Seven Simple Truths About Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is real, not imagined. It is never all in your head.
You can’t get better until you stop getting worse. The first step is to recognize this pattern. Even by itself, this step can make a big difference.
When you go to war with pain, pain always wins. There are much better ways to gain control over your pain.
A simple flare-up formula: pain causes stress, which then causes more pain. If not stopped, the flare-up keeps building to a mountain of pain. The best way to decrease a flare-up is by reducing the aggravations that are feeding the fire.
For some people, coping with constant background pain is the easier part. Repeated flare-ups are what bring you down. Reducing flare-ups (and learning to avoid as many as you can) are the best ways to gain pain control and a speedy recovery.
If your benefits are cut-off, recovery is over. When your losses escalate, it is almost impossible to gain the energy, strength, and pain tolerances necessary to move forward in your life. Make sure you work with your doctors and lawyers to protect your benefits.
Helplessness and anger can both give pain the power to defeat you. They add fuel to the fire. But not all types of anger are harmful. Anger directed toward simple doable goals can give you a powerful boost toward recovery.
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Dr. Michael MacDonald is the author of Unbelievable Pain Control: How to Heal and Recover from Chronic Pain and Fibromyalgia and a detailed website about pain that can be found at www.unbelievablepaincontrol.com