Guide to Healing Chronic Pain

Even Smart People Get Sick It was the summer of 2002. I was teaching at UCLA and my husband was a molecular biologist. Disillusioned with “big city” life and job politics, my husband decided we should move back to a small town to build our eco-friendly passive solar dream home. Being an idealist and dreamer, I had no idea how much energy was required to build a home nor the financial stress involved in funding the project alone. We moved from a modest three-bedroom house in Los Angeles to a one-bedroom apartment in our neighbor’s basement. Our computer and office equipment were crammed into the bedroom and we slept on the floor on a futon. I’ve never been a morning person so my wake-up partner was a “sunrise” clock, an expensive device whose light mimicked a rising sun. Its large transformer resting on the floor was just inches from my head. I accepted the first job I was offered in order to fund the “dream” project. It required a two-hour daily commute through slick mountainous roads and carried an enormous responsibility of being the only medical doctor in town. Eventually , I started my own part-time acupuncture practice as well, so I could be closer to home. On weekends, I’d try to help out with the house-building - not my forte, but my idealism fueled the effort. Pride prevented me from admitting that the stress of moving across country, being the main breadwinner, working two jobs, and house-building was taking a toll on my body. My parents were dead-set against our plans because they knew building this “dream home” was too much for me. Their protective criticism only served to fortify my stubbornness to make this dream come true. In my mind, I was a responsible loving wife who would do whatever it took to make her husband happy. Bad idea! As I juggled the demands of my new life, I wasn’t aware my body was falling apart from the inside out. One morning, I woke up and couldn’t turn my head. The intense pain in my neck was unyielding and multiple visits to the chiropractor didn’t help. Within two months, my condition rapidly deteriorated and I experienced pain in almost every joint. I required twelve to fourteen hours of sleep per night and never felt rested. I dragged myself to work, put on a smiling face for people who “needed me”, and then collapsed on the couch as soon as I got home. My husband, already stressed from building all day and worrying about finances, had to pick up the pieces at home. I couldn’t cook, clean or do laundry without intense pain or exhaustion. One day at the Laundromat, while folding a bed sheet, I burst into tears from pain and exhaustion. I wondered, “Where have I gone wrong? I’m trying so hard. I’m a good person. I don’t deserve this!” One of my medical colleagues was kind enough to treat me free of charge. Dorit Gaedtke, M.D. diagnosed me with fibromyalgia, an “incurable” and debilitating pain disorder. Most of my patients with this diagnosis never recovered despite the slew of anti-depressants and pain drugs I prescribed in conventional medicine. Not only did they suffer pain and fatigue, they suffered the side effects of the drugs and remained disabled. Few had the education or financial resources to seek alternative care. Deep down inside, I was terrified I would become another statistic. My mother struggled with fibromyalgia so I wasn’t completely surprised to have the same diagnosis. Nevertheless, I felt defeated and small. My naïve medical mind thought that someone who was as hardworking and smart as I, could never fall prey to such a nebulous pain disorder. But I was wrong. Even smart people get sick. Healing is a Journey Good news! You don’t have to suffer any longer. If you are reading this book, it’s likely you are tired of being in pain. Maybe now, healing yourself is your top priority. I know it is for me. Years have passed since that dreaded diagnosis of fibromyalgia. Thanks to my illness, I no longer take my life and health for granted. No longer do I live my life unconsciously, on autopilot, on a diet of stress and To-Do lists, in order to achieve success and security in the pursuit of the ultimate goal for all of us – Happiness. My illness was a message to stop pursuing happiness outside of myself and instead make conscious decisions. The first important decision was to get a divorce because I was unhappy in my marriage. Second, was to stop people-pleasing. Third, was to focus on integrative and holistic medicine instead of conventional medicine. Today, I live my life’s purpose: to empower and inspire thousands of people across the globe to manifest the life of their dreams – filled with radiant health, prosperity and loving relationships. I live my passion of figure skating with my soulmate, and experience the satisfaction of winning multiple gold medals. I have a fun, rewarding life and fabulous relationships with family and friends. Most of all, I’m happy. I want you to experience all of your dreams and more. Why? Because it’s your birthright! Think of your quest for pain relief as an invitation to a more connected and fulfilling life. Believe everything happens for a reason and you can have fun on your journey to healing chronic pain. Really - I’m serious. I have treated hundreds of people in pain within my practice as well as teaching thousands of others across the globe. There are few things more heartwarming than witnessing the transformation of someone finally experiencing freedom from pain. It Doesn’t Matter How Bad Your Pain is Everyone has the capacity to heal. No matter what diagnosis your doctors have given you, how many MRI’s and CT scans you have had or how many surgeries you have endured, you can still feel a heck of a lot better than you do right now. I remember a woman, Matilda, who attended one of my pain relief workshops. Matilda had undergone several surgeries and still had intractable back pain. She couldn’t play with her grandchild, let alone do any housework. To her surprise, eighty percent of her pain vanished within a few minutes of doing “acupuncture without needles”. Soon after, she was able to play with her grandchild and do her housework… completely pain-free! Is This Book For You? This book is for anyone suffering from chronic pain who wants to learn how to maximize his or her body’s natural healing mechanisms. Chronic pain has been defined many ways. Traditionally, acute pain is described as pain lasting less than thirty days. Chronic pain is pain lasting more than six months. Pain that remains between thirty days and six months is considered subacute pain. Personally, I’d rather use the following definition of chronic pain: “pain that extends beyond the expected period of healing”. If you’re reading this book, you are probably feeling that your pain should have been “gone” by now. This book is for you. This book is perfect for people struggling with chronic pain who have not been helped by conventional medicine, which usually consists of drugs, surgery and physical therapy. It is also for people who, like me, would rather use holistic or natural approaches to healing rather than cover up symptoms with drugs. Lastly, this book is for people who are ready or are interested in delving into the deeper realms of healing beyond the physical: the mental, emotional and spiritual. Why I Wrote this Book I wrote this book because of my own experience in healing chronic pain. There are many wonderful books on natural healing available today. Some of these books focus on the physical modalities and therapies that can be employed to relieve pain. Others focus on harnessing the power of the mind. Few books focus on the role of Spirit in chronic pain. And by Spirit, I don’t mean religion. None focused on what I’m attempting to do in this book, which is to integrate Mind, Body, and Spirit in the healing of chronic pain.