Over the years a number of my patients have or have had cancer. One man who came to see me for an unusual muscle condition had prostrate cancer. He was not given long to life. Whether it was the treatment on the muscle condition, or of improving blood flow, his prostrate cancer incidentally made a dramatic improvement. The consultant told him that he was not going to die of the cancer, so he got married. He was 82 when he first came to me.
Another man had a terminal prognosis from a respiratory condition. He is still alive and kicking. He asked the consultant what was the longest someone had ever lived after being diagnosed with the condition. The consultant said, 14 years. This man has cheerfully decided that his life expectancy is 14 years less the time he has had it already.
People say to me, "You not only treat me but you give me hope." So often they go to see health professionals who say things like, "What do you expect? Its your age." "You'll be in a wheelchair if you try to have children", (that lady now has two healthy children). "Its arthritis, there is nothing you can do." "Stop going to the gym, its too dangerous to exercise" (that man is now training for tri-athlons)." Its a disc prolapse or collapse, we are not going to operate, there is nothing you can do." "It is a frozen shoulder, it will take 18 months to heal." All of phrases have been used by people many times. In most instances we have seen a return to good health in far shorter times than if they had accepted the bad news and resigned themselves to it. As health professionals we need to take care to avoid transferring our own frustrations onto the people who come to us for help and advice. Sun Simiao wrote in his Essential Prescriptions,
"Whenever a physician treats an illness, he must quiet his spirit and settle his will. He must be free of wants and desires, and he must first develop a heart full of great compassion and empathy."1
The human spirit is far stronger, deeper and more creative than most of us can imagine. Some people survive the worst of experiences. Others succumb to the smallest accident. Dr Judith Trager wrote a book called, The Worst Is Over: What to Say When Every Moment Counts--Verbal First Aid to Calm, Relieve Pain, Promote Healing, and Save Lives
She positively talked people in crisis into a process of healing. Through positive suggestion, people who were bleeding from an artery at a road accident could make their bodies bleed just enough to cleanse the wounds, then stop when they needed to preserve their blood. They could focus their minds on the help that was going to come, not on the prospect of imminent death. When I came home after my own major accident I met someone called Simon. He too had a serious accident. The first thing that he told me was, "Healing starts in the mind. You tell yourself you are going to heal and you will." He had been hit by an articulated truck, broken numerous ribs and lost his spleen.How to Handle Pain
When you are injured start by completely resting. Calm down your heart rate by controlling your breathing. Allow your mind to take on board where you are now and what tissues are injured. Examine yourself both physically and mentally. Imagine you are the doctor or paramedic. Ask yourself, Where does it hurt? What hurts? Does it feel like sort tissues or hard tissues?muscles, bones, organs, ligaments, nerves or connective tissues? Does the pain come and go? Does it lessen with painkillers or do they make no difference? Does stretching help or make it worse? Can you localise the pain by saying to yourself, "I am not in pain; the pain is in me. It is not going to last; it is temporary. Someone has had it before so they can help me. There was a time when I was not in pain, What has changed in my life to bring on the pain?
Now start to visualise what is happening in your body. The troops are arriving at the source of the pain. Special red blood cells called platelets plug the leaks. Special white blood cells called leukocytes and eosinophils arrive to fill up the area with healing chemicals such as bradykinins (they create inflammation). As the inflammation reaches a limit over 2 to 4 days the macrophages (lit. 'big eaters') arrive. They digest the toxins and by products of inflammation. Over a period of weeks the new collagen cells proliferate and remodel into scar tissue. The bones heal with a lump called callous. Skin cells recover with some scarring, muscles rebuild but not as elastic as before.
Chronic pain is harder to handle but you can develop strategies to manage it.
What slows down the healing process
Taking too many anti-inflammatories or steroids. These drugs mimic the body's response to stress but in much larger doses than we produce ourselves. Take only enough to see you through the worst of the pain. Omega 3 oils (DHA and EPA) have an anti-inflammatory effect (take 3 a day). Turmeric, chilli, fenugreek, bromelain (extract of pineapple core) are all anti-inflammatory.
Getting your joints manipulated in the first four days. In the first 4 days the tissues are repairing and almost plastic in their make up. Strong manipulation can be very harmful at this early stage. Gentle manipulation and lymphatic massage or acupuncture are very soothing and promote healing.
What speeds up the healing process
Use covered ice if the skin is not broken. Ice limits excessive inflammation and constricts the blood vessels. Later they dilate and improve blood flow. For small areas try rubbing an ice cube directly on the skin it until the cube melts. If the skin is broken you must concentrate on cleaning the wounds and possibly taking anti-biotics or using them directly on the skin. Grit, saliva and mud are all sources of infection.
Gently massaging around bruising but not directly over it clears the bruising. Blood in tissues is an irritant that slowly disperses through the lymphatic vessels. The lympathics link in chains back to the heart. Their main collection areas are the back of the ankles, the inside of the thighs and groins, under the diaphragm behind the oesophagus or food pipe, down the sides of the neck, under the armpits and alongside the breasts, then finally back into the venous return to the heart under the left collar bone. Massaging through lymph glands clears inflammation faster and promotes neutrophylls or white blood cells to detox the body.
Listening to music, unwind, do what you enjoy.
Take anti-oxidants and eat highly nutritious foods.
Rest then stretch and rest again.
Keep asking questions about your pain but don't assume that because someone is a professional they have the answers. Your own body has the answers and a treasure chest of healing chemicals to cope with emergencies.
Keep a positive attitude, you will heal, you will get better. Keep company with positive people and those who make you laugh when you yourself are healing. Watch anything that makes you laugh.
Go for massage, gentle manipulation, acupuncture or any other therapy that has helped you in the past.
Take up a new hobby, sport, or interest, get involved with others. It helps them and takes your mind off your self.
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