Was it enough to make you want to SCREAM!
"I am not going to sleep tonight, I have too much pain!" How many times have you said that to yourself? How many sleepless nights have you had in the past month? Plenty I guess, like me.
I have been browsing around the bookstores, logged on to Amazon.com for books and magazines about stiff joints, painful swelling in hands, sore bones and tight tendons, for alternatives to the pain killer drugs I sometimes have to take to get a good night's sleep.
You have probably been hunting for alternative ways to relieve your constant pain rather than stay on drugs.
Off Drugs
I know I have to get off the drugs as they have some really awful side effects, and long term I do not know how they are going to affect me. Maybe my kidneys will collapse or wither giving me other problems.
Someone said to me "Pain is your body telling you something is not quite right, if you have any unpleasant feelings you know there is potential damage to your body." I guess I do not notice a gradual change in my body when I am on painkillers.
Dr. Fukuda told me you get pain when a sharp or harmful object comes in contact with your skin. A signal is passed along your nerve channels to your brain and triggers a warning sign: "Turn the water temperature down Bud, it's too hot!" or "Back off, that knife is quite sharp."
The Doctor tells me there are many forms of arthritis and all are usually accompanied with pain. He says most of us have suffered at one time or another with pain from severe to absolute chronic. And he says "Osteo-arthritis can last from a few minutes to years!" Have you had pain for years?
Globally millions of people have pain and is a major health problem emanating primarily from arthritis. Gosh, I wish there were a cure for this disease. How many times have you said to yourself "I can't walk another step, the pain is killing me!" I guess this disease limits millions of people in their daily activity - and even more disabling is rheumatoid arthritis.
Why do I have arthritic pain? My Doc says the major cause comes from inflammation of the tissue, tendons and ligaments. He goes on about "Certain activities affect pain differently in people."
When I get out of bed in the morning my knee joints are slightly swollen giving me pain, then, after a brief walk, the swelling goes down and the pain almost disappears.
Dr. Fukuda says we all perceive pain differently, each of us has a varying threshold and tolerance. He says, (and I have experienced it myself) "If you are feeling great mentally, pain will always seem less, it has a psychological effect on your body." I got to thinking about this and it seems to be true. I do know when I am in pain it affects me mentally and so I guess it works the other way round also.
I have tried "Can I cure this swelling by thought alone?" It didn't work for me. Pain to me can be small like a pinhead or large like a beach ball. It can even take on the color of red or purple - unseen by the eye but "seen" by the mind.
Have you ever noticed when you have a pain in your right foot it can jump to your left elbow? Strange things do happen! Have you ever noticed when you touch an old scar tissue somewhere on your body, your headache disappears?
Let me have some of your experiences please and if you have managed to find a way to get relief.
PS: Dr Fukuda recommended trying the Acu Pen for fast relief - a non-invasive acupuncture device.
"Looking out for your good health - painlessly."
Jonathon Ford has illustrated and published several children's books; created single and multiple panel cartoons for various publications.
Full Author Profile -->
PRINT THIS
