https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/complementary-alternative-or-integrative-health-whats-in-a-name
In my pursuit of pain relief, I have tried a great variety of “regular” and “alternative” medicines. I have had both help and discouragement from both kinds of treatment. I think that the idea of “complementary” medicine (both “alternative” and “regular” working together) is the best chance at health and wellness. (A side note: I determined that I won’t see any “alternative” therapists without a substantial, personal reference. Later in the blog, I’ll discuss Q=Quacks.)
I have seen chiropractors (Dr. Dean Meylor and Dr. Tim Clark) for more than 25 years, and they have been able to keep me upright and functioning. Even during the worst of the pain, they told me that they couldn’t “fix” what was wrong (since there’s no cure for arthritis and scar tissue), but they could help keep me going. And they certainly did. Dr. Meylor offered accupuncture as a different kind of relief, and I accepted it from him. I would not have trusted many people to stick needles in me, and it did give me some relief for a short time. We tried it for a few months but gave up after no significant change.
Two orthopedic surgeons confirmed that my problem was NOT surgical (whew)! I am so glad that they both had the integrity to turn away “my business” and refer me to other therapies.
The physical therapists I have worked with seem to be mostly personal fitness trainers. I couldn’t understand why I would need to do exercise for my arms, etc. to make my back feel better. And back exercises actually made my pain worse. I was referred to water therapists in the children’s hospital in Durham, and they showed me wonderful water exercises that helped me gain strength without increasing the pain. This led to my water exercise group at the local YMCA; this class, designed for folks with Fibromyalgia (one of my diagnoses), has helped keep me sane, laughing, and moving (even just a little), with other folks who are also dealing with chronic pain (bless you, ladies, I’ll talk about you more during F=Fibromyalgia and S=Swimming). Finally, I met Lorraine Kingham, a manual physiotherapist who combines soft tissue massage with scientific physical therapy, and she gets GREAT results. She and I have often discussed the problem with “mass production” of medicine, especially physical therapy. This kind of exercise-based therapy helps many people (especially coming from surgery or acute issues), but when it doesn’t work (as for chronic pain), then they have no alternatives to provide or suggest.
My first pain management doctor was primarily interested in pharmaceuticals, and never gave me an indication that she could help me actually get better. The painkillers do help me cope with the pain, but they don’t help cure me. Cortisone shots given “blindly” have very little chance of working. When my “alternative” physical therapist found inflamed bursas, she showed my pain management doctor the right place to “shoot.” The combination of those two therapies worked together beautifully!
I don’t believe I would have seen my functional medicine doctor without some excellent referrals. Dr. Watkins gave the best of both worlds: an M.D. who understands the need to treat the whole patient, and not just the symptoms. His methods to improve the chemical systems in the body (blood, glandular, hormonal, etc) really worked for me. Again, he said that the supplements he provides couldn’t cure my back problem, but he could make the rest of me feel better – and it worked! (Unfortunately, he is no longer in town, but he is teaching other physicians, and I’m grateful for that.)
I have come to this conclusion: don’t give up in your pursuit to relieve pain. Western/Regular medicine is finally recognizing that chronic pain is a problem to be reckoned with, not just “all in my head.” If your regular doctors cannot help, try alternatives. Be careful to research before you try (again, see Q=Quacks later on), but there are lots of folks dealing with chronic pain, and some who have successfully managed it (like me – yay). What worked for me may not work for you, but don’t give up your search until you are functional again!
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