Mind Over Matter – Pain Relief

For several years, research investigators have attempted in resolving the actual mechanism responsible for the mind over matter theory for pain relief, proposing different explanations on how pain relief is achieved through various alternative techniques.  The identification of techniques in relieving sharp pain associated with chronic diseases may also be helpful in preserving the quality of life of patients.  It has also been reported that most patients lose interest in daily activities when they experience constant pain due to their illness and thus the administration of an effective pain relief treatment may improve the general condition of these patients.

In a recent study published in the journal PLoS ONE, the results of the direct application of the mind over matter theory in relation to pain relief was tested using a study population that is known to be highly responsive to external factors, including sharp pain.  The study participants in the research involved patients positively diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, which is a mental health condition that is characterized by mood swings and hyper-reactivity to external stimuli.  This disorder, if left undiagnosed and untreated for an extended duration of time, may eventually develop in paranoia and schizophrenia.  Borderline personality disorder is often regarded as a dramatic personality disorder, whereas paranoia is often considered as the odd personality disorder.

Responding to Pain

The proponents of the research study chose to involve subjects diagnosed with borderline personality disorder based on their capacity to immediately respond to pain, as compared to normal, healthy individuals.  In addition, these individuals have a limited capacity in processing emotional responses to external stimuli including sharp pain and this is attributable to the lower activity of the specific processing center of the brain, namely the amygdala.  This particular brain condition thus allows the researchers to directly assess the effects of various external factors related to pain.  The information gathered from this type of investigation may ultimately help in the design of pain relief strategies that are associated with various types of chronic diseases.  For controls, the research study included healthy, normal individuals that were subjected to the same degree of pain and their actual need for pain relief during the experimentation.

The results of the study showed that when the patients with borderline personality disorder were simultaneously subjected to specific example of pain and a photograph that depicted an emotionally arousing scenario, these individuals experienced a higher level of pain as compared to the normal healthy individuals.  These observations suggest that the actual processing of information by these patients is dysfunctional, thus resulting in an uncontrolled perception of pain.

This research study allows further understanding of how the brain processes emotions and translates these as pain.  It is thus possible that the same mechanism occurs in other patients that have been diagnosed with other severe diseases that are associated with sharp pain, including cancer and cardiovascular disorders.  The stability of the brain, in terms of controlling emotions, may thus generate sharp pain in the body, despite the actual low level of the stimuli.  If patients experiencing sharp pain are made to focus on other things, it may thus be possible that the level of sharp pain decreases.  The control of sharp pain may also improve the quality of life of patients.

Helping Migraine Pain Can Be Near Impossible

Unfortunately, scientists have been unable to come-up with a permanent cure for migraines, and the best that conventional medicine has to offer is temporary pain elimination via drugs, many of which come with a slew of troublesome side-effects.  According to a new study led by Jorge Serrador of Harvard Medical School and the War Related Illness and Injury Study Center of the Veterans Affairs New Jersey Health Care, inducing brain freeze, may be the key to discovering what causes migraine pain and consequently, it may help scientists to produce an effective treatment for it.

Almost everyone has experienced brain freeze, which is often experienced as a sharp pain in the head, brought on suddenly by a bite of ice cream or a sip of an ice-cold beverage.  Despite the universality of brain freeze, scientists have been unable to explain this phenomenon. Due to the fact that migraine sufferers are more prone to experiencing brain freeze then non-sufferers, scientists speculate that brain freeze may share a common mechanism or cause with migraines.  Previous studies on migraines have been limited because researchers and study participants can’t wait around in a lab for a migraine to appear, so researchers were unable to study the crucial investigatory time period when the headache actual forms.  The most recent study however, was able to induce headaches inside the lab using a purposefully induced brain freeze. This ground-breaking technique finally allowed scientists to study the headache process from start to finish.

Brain Freeze Theory and What it Does for Migraine Pain

The study involved 13 healthy adults, who were instructed to sip ice water with a straw pressed against their upper palate in order to bring on brain freeze. The study participants were instructed to raise their hands when they first experienced the sharp pain associated with brain freeze and then to raise their hands again when they experienced pain elimination. The researchers monitored the participants throughout the process using a transcranial Doppler. Serrador and his colleagues found that the anterior cerebral artery (located in the middle of the brain behind the eyes), rapidly dilated and flooded the brain with blood at the moment that the participants first experienced the pain.  As the anterior cerebral artery constricted, the participants experienced simultaneous pain elimination.

