The challenge is not to mask the pain but to manage it.
The good news is that we’re learning more ways to do this, everything from acupuncture and mindfulness to pacing your activity and gentle movement. Health care providers in our community have a growing awareness of the risks of opiates for chronic pain and are embracing these alternative ways of addressing chronic pain. We are learning that physical and emotional pain are intertwined. When you feel one, you usually feel the other. But when one kind of pain is reduced, the other is as well. When you feel supported and less isolated in dealing with your pain, the experience of both physical and emotional pain can be reduced.
We can’t always be pain-free, but we can learn how to manage our pain so we can live life to its fullest.
Be an active participant in your health care. Work with your doctor to develop pain strategies that work for you.
Some alternatives to prescription pain medication include:
- Exercise
- Stretching
- Yoga
- Chiropractic