HEADACHES, PAIN AND MIGRAINE CONTROL
Headaches, Pain and Migraine Control
What exactly is a Migraine...
A headache of varying intensity, often accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light and sound. Not your run of the mill throbbing headache...which are no fun to begin with.
Migraines are very common with more than 3 million US cases per year
Of course, they are treatable by a medical professional and usually self-diagnosed.
Lab tests or imaging is rarely required. However, migraines and headaches can be chronic: can last for years or even lifelong.
Migraine headaches are sometimes preceded by warning symptoms. Triggers include hormonal changes, certain foods and drinks, stress,weather and exercise, to name a few.
Migraine headaches can cause throbbing in one particular area that can vary in intensity. Nausea and sensitivity to light and sound are also common symptoms.
Preventive and pain-relieving medications can help manage migraine headaches.
BUT WHAT IF... you could CONTROL them with Pain techniques through the CONTROL method? Without drugs?
Pain is an alarm signal. It is the body telling the mind there is something damaged that needs to be tended to or protected.
Top Causes of Chronic Pain
• Low back pain.
• Arthritis, especially osteoarthritis.
• Headache.
• Multiple sclerosis.
• Fibromyalgia.
• Shingles.
• Nerve damage (neuropathy)
During chronic pain, every signal in the brain gets amplified and it results in the experience of pain. Researchers also found people with chronic pain experienced a reduction in the volume of their prefrontal cortex—the region of the brain that is understood to regulate emotions, personality expression and social behavior.
For many, experiencing constant pain can take a toll on your mental health, causing depression, anxiety or feelings of guilt or hopelessness. Feeling tired, exhausted and sick are a few of the effects of dealing with chronic pain.
The process of inflammation can cause pain and swelling and also may cause fatigue. The physical and emotional energy you use trying to deal with pain can make you feel fatigued/exhausted. Pain also may lead to fatigue by causing you to lose sleep or preventing you from sleeping well.
So how can CONTROL help you?
Sometimes circumstances lead us to a state where we are in pain but the mind is telling us nothing. It isn’t helping us to feel it in any way.
In this instance we explain to the subconscious mind that if the fire alarm in this building went off, and upon checking we found there was no fire, we can confidently turn off the fire alarm. In fact it would be inappropriate for the fire alarm to keep sounding. This pain is the same as that fire alarm. There is no fire. We can switch it off.
Once this happens, the patient is in charge of control levels of pain.
Read this testimonial from Carolyn H. about her Pain Control work with me after suffering for years with knee (both knees), shoulder and low back pain.
On her 3rd and final session for Pain Control:
“I have not felt this good in years. I find comfort in knowing I have complete control over the pain and discomfort I have lived with chronically for so, so long.
We got together with friends a couple nights ago and I was told that I am standing straighter and moving with more pep and mobility! I don't need any help getting into or out of a chair. Going to my exercise class is now so much fun!
I told two of my friends last night to set up an appointment with Shannon right now.”
from Carolyn H. Iowa City, USA
Chronic pain syndrome vs. fibromyalgia
While chronic pain syndrome and fibromyalgia often coexist, they are two different disorders. Chronic pain syndrome often has an identifiable trigger, such as arthritis or injury from a broken bone that doesn’t heal properly.
Fibromyalgia — a very real disorder of the nervous system characterized by muscle and joint pain and fatigue — often arises without a known cause. If you looked at an X-ray, you wouldn’t find tissue or nerve damage. Fibromyalgia does, however, impact the way nerves sense and relay pain messages. Even when treated, the pain of fibromyalgia can still be chronic.
Fibromyalgia Syndrome is a chronic condition causing pain, stiffness, and tenderness of the muscles, tendons, and joints. It is also characterized by restless sleep, tiredness, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and disturbances in bowel functions.
Since there are no lab or imaging tests for it, when you go to get a diagnosis, your doctor will ask about your symptoms to decide if you have fibromyalgia.
Yet, while there is not a common list of shared symptoms, studies have compiled a list of symptoms that those with fibromyalgia frequently deal with. These more common problems include:
Widespread pain (occurring on both sides of the body, above and below the waist)
Fatigue (despite getting enough rest)
Problems with sleep
Morning stiffness, or worsened pain in the morning
Difficulties with memory or concentration (“fibro fog”)
Numbness or tingling in the body
Sensitivity to temperature (both hot and cold)
Sensitivity to bright lights or loud noises
Painful menstrual periods in women
Tenderness to touch
Itchy or burning skin
Dry mouth or eyes
Leg cramps
Weakness
Headaches
Stomach cramps or digestive issues
Problems with balance or coordination
However, these fibromyalgia symptoms can vary, fluctuate in intensity and change over time, as well as be exasperated by things such as stress, weather changes, too little or too much exercise, and too little or too much rest.
Pain and Tender Points
Almost all people with fibromyalgia ache all over. It can feel similar to osteoarthritis, bursitis, and tendinitis, but it's over your entire body. This is usually what makes you go see your doctor.
How would it feel to be able to CONTROL the severity of this discomfort and live a more pain free and normal day to day life? Ask me how I can help you be in complete control of your pain.
I am here to help.