The researchers of this study hypothesize that the dilation and subsequent constriction of the artery may be a self-defense mechanism for the brain. “The brain is one of the relatively important organs in the body, and it needs to be working all the time,” states Serrador.  ”It’s fairly sensitive to temperature, so vasodilation might be moving warm blood inside tissue to make sure the brain stays warm.” Serrador speculates that due to the closed structure of the brain, the rapid influx of blood may raise pressure and consequently, cause pain. Serrador and his colleagues believe that similar changes in blood flow may be responsible for migraine pain, and if this is true, a treatment method that controls blood flow may be the answer to effectively treating migraines and other types of headaches.

For the study, researchers recruited 214 people with myofascial temporomandibular disorder, which is serious facial and jaw pain and many healthcare practitioners believe the ailment to be stress-related in nature. The average participant was a white female, with an average age of 34 years, and underwent a dental exam to confirm the ailment, then filled out questionnaires assessing a number of criteria. The criteria included sleep quality, depression, pain levels and emotional responses to pain.

They were then asked to admit whether or not they have a habit of blowing their pain levels out of proportion. Researchers found a direct correlation between negative thinking about pain and poor sleep, as well as with worse pain in the TMD patients.

Pain Levels and the Effect on Sleep

Leader of the study that was published in the journal Pain, Luis F. Buenaver, Ph.D., says, “We have found that people who ruminate about their pain and have more negative thoughts about their pain don’t sleep as well, and the result is they feel more pain,” “If cognitive behavioral therapy can help people change the way they think about their pain, they might end that vicious cycle and feel better without sleeping pills or pain medicine.”

Why Pain and Sleep are Connected

The study concluded that one of the major neurological pathways linking thoughts about pain to increased pain levels through lack of sleep. What is also interesting to note is that 80 percent of people with chronic or sharp pain experience poor quality of sleep, and this isn’t the first study of its kind. There has been previous research showing that people who don’t follow a regular sleep pattern are much more sensitive to pain. It is also known, he says, that those who focus frequently on their pain and think more negatively about their pain report more intense pain levels.

Any pain can interfere with sleep. But research shows that some of the most common types of pain that can influence poor sleep are:

Headaches and Migraines
Back pain
Arthritis and Fibromyalgia
Neuropathy
Premenstrual Cramps

Acute injuries, surgery, and more serious diseases can also cause sharp pain and sleeplessness, so it is important to see your healthcare practitioner if you are not only experiencing serious or sharp pain, but have a lack of sleep because of it that goes on for an extended period of time.

Pollution and Cardiovascular Health

Vehicular traffic and the accumulation of exhaust particles from burning gas have been strongly associated with various cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. These exhaust particles are so tiny that they have the ability to enter our bodies when we breathe in polluted air, causing inflammation of the respiratory cells, and possibly pain during breathing. In addition, these exhaust particles consist of small carbon cores that are coated with several organic molecules and heavy metals. The entry of these foreign particles into our respiratory system may therefore be harmful to the body. Aside from triggering our immune system to respond to the potential inflammation in cells of the respiratory system, it is possible that the sharp pain we sometimes feel when outdoors might be caused by air pollutants. Pain is usually a very uncomfortable feeling, often preventing us from performing our routine activities.

The Effect of Pollution on Your Respiratory System

According to a recent medical report published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, the entry of exhaust particles into cells of the respiratory system triggers a cascade of biochemical reactions that generate inflammation, and potentially, pain during respiration. These biochemical reactions in respiratory epithelial cells induce the production of calcium ions, which serve as messengers to other cells of the respiratory system. Unfortunately, the continuous production of calcium ions can also abnormally induce other chemical reactions, which in turn increases the chances of developing respiratory diseases. One of these end results is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is characterized by the inflammation of pulmonary cells. The inflammation causes difficulty in breathing and is largely accompanied by a sharp pain in the chest area during inhalation.

