So 2021, does it seem like 2020: the sequel to you, also. The world is still weird. Life feels more unpredictable than ever. And the physical, mental, financial, and emotional stress seems to weigh heavy on all of us. One thing I’ve noticed in practice is an uptick in pain levels in my many people. This is concerning but also not surprising given our national stress level. It does lead me to a thought regarding pain and how we interact with it: our culture has a weird relationship with pain, discomfort, and injury. We have been taught to ignore it, push through it, or bury it. If someone is in pain and can keep functioning (although at a lesser level), we tend to view it as that individual being tough or having a high pain threshold. We see it has a badge of honor. When the pain becomes too much to tough out, we seek to silence it. So pain medicine, either over the counter or prescription, becomes the answer. We numb the pain so we can keep functioning. Yet, this route typically does not address the source of the pain, it addresses the symptom of pain. Here is what the issue amounts to in my mind: we see pain as the problem and this is simply not true. Pain is the endgame of a deeper problem, it is essentially your body’s “check engine light”.
When your car dashboard lights up with that little indicator, you wisely don’t think the “check engine light” is the issue. You know that it means that there is an issue with the car, one you often cannot see and need to go see a professional to help you address. It seems silly to say, but what if the dash lit up and instead of ever addressing it, you instead, covered the “check engine light” with duct tape, so you couldn’t see it. Would the issue be resolved? Is your car fixed? Why do we do this with our bodies? When we ignore or artificially cover pain which is a warning signal from our body that stuff is not right, this is what we are doing. What would your mechanic say to you if a tow truck had to bring your car in, when it finally and inevitably, broke down and he/she saw the tape blocking out your “check engine light”? Again, it seems funny, but this is what we do all the time when we visit our chiropractors, doctors, massage therapist, etc.
I believe this happens, because we have culturally accepted pain as normal. This is true in the sense that pain is a normal physiological function and it is valuable as information from your body in signaling you to find underlying issues. It is not normal as a long term issue, daily issue, or if you have to take medicine daily simply to “function”. I believe that many people have become used to feeling so bad, that they don’t even remember what it is like to feel naturally good. Their pain has become a dull hum, no longer heard. A constant companion, no longer noticed.
It has become widely understood, that this is a major issue. When you see pain as the problem rather than as a natural guidance system, you will begin to see abuse occur. Reported by major news outlets (such as the BBC and ABC news) in the last few years: the population of the USA makes up 5% of the world population , but consumes 80% of the world’s opiate based painkillers according to the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians. That is insane. It’s scary stuff, as is this quote: “Overdoses involving prescription painkillers are at epidemic levels and now kill more Americans than heroin and cocaine combined.” – Thomas Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., Director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) . Seems like the cost of our current way of thinking about health, is not efficient, cost-effective, safe, or results oriented. I feel that every physician in every discipline, given the choice, would want to see their patients and the public in general, taking less pain medication.
My challenge to you is to stop ignoring or covering your symptoms. If a problem crops up, then address it. If you have headaches, for example, find a cause not a cover up. Pain can be from issues in the spine, muscle/soft tissue problems, poor diet, lack of exercise, stress, lack of sleep, chronic dehydration, etc. There are lots of things you can try before you accept pain or worse ignore it. The bottom line is that your body is not stupid and when it tells you something you should listen. This will likely save you money on healthcare costs and increase your overall well-being and health. Life may feel out of control in 2020/2021 but work with what you can control and do your best to be your best.