Ouch! What do I do About These Aches & Pains?

Re-posted from Michelle's Weebly blog

Pain management is a multi-million dollar industry. There are all kinds of drugs and traditional therapies that can supposedly make all of our pains go away, like magic and with a snap of our fingers. BUT, at what cost do we pump ourselves full of pills or shots to help our aches and pains? Do the long-term side effects outweigh the benefits...and do the pain killing meds actually help the problem(s) causing the pain to go away...or do they just mask the symptoms accompanying a larger issue? Indeed, these are important questions to think about. When deciding how you would like to deal with pain issues that come up in your life, whether they are directly related to an injury or to an ongoing problem, like allergy related sinus headaches or arthritis, it is important to do all the research you can about any treatments or therapies (traditional or alternative/complimentary) that you feel might help you. After all, you are officially the one in charge of your own body and know how you feel in different situations better than anyone else does. Many people have wonderful results after injuries when they go to traditional physical therapy. But, did you know that a gentle restorative yoga exercise practice of simple stretches can also help tremendously? It's true. Some people also have excellent results from chiropractic work and massage therapy...but others who have very sensitive muscles and skin (like those suffering from Fibromayalgia, nerve damage or Lupus) may find that massage therapy and chiropractic are not always gentle enough for their needs. In cases like these, options like Accupuncture and Reiki can work wonders to help with pain management and overall relaxation of muscles. Other options for those who are sensitive include herbal remedies, EFT (The Emotional Freedom Technique) and Hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy, aka Guided Meditation, can make for seemingly miraculous improvement from long term aches, pains, and debillitating medical problems. The human brain is limitless in what it can do to heal the body. For those who are the most sensitive, holistic treatments, like flower essences and energy healing (like Reiki or Therapeutic Touch) with hands just above the body rather than touching the body, may actually be better. It depends on each person's individual needs and preferences. When clients come into my office, they remark on how much time and care is taken for their individual situation. I believe this is because in many cases, when someone has a long term medical issue that is causing physical and emotional pain, they start to feel like they are being shuffled quickly from one specialist doctor to another, a bit like a lab experiment or assembly line product, rather than a person. One of the key factors for helping ANYONE experiencing ANY type of pain is allowing them to share their story and to fully explain all of their own symptoms and observations while listening with a genuinely sympathetic ear. This is one of the hallmarks of AlternativeHealth/Complimentary Medicine. A great deal of time and care is made for every, single client by the practitioner, to ensure that individual needs are being met in all possible ways. Many who work in this field will refer clients to other types of therapies when needed as well, to ensure that they are truly getting all the help that they need. Of course, as a general rule, this type of healing/medicine is sought out in addition to a traditional doctor's care and advice. Fortunately, as modern medicine is realizing the amazing benefits of Alternative/Complimentary Medicine with pain management and prevention, more and more health insurance companies are starting to help pay the bill for these types of services. Healing areas like chiropractic care, Accupuncture, massage therapy, yoga classes, and Hypnotherapy are showing up under at least partially covered services more all the time, which is great news for all of us! If you aren't sure which, if any, of these are covered under your health insurance policy, why not call and ask? Alternative Healing/Complimentary Medicine could change your life for the better! For more information about Alternative Healing/Complimentary Medicine, don't hesitate to check out our website and its links: www.harmonywayhealing.com Or, you can also look under the International Association of Reiki Professionals to find qualified pracitioners of Energy Healing and Medicine: www.iarp.org For general information about other types of Complimentary Medicine/Alternative Healing, here is another reputable link with a bit of everything to help you on your search: http://nccam.nih.gov/