THIS WEEK'S TOPIC FOR CONTROL: DAY FOUR:
Headaches, Chronic Pain and Migraine Control🙋♀️🙋♂️🤦♀️
TODAY’S FOCUS: MIGRAINES AND CHRONIC PAIN RISK FACTORS
Chronic pain takes a toll on both your physical and mental health. While the pain can be near-constant, there may be flares of more intense pain due to increases in stress or activity. Symptoms include:
joint pain
muscle aches
burning pain
fatigue
sleep problems
loss of stamina and flexibility, due to decreased activity
mood problems, including depression, anxiety, and irritability
Causes of chronic pain syndrome
Conditions that cause widespread and long-lasting pain are, not surprisingly, often linked to chronic pain syndrome. Some of these conditions include:
Osteoarthritis. This type of arthritis is generally the result of wear and tear on the body and occurs when the protective cartilage between bones wears away. Athletes, repetitive motion jobs, and more.
Rheumatoid arthritis. This is an autoimmune disease that causes painful inflammation in the joints.
Back pain. This pain may stem from muscle strains, nerve compression, or arthritis of the spine (called spinal stenosis).
Fibromyalgia. This is a neurological condition that causes pain and tenderness in various parts of the body (known as trigger points).
Inflammatory bowel disease. This condition causes chronic inflammation of the digestive tract and can produce intestinal pain and cramping.
Surgical trauma.
Advanced cancer.
This type of pain is generally caused by a miscommunication between the brain and nervous system. For unexplained reasons, some people can encounter this kind of pain without any known triggers.
Chronic pain can change the way neurons (nerve cells in the brain that transmit and process sensory input) behave, making them hypersensitive to pain messages. For example, according to the Arthritis Foundation, 20 percent of people with osteoarthritis who get their knees replaced (and presumably have no more painful joint issues) will still report chronic pain. (As experienced with my CONTROL Pain client who is now completely in control of her pain levels. – testimonials on request and on website).
Are headaches and migraines following you everywhere? If they’re interrupting your plans more days than not
A migraine is a powerful headache that often happens with nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light. Migraines can last from 4 hours to 3 days, and sometimes longer. The American Migraine Foundation estimates that more than 36 million Americans get them, women 3 times more often than men.
Risk factors
Research shows that some people are more susceptible to chronic pain syndrome than others. They are:
Those with chronic and painful conditions, such as arthritis.
Those who are depressed. Experts aren’t exactly sure why this is, but one theory is that depression changes the way the brain receives and interprets messages from the nervous system.
Those who smoke. As of yet there are no definitive answers, but experts are exploring why smoking seems to make pain worse in those with arthritis, fibromyalgia, and other chronic pain disorders. According to the Cleveland Clinic, smokers make up 50 percent of those who seek treatment for pain relief. Including Fibromyalgia.
Those who are obese. According to research, 50 percent of those who seek treatment for obesity report mild to severe pain. Experts aren’t sure if this is due to the stress extra weight puts on the body or if it’s due to the complex way obesity interplays with the body’s hormones and metabolism.
Those who are female. Women tend to have more sensitivity to pain. Researchers theorize that may be due to hormones or differences in the density of female versus male nerve fibers.
Those who are older than 65. As you age, you’re more prone to all kinds of conditions that can produce chronic pain.
THIS WEEK'S TOPIC FOR CONTROL: DAY FIVE:
Living with Chronic Pain and know HOW to Control it. 🙋♀️🙋♂️🤦♀️
TODAY’S FOCUS: LIVING WITH CHRONIC PAIN OF ANY KIND
Living with chronic pain makes day-to-day life difficult. It touches every single part of life, from hygiene, to cooking, to relationships, to sleeping.
If you also live with that four letter word as your constant companion, you’ll probably relate to these things all too well. I have chronic pain and this is why I can so effectively help YOU manage yours!
1. You never know how you’ll feel in the morning
When you live with chronic pain, every day is an adventure. That goes double for the start of the day. We never know how much pain we’ll wake up with or how it will change throughout the day.
2. People don’t seem to understand what “chronic” means
Loved ones often mean well when they tell us things like, “Hope you feel better soon!” The reality is, the pain doesn’t stop, so it’s hard to know what to say.
3. “Have you tried ___?”
Again, people mean well and want to help. That said, those of us with chronic pain, migraines, etc. see professionals to get help, and more often than not, do a lot of research ourselves. We know our bodies best.
4. Some days are easier than others
Dealing with varying levels of pain every single day means that some days are a lot easier. Other days are an absolute struggle fest.
5. You LOL when asked questions like, “Do you have any pain today?”
If going to the doctor is a fairly regular experience, they’ll ask if you have any pain and where it is, either verbally or on a form. The person asking isn’t doing it out of malice or a lack of understanding, but because they have to ask.
6. Doctors without pain don’t always understand
Healthcare providers are amazing people. They do some of the most difficult jobs in the entire world. That said, there’s a lot that’s misunderstood about pain. Some of the more common misunderstandings are that younger people can’t have chronic pain, and strong medications will always lead to addiction. Which is where CONTROL comes in like a superhero.
7. Managing pain is more than pills
Patches, kinesiology tape, exercises, meditation, self-care, CONTROL … These are all a part of the chronic pain toolbox. Try a lot of these tools before moving on to medication, unless we know meds will be the only things to help the amount or type of pain you’re in.
8. Pain changes everything …
Some people don’t remember much of a life before chronic pain, except running around in over-sized T-shirts and eating cereal. Others I know have lived vibrant and expressive lives that chronic pain dulls. It changes how we use our time and energy, what jobs (if any) we’re able to do, and every single relationship we have.
9. Support is everything
Share. If you need to vent about something or brainstorm how to communicate your pain to someone, or a healthcare team, people are out there. It will completely change how you are able to process the emotions around pain. And let's face it...getting respect and help is the major key.
