by Louise Jensen, The Happy Startfish
A subject close to my heart is chronic illness and pain, and
natural methods we can use for coping with disabling conditions - be it dietary
changes, herbal supplementation, relaxation and exercise techniques, as well as
exploring the mind/body connection to ease emotional stress.
It was with interest then that I read an article today in
the Daily Mail promoting a new book by a physiotherapist stating that emotional
tension is “almost always the cause of chronic pain”. The physiotherapist
then explains that in the case of back pain, even if you have structural
abnormalities that show up in x-rays and scans, these don’t necessarily cause
any physical pain.
It is widely recognized that when pain makes the transition
between acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) psychological factors enter
the equation. With an estimated 65 million Americans developing chronic back
pain each year (half of which is disabling) there seem to be mainly two camps.
There are those who believe pain comes from structural faults and those who
believe that the mind manifests pain in a very real, physical way.
Personally I don’t hold with either of those views. I have
sustained structural damage to my pelvis, spine and discs that cannot be undone
and as a consequence I am in pain everyday (camp one would agree with
this). However, when I am under increased pressure and emotional stress
my pain levels can more than double (camp two would verify that emotions are
causing my pain).
We need to recognize the mind and body as being more
intricately interrelated than we can fully understand at this moment in time
and source therapists who offer treatments that are a correlation of emotional
and structural techniques.
"Half the battle of healing is wanting to."
Louise Jensen is an award winning Kinesiologist and is certified in many therapies, including the Mind Detox Method (as featured on Discovery Health) where she graduated from the Mind Detox Academy in record time. A regular writer, Louise has overcome living with a disability and has 12 years’ experience in helping others to heal. In 2012 Louise co-created The Happy Starfish, an online community dedicated to celebrating health, happiness and peaceful living.
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