We have all heard by now that there's an insane opioid epidemic in the United States. And even more commonly, how many people drink alcohol or consume CBD or marijuana because they are dealing with chronic pain? Humans have this thing where we avoid pain and are attracted to pleasure. And that seems smart because pain is often a sign that something is going awry in the body - especially when the pain is very severe, as one pay experience during an injury. But sometimes a little pain is actually beneficial for a body. There are some Ayurvedic therapies, like fasting, where tough love actually produces beneficial results for some bodies. So then, how do we know when our pain signals something good or bad for our body? In Episode 91 of the Wisdom of the Body podcast, I interview Dr. Saloni Sharma about her new book, The Pain Solution: 5 Steps to Relieve and Prevent Back Pain, Muscle Pain, and Joint Pain without Medication. We talk all about the things people can do at home to reduce pain, even if they've just had some kind of crazy surgery. It turns out that even though lifestyle changes are not something conventional medicine focuses on much, there is quite a bit that can be achieved with simple diet and lifestyle tweaks at home.
It's totally normal to have pain when we have a fresh injury, but Dr. Sharma and I talk about why it is that when we have a chronic injury or imbalance, it only bothers us sometimes...
So sometimes our injuries are incredible teachers. But the tough-love kind of teachers. Eh?
Dr. Sharma is an integrative doctor and feels that the alternative approaches are the real winners in the long run. I wonder, is self-care considered the "alternative"? If so, let's change that.
