THE WEIRS TIMES & THE COCHECO TIMES, Thursday, March 29, 2012
17 Your Health is in Your Hands
by Dr. Graham Moneysmith, DC. Contributing Writer
We as Americans have a
pain problem: back pain, joint pain, and headaches are all common. Think about your friends and family members; how many of them have regular pain that they have dealt with for years. I have people who walk into my office and report dealing with some pain symptoms for decades. This type of liv- ing takes a toll on a person personally, professionally, and financially. In fact, according to the Institute of Medicine of The Na- tional Academies chronic pain cost $560 to $635 bil- lion dollars in healthcare, which reflects a combined total of medical costs, dis- ability days, and lost wag- es/productivity. That’s a staggering number, they also report that 116 million Americans total deal with chronic pain. In 2011 our population was about 311 million (US Census Bu- reau). That’s about 37% of us. Nearly 4 of 10 people you know are chronically in pain. The issue in my opinion
is twofold: our view of pain and how we deal with pain. As chiropractors, we look at pain a little differently than some people. We don’t see pain as the real problem, but view pain as the indica- tor of a existing or underly- ing problem. For example, if your knee hurts the pain isn’t the main concern, the main issue is what is caus- ing the pain like arthritis, a
sprain, etc. By using this rationale, pain is more akin to your car’s check engine light: it’s there to make you aware of a problem. Pain is information from your body. Obviously, it is awful to be
in pain and pain is never to be ignored. However, if you begin to view pain as infor- mative, rather than the sole problem it definitely chang- es how you would want to manage pain. You would want to fix the underlying cause and not simply cover the pain. Yet, I meet many patients who have been us- ing excessive amounts of over the counter pain meds for years. Of course, there are situations that war- rant pain medicine, over the counter or prescription meds both have useful- ness in certain situations. I believe most health care professionals would agree, though, that with pain medicine: less is more. Pain meds can be detri-
mental in two ways: 1) if the pain medicine is taking the place of actually fix- ing the cause of a problem (masking the problem) , the problem may continue to get worse until it is a crisis and 2) pain meds can have poor outcomes like addic- tion and overdose (CDC November 1, 2011 press release: prescription pain killer overdose kills 40 peo- ple per day). Even NSAIDs, (nonsteroidal anti-inflam- matory drugs, i.e.: aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, etc.) which many people take over the counter, under their own supervision, were estimated to cause 16,500 deaths a year in people with rheumatoid arthri- tis or osteoarthritis (June
1999 issue of New England Journal of Medicine). If you are dealing with pain you should check with your doctor for your best care op- tions and how you can get to the root of your pain. If you are not currently
dealing with pain there are many things you can do at home and with your lifestyle to prevent pain. Of course, these require you to take responsibility for yourself and are generally commonsense: 1) move, exercise, and stretch, 2) get more sleep, 3) stress less by slowing down (pray, meditate, quiet time, etc.), 4) drink water (a dehy- drated person usually feels worse, aim for half your bodyweight in ounces), 5) cut inflammatory foods out of your diet (wheat, dairy, sugar), and 6) supplement with omega-3 (lowers in- flammation; look for puri- fied, mercury free fish oil at your local health food store). You can prevent lots of pain by your lifestyle choices and when/if pain does come understand it is not normal. Many people think pain is part of get- ting old or just a part of life, but this isn’t true to me. Pain is the body tell- ing you something isn’t right and action is needed. Live your best, make good choices, and ask for help when needed. Do this and you give yourself the best shot of a healthy and happy body.
Dr. Graham Moneysmith, DC.,
graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 2007. He is currently working with Cross- roads Chiropractic at both of their locations in Meredith and Pembroke, NH. Their website is
www.crossroadschiropractic.com.
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Call to schedule a free in-home assessment.
Call to schedule a free in-home assessment.
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Personal Care * Living Assistance * In-Home Care
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Crossroads Chiropractic - Two locations Dr. Graham Moneysmith - Route 104,
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www.CrossroadsChiropractic.com
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