It is common for us to think that a sharp pain in the chest is caused by a heart attack. It is important to seek immediate medical attention in order to determine the actual cause of the pain. In the case of respiratory diseases, echocardiography tests will often generate negative results because this diagnostic procedure is mainly based on detecting problems related to the heart. However, more extensive medical tests for the respiratory system, including a general physical examination done by a physician and chest x-ray, can help in determining if the pain is due to a respiratory disease.

This recent medical report addresses the mechanism that links respiratory diseases and air pollution. Although the association between these two entities has long been recognized, the details on the causes of inflammation of pulmonary cells and the sharp pain during breathing have remained elusive for decades. For years, all we knew was that air pollution causes respiratory problems, which are often described as pain and inflammation in the lungs.

The Effect of Pollution on Pain

The report thus provides information on how exactly small particles in polluted air can generate specific chemical reactions within respiratory cells that lead to sharp pain or massive pain in the chest. In addition, specific proteins have also been identified in the response to exhaust particles, possibly causing the sharp pain during breathing. The researchers speculated that the production of certain proteins during an inflammation is a response of the body to protect itself from foreign particles. It is also important to understand that the occurrence of pain in any part of our body is a sign that an inflammation may be present. Respiratory diseases have also been long considered as severe medical conditions that are often related to sharp pain during breathing, possibly caused by a dysfunction in either the expansion of the lungs during the intake of air, or the transmission of oxygen molecules to the rest of the body.

The medical report employed human airway epithelial cells that were cultured in the laboratory, a common method employed in research to represent the actual and specific part of the human body. It would thus be interesting to learn in the near future if the same results could be determined in actual patients suffering from severe respiratory diseases caused by air pollution. For now, the information on the link between inflammation of respiratory cells and air pollutants is clearer, thus allowing more opportunity for researchers to identify ways in preventing the development of sharp pain during breathing. Pain associated with breathing can also be alleviated through the prescription of drugs that could potentially target the specific cause of the respiratory disease.

If the cause of your sleeplessness is pain, then the most logical step to take is to eliminate the pain. Unfortunately, many conventional pain relief techniques, such as prescription medications, come with a high price and a bevy of unwanted side-effects. In addition, prescription and over-the-counter pain relieving drugs do not address the root of the problem and you therefore need to continue taking them, in order to receive their pain relieving effects. So what’s an insomniac in pain to do, if they don’t want to be dependent on drugs for the rest of their life? A multi-pronged approach is probably your best bet.

Firstly, you want to reduce inflammation because inflammation is at the root of most, if not all, pain. Serrapeptase is a little known supplement with dramatic inflammation reducing properties. It is a proteolytic enzyme that helps to thin and drain fluids which surround an injury in the body, whilst also speeding up tissue repair. Serrapeptase is dually beneficial for pain relief because it not only reduces inflammation; it also inhibits the release of pain inducing chemicals known as bradykinin.

Turmeric is another supplement that may help to reduce inflammation, including: sharp pain, joint pain, arthritic pain and surgical pain. Anecdotal evidence suggests that serrapeptase and turmeric, as well as supplement formulas that contain them, can reduce pain and inflammation.

Additional Pain Relief Techniques

There are many natural pain relief techniques out there, and the source of your pain will help you to determine the most appropriate treatment for your condition. Below is a list of therapies and some of the pains that they are said to relieve:

Acupuncture – Back pain, joint pain, migraine pain, neck pain, osteoarthritis of the knee and sharp pain.

Biofeedback- Anxiety related pain, back pain, headache pain and Temporomandibular disorders.

Massage Therapy – Arthritic pain, cancer related pain, fibromyalgia, joint pain, lower back pain, muscle tension and surgical pain.

Reiki and Touch Therapy – Arthritis, cancer related pain, fibromyalgia, headaches and surgical pain.

Inducing a Restful Sleep

After you have addressed and reduced or eliminated the pain, a restful night’s sleep should naturally follow. If you are worried that the above techniques will not be enough, the following suggestions may be of use to you:

A Warm Bath – A warm bath with Epsom salt before bed can help to not only reduce pain it will also relax you, and the magnesium you will absorb from the Epsom salts will work as a natural sleep aid.

Deep Breathing – Focus on your breathing and place both hands on your abdomen. Take in deep breaths through your nose and pay attention to how your abdomen rises and falls. As you breathe out, pay attention to your body and try to release all tension, letting your body go loose and limp. According to Dr. William Deardorff, ABPP, 5 to 10 minutes of this should help to reduce your perception of pain and encourage a restful night’s sleep.

