Prayer and Spirituality

Medical literature suggests that there is a relationship between spirituality and health. The American Academy of Physicians says that "spirituality is the way we can find meaning, hope, comfort, and inner peace in our lives." Religion is one common way for people to find spirituality, while for others, it is found in art, music, a connection with nature, or values and principles.

Many people practice a given religion and share it with others. Some people do not have a specific religion, but do have spiritual beliefs. These beliefs can bring a sense of meaning and purpose to life, help put things into perspective, and establish priorities. Sometimes it is just what is needed to motivate an individual to make difficult changes or accept a reality we don't want to face. Having a religion that we share with a group is also a great support system, where assistance can be given or received from others.

Recent studies demonstrate that people who belong to a religious community, prayer group, or bible study have benefit from those activities by way of improved health. There are many types of prayer that may contribute to improved health: petitions for help, forgiveness, and gratitude, to name a few. Many religions have a tradition of meditation or contemplation. In terms of pain and self management, prayer is probably the oldest tool in the box!

It's probably a good idea to explore your own beliefs in order to decide if this is a good pain management tool for you. Be honest with yourself; if you really don't believe it will not do much good. If you do believe, don't be afraid to talk to someone you can trust about your spirituality if you feel the need.

adapted from:
Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions ; 4th edition

Comments

Living with Chronic pain hits the big screen!

Been to the movies lately? Jennifer Aniston is on the big screen in a recent release titled "Cake." Her character, Claire is a victim of chronic pain...she belongs to a support group, where all of the members are coming to terms with the suicide of one of their members. Of course, she also takes pain medication and addiction is another of her problems...and of course there's more! I guess I am writing this post just to bring readers' attention to the fact that Hollywood has become aware of the crisis that is chronic pain. This movie is a testament to that. People that don't have to live with this kind of pain don't fully understand the whole story. Maybe this movie will shed some light on the issues. Here is the official trailer for the movie: Sources: prweb;NorthJersey.com;YouTube

Effectiveness Of Ozone Injections Is No Longer Up In The Air

Most of us know someone who has osteoarthritis, if we don't have it ourselves. Joint replacement surgery is a pretty common remedy when the joint becomes severely damaged and the patient is in a lot of pain. With risk of complications from such a surgery, perhaps an alternative treatment should be tried first. One such remedy is the injection of a synthetic version of collagen(e.g. Synvisc®) into the affected joint. This procedure restores the cushioning to a joint that has degenerated over the years. It can diminish the pain substantially and help put off joint replacement surgery for months to years. The biggest drawback is that these products are expensive. GoodRX , a web site that can be used to estimate the cost of medications, estimates the cost of these products to be over $1,000 each. Here's another example--and I am not sure how widely accepted this protocol has become since study authors introduced it in November 2015. Are you r...

Fibromyalgia Week: Day 2

Tender points...click caption for WebMD animation Tender points are a unique feature of fibromaylgia. There are 18 such points on the human body (9 pairs as shown). Using special technique by hand or a dolorimeter, a fibromyalgia patient will experience pain in at least 11 points, and there will be at least one painful tender point in each quadrant of the body! One study found that up to 96% of fibromyalgia patients suffer from sleep disorders. It is believed that this is responsible for a deprivation of delta sleep, during which human growth hormone is produced. This hormone is essential to tissue repair. Other common problems in fibromyalgia are fatigue, concentration/memory ("fibro fog"), and depression. There is no doubt in my mind that just enabling the patient to sleep well on a regular basis would be of great benefit! It is not uncommon for fibromyalgia patients to have coexisting conditions--some of these are lupus, disease, irritable bowel syndrom...

Everyday pain management ideas

Search This Blog