Wellness and Nutrition

When patients present with a chronic pain condition, we often attribute it to their age, wear and tear, or genetics, indicating that they could not avoid it. This is not always true. Sometimes pain is related to lifestyle choices or diseases that result from lifestyle choices. Patients can do more to minimize pain on their own by maximizing their nutrition and wellness. Many of need to be educated how. At Art Of Medicine Pain Specialists we concentrate on a few major areas to improve wellness:

Sleep. Most recuperation, rejuvenation and detoxification in the body is done during sleep. Poor sleep is a major contributor to chronic disease. Approximately 50 to 70 million Americans suffer from a chronic disorder of sleep and wakefulness. Disordered sleep hinders daily functioning, is associated with increased risk of injury and adversely affects health (increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attack and stroke). Instead of more pills, I recommend techniques for better sleep hygiene, we evaluate you for sleep disorders and refer to our team of consultants when necessary.

Movement. A typical day for many of our patients suffering from chronic pain includes an abundance of bed and couch time. Physical activity hurts, but inactivity makes pain worse. Rather than telling pain patients to “exercise,” I show them safe movements. We start with modalities to ease pain and improve blood flow to our muscle, transition to moving throughout the day, and eventually end up with proper exercise.

Stress. Stress exacerbates pain, but you can control it!  I encourage patients to optimize their environments, removing toxins, conflict, noise, and clutter. I advise them to develop good social connections, which is important for emotional support. And I help you identify stress relievers that work for you. Example:  exercise, meditation, prayer or mindfulness.