Dietary Modifications – According to Phyllis Balch in her book “Prescription for Nutritional Healing,” you should avoid alcohol and stimulants such as coffee and also avoid eating a heavy meal within three hours of bedtime. Finally, in the evening include a serving of bananas, figs, grapefruit, milk, tuna, turkey, yoghurt or wholegrain crackers because they are high in tryptophan, which promotes sleep, states Balch.

Joint stiffness, joint pain, and sharp pain are symptoms of several musculoskeletal conditions and thus it would be enlightening to understand and differentiate one medical disorder from another. Osteoarthritis commonly affects older adults, with joint stiffness and joint pain generally occurring in the knees and lower back. Osteoarthritis is also associated with sharp pain, especially when putting pressure and movement on these specific joints. In addition, osteoarthritis generally afflicts individuals who are overweight or obese.

On the other hand, rheumatoid arthritis presents with joint stiffness and joint pain in the hands and feet. Similar to osteoarthritis, sharp pain can also occur from repeated use of the hands during work and daily routine chores. Interestingly, certain individuals are more susceptible in developing rheumatoid arthritis, based on genetic and environmental factors. Mutations in the genes HLA-DR4, PTPN22, and PAD14 have been reported to be associated with an increased likelihood of developing rheumatoid arthritis. In terms of environmental factors, smoking and bacterial infections have also been linked to an increase in chances of developing rheumatoid arthritis. Furthermore, there are twice as many women suffering from joint stiffness and joint pain of rheumatoid arthritis, as compared to men.

Joint stiffness, joint pain, and sharp pain are also symptoms of fibromyalgia, which is a chronic syndrome that is often coupled with general fatigue, persistent headache, and loss of memory. The main difference of fibromyalgia from forms of arthritis is that this is mainly based on a capacity of an individual to process pain through the central nervous system. It has lately been reported that nerve cells of fibromyalgia patients are hyperactive, thus the brain continuously sends excitable signals to the rest of the body, lowering the threshold for sharp pain.

The existence of any of these three medical conditions can still be managed through the help of medications and changes in lifestyle. More importantly, there are several ways of delaying the progression of the disorder and thus certain measures can result in better bone health. In the case of osteoarthritis, losing weight can significantly reduce the chances of further disability, as the knees would be supporting less weight. Exercise has also been regarded as another preventive measure for joint stiffness and joint pain. There are also over-the-counter analgesics to reduce sharp pain in the joints, including paracetamol, ibuprofen, and naproxen sodium. Regular corticosteroid injections to frequent sites of sharp pain can also alleviate the symptoms of osteoarthritis.

For rheumatoid arthritis, analgesics can also be equally effective for the treatment of sharp pain in the joints. Stronger painkillers can also be prescribed, such as cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors (COX-2). In addition, there are also anti-rheumatic medications that can slow down the deterioration of the joints, thus relieving joint stiffness and joint pain. These include methotrexate, which prevents continuous erosion of the tissues in the joints. This drug may be quite strong for certain individuals and thus is often prescribed together with folic acid, which decreases the impact of methotrexate’s side effects. Intake of omega-3 fatty acids as a dietary supplement can also lessen joint stiffness and joint pain. It is thus important to know exactly what medical condition is causing the sharp pain in your joints, in order to take the necessary measures in preventing further deterioration of your bone health.

Migraines are classified as primary headaches that are characterized by a throbbing pain and are generally caused by stress. Interestingly, migraines evolved from headaches occurring on a regular basis, which are commonly described in the medical field as episodic. It has been postulated that migraines are the body’s response to the overuse of medications for simple headaches. In addition, migraines are usually confined to a specific region of the head, such as the temples or the forehead. Individuals who suffer from migraines usually find it difficult to be in presence of bright lights and noise, whereas others feel nauseous when suffering from migraines. Interestingly, studies have shown that women are three times more likely to develop migraines, as compared to men, thus highlighting the role of hormones in its occurrence. Over the counter medications for an inflammation related to migraines are often administered as treatment.

