects, and the patient is in control of when and where they use it. According to many physicians, hypnosis should be one of the very first treatment options made available to anyone suffering from chronic pain.
Why hypnosis? Hypnosis is a mind-body therapy that can harness the mind’s ability to influence the body’s physiological and neurological activity. So if a patient is able to change the mind and change the thought, they can change how the brain responds to the pain signals.
In a similar way, hypnosis can be used to change the stress response by stimulating anti-stress hormones. By controlling the stress response, one can improve healing. It is a simple methodology that has been around for centuries, and it works. Hypnosis is also very effective in relieving anxiety, fear, and depression symptoms that can contribute to pain and make it worse.
While I never say hypnosis will take all of the pain away, patients do experience a greater reduction in pain with hypnosis in comparison to traditional pain treatment.
If you would like more information on how effective hypnosis is in helping people better manage pain, please contact us by phone or email. We will work with you and your health care team to create a treatment plan that addresses your specific needs.∎
Karen Gray is a Certified Hypnotist, a Registered Nurse, and the Director of Green Mountain Hypnosis. For more information on how you can use hypnosis to change your life, contact Karen at karengray@greenmountainhypnosis.com, or (802) 566-0464.