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Saturday, October 25, 2008

Living Without Pain

So many people live with unnecessary pain. Are you one of them? I'm astounded and dismayed at the number of people who believe that they have to live with their aches and pains, pains that could be alleviated, often quickly and easily. They seem to believe that there's nothing to be done. They say, "I guess I'm just getting old." Are you one of them?

Is that really true? Is pain an inevitable part of life at 40? 50? 60? If you feel that badly now, what will you feel like ten years from now? Do you really want to spend the rest of your life in pain when it isn't necessary? What kind of life is that?

How do I know that you can feel better now? Quickly, easily, and naturally? Because I've seen it happen hundreds of times and I've experienced it myself.

I am not going to tell you that all your aches and pains will vanish in an hour massage. It simply isn't true. However, what I can tell you is that the vast majority of clients get up from my table feeling significantly better than they did when they first lay down. In almost every case where pain relief is the goal, they experience at least some immediate reduction in pain.

There is no magic bullet for chronic pain. But if there were a magic bullet, massage would be pretty darn close to being it. I'll estimate that at least 90% of my clients say they "feel a lot better" when they get up from my table. Massage can work wonders. And I'm not talking about any massage. I'm talking about the right kind of massage.

"What?!" you say. The "right kind" of massage? What do you mean by that? Are you talking about "sports massage," "Swedish," "deep tissue"? Not exactly. What I'm talking about is this: does the massage therapist know exactly what to do, specifically what combination of strokes, will be most effective at relieving your specific problem? Do they know the difference between using massage for today's muscle strain and a chronic condition that has existed for years? Or do they do the same massage on everyone that walks in the door? You see, the right kind of massage can be very effective quickly. The wrong kind of massage at best will be ineffective and at worse may make you feel worse.

I'll be coming back to this topic of specifically what kind of massage will best help you and how it can make a difference. I'll be returning to this idea of living without pain. And I'll be reminding you again that you don't need to live in pain, that you can feel better naturally. But you must be willing to do what it takes.

I'm not going to tell you that I have the only answer to your pain. Chronic pain can have multiple sources and perpetuating factors. Finding them and addressing them can require persistence and a willingness to be investigative. Chiropractors, doctors, physical therapists, changes in habits may all be a part of the long-term answer. Part of my job is educating you, the client, how to take care of yourself outside of my office so that you can live a life that you love, free of unnecessary pain and stress.

Yes, pain and stress are an inevitable part of life and in some cases there are conditions that just aren't going to go away. Even in those cases, the severity of symptoms can often be reduced. Usually the condition can be managed in a way that at least some relief can be achieved. For most of us, though, the aches and pains that plague us can be reduced and often eliminated.

The choice is yours. Will you make the choice to live without pain? Or will you keep plodding along, burdened by life's stresses and strains? Which will you choose?

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