One important aspect to understand is that migraines are different from secondary headaches. It is also beneficial to know that secondary headaches can also serve as a sign of a more serious condition and thus, may dictate prompt medical attention. Physicians may consider sharp pain in the head as an indication of the onset of a stroke. Furthermore, this type of sharp pain occurs without any previous symptoms and thus a person may be at work, driving, or even enjoying a meal when this event happens. Unlike migraines, which are usually preceded by the perception of flashes of light, the sharp pain associated with stroke-related headaches does not show any initial warning signs.

Aside from its sudden onset, a sharp pain in the head characteristic of a hemorrhagic stroke can also persist for several hours and thus it is important to seek medical attention for a definitive diagnosis. The sharp pain may also be coupled with a stiff neck and difficulty in performing physical activities. One main cause of the sharp pain in the head is the inflammation of an artery in the brain, which has progressively increased in size and eventually ruptured. The outcome of this inflammation can thus be life threatening because blood can leak into the rest of the skull, putting enormous pressure on the brain. During this event, a person can lose consciousness, even in the middle of an activity. Ischemic stroke is another condition that is characterized by sharp pain in the head. Ischemic strokes are caused by an inflammation in the blood vessels of the brain due to the accumulation of fatty deposits in the walls. The inflammation of blood vessels is more common among elderly individuals, with the eyes and temples as the main sites of the sharp pain.

Pain in the head can also indicate an inflammation in the brain due to an infection. Pathogenic bacteria can cause destruction of nerve cells in the brain, which then results in sharp pain and inflammation. In order to determine whether an infection is present, cerebrospinal fluid is tested for the presence of microbes. It is important to prevent the spread of the pathogen because these can also infect the upper respiratory tract, causing inflammation of the sinuses. It is thus important to understand how your body feels and reacts, especially when your heads is aching, as this may be a hint of a particular type of inflammation.

1: Joint Pain

Many people believe that joint pain is just a normal part of aging. However, if you are experiencing ongoing joint pain that is not caused by a recent injury, it is vital that you seek the advice of a healthcare practitioner. If the joint pain is ongoing and/or accompanied by inflammation–it may well be rheumatoid arthritis and there are steps that you can take to prevent further progression of this disease. According to the Mayo Clinic joint pain can also be indicative of numerous other serious health disorders including: advanced bone cancer, bursitis, fibromyalgia, gout, lupus, Lyme disease, osteoporosis, rickets and tendonitis.

2: Chest Pain

If you experience a sharp pain in your chest that doesn’t go away in combination with shortness of breath and any unusual upper body pain you should see a doctor or call 911 immediately, in order to rule out a heart attack. While sharp pain in the left side of your chest is often indicative of a heart attack, right sided pain is also a cause for concern. Sharp pain on the right side may be caused by angina, lung problems, asthma, pulmonary embolism, asthma, gallstones, pleurisy and inflammation of the liver.

3. Severe Head Pain

This may just be a migraine. However, if you have never experienced a migraine before and/or the sharp pain in your head is not accompanied by additional migraine symptoms such as a visual aura, head throbbing sensation or sensitivity to light, it is essential that you seek medical council immediately. Although rare, severe and sharp pain in your head could be indicative of a brain aneurism, which is an abnormal outward bulging of one of the arteries in your brain. The sharp pain may indicate that the aneurysm has ruptured and this can cause brain damage, hemorrhagic stroke and even death in a matter of minutes.

4. Sharp Pain in Your Side

This may be a sign of appendicitis, which is characterized by inflammation of the appendix. Appendicitis is no laughing matter, in fact it is the most common cause of emergency abdominal surgery in the US, states the A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia. Appendicitis usually starts off as a inflammation and pain in your belly button but the pain migrates to your right lower abdomen, at which point you will experience severe, sharp pain sensations. Appendicitis is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting and fever and as it progresses chills, constipation, inflammation, diarrhea, shaking and vomiting all may ensue.

5: Leg Pain Accompanied by Inflammation

If you are experiencing swelling, inflammation and pain in your leg it may be caused by a blood clot that has formed in one of your veins, deep in the body. This condition is known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and if the blood clot breaks off it can travel to your artery or lungs and become fatal. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, additional symptoms of DVT may include tenderness when standing or walking, increased warmth around the inflammation in the leg and red or discolored skin on the leg. If these symptoms progress to shortness of breath, sharp pain with deep breathing or the coughing up of blood it is vital that you call 911 immediately.