approach to dealing with incidental pain, for sharing with perhaps it might for you too. I have redesigned this gift/brochure: the simple

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2 I have redesigned this gift/brochure: the simple approach to dealing with incidental pain, for sharing with others. If it helps you, please consider copying it out and sharing it with friends and family members who are experiencing discomfort from the aches and pains that result from daily living. Who among us does not encounter incidental pain in the course of our lives? Possibly no one. It is a fact of life, and a common experience for all of us. I also deal with my own non-life-threatening incidental and chronic pain. Here is a method that I have found works for me perhaps it might for you too. Dealing with chronic and incidental pain has become a hot item in our culture. Many people rely on over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, (NASAIDS) such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen and others for relief from minor or persistent pain. However, these drugs can cause undesired side effects. 2

3 There are numerous clinics and practitioners that specialize in pain management. Do their methods always work? In my experience, whether they do or not depends on the individual practitioner and the individual patient. Often, even if you believe something is helping you, it actually is. (More about the brain below.) Just like any other aspect of healthy living, what healing method works for one might not work for another. We are, after all, unique individuals and the one size fits all mold cannot really apply. (More and more, this concept is being discovered and accepted in the health-services world.) A word of caution here: your first step is to please ALWAYS check with a health professional or doctor to determine what is CAUSING the pain, which is there to let you know that something is not right with that part of the body. Finding a REASON for the pain is very important. 3

4 The method I am about to explain here, that works for me, is based on the works of John Sarno ( author of many books dealing with the control of back and other pain. I have adopted a working method from something he said in his book, The Mindbody Prescription: Healing the Body, Healing the Pain. This method works for me to lessen or actually stop incidental pain, including headache. Mine is a shortcut version distilled from reading his works which are complex and fascinating. (For more information on his findings, I recommend reading one or more of his books.) One of Dr. Sarno s findings is that pain can be caused by lack of oxygen in the area of the pain. Described below is a simple way of getting blood into a painful body part which will enhance oxygen flow to the area. For right now, consider this: many of us have been told to take a hot shower when experiencing aches and pains, or to apply a heating pad or other heating device to the area. What the heat does is to encourage blood to rush to the area, bringing, of course, the oxygen that is in the blood. 4

5 By the way, paying attention to your breathing and taking DEEP BREATHS from time to time during the day is very beneficial (we often breathe shallowly when occupied with something or just sitting doing whatever). Naturally, this will aid in the overall oxygenation of the blood for application to those sore spots. But, you say, I am on the road, or in an airplane, or am lying in bed. I don t have access to hot showers or heating pads just now. Well, this is where the beauty of this method lies. Read on. Here I would like to stress the individual s POWER OF THE BRAIN and the brain s ability to work with the body in healing. 5

6 In fact, the brain controls pretty much ALL of what goes on in our bodies, either automatically or because of our actual thinking MIND. We can work to use our minds to direct the activities of our bodies think BIOFEEDBACK, which is medically accepted. It is this ability that powers the pain abatement process. The practice is so simple, that it almost seems laughable. Yet if it can work for me, perhaps it can useful for others maybe even YOU! Okay, so you have a pain, perhaps in your neck from sitting in one position for too long, or when you lie down to sleep. Here is what you do: TELL YOUR BRAIN TO TELL THE HEART TO SEND BLOOD TO THE PAINFUL AREA. BE SPECIFIC. LOCATE THE PAIN BY BRAIN GPS, OR YOU CAN ACTUALLY PLACE YOUR HAND ON THE AREA TO GUIDE THE BLOOD THERE. 6

7 For instance, say firmly, Brain, I want you to tell heart to send blood to the right side of the back of my neck and to the upper right shoulder blade. Or, Brain, I want you to tell heart to send blood to my lower back. Then wait for it to happen. BE PERSISTENT. Be firm. If you notice the pain continuing, repeat your directive. It might happen quite soon, it may take a while. Sometimes I can actually FEEL the blood rushing to the area. After some time has passed, you may suddenly think, Wow, there is no more pain, and you will know that the method worked. Be sure to thank your brain and your heart for doing this. I have even had temporary success with an area of chronic pain in my forearm probably from over-doing the weights in the past. When it flares up, I just say, Send blood, and think of where I want the blood to be sent. It is that simple. Your choice. Give it a try. 7

8 But always remember, it is your responsibility that if you don t know the source of the pain, or it remains persistent, to seek medical help for sure. Source: Sarno, John E. The Mindbody Prescription: Healing the Body, Healing the Pain. New York, NY: Warner, Print. 8