HELP FOR CHRONIC PAIN
Cover your BASES!
BASES is an acronym for Body therapies, Allopathic medicine, Social support, Emotional wellbeing, and Spiritual practices/energetic balancing.
The BASES show us we always have MANY ways to expand our healing. Some of the BASES directly treat the pain site, while others calm and balance the nervous system, which is also vital to decreasing pain.
Neuroplasticity is a term that means neurological patterning (like pain patterning) can change; it is not fixed in stone! In the brain, positive emotions and pain processing have some overlapping neural pathways. This is actually wonderful news, because as we strengthen the neural circuits for enjoyment and other "feel good things" in the BASES, we are slowly weakening the pathways for pain. For example, imagine there are two walking routes in a forest, one that leads to a waterfall, and one that doesn't. If we purposefully take the one that leads to the waterfall far more often than we take the one that doesn't, the path to the waterfall will slowly become more carved into the ground and easier to follow, while the alternate path will gradually become harder to see and to follow. Similarly, our brains can learn to favor the positive pathways when we deliberately use them again and again, and at the same time, the pain circuitry will become less efficient, little by little.
Additionally, when we are in pain for a long time, the nervous system can become sympathetic dominant. In sympathetic dominance, the nervous system directs cells and organs to defend against something perceived as threatening. In the short term, this vigilant internal commanding can literally save our lives. However, if sympathetic dominance becomes the norm, it's as if the body is in an acute crisis most of the time, which amplifies pain signals, and damages our cells and organs.
In a healthy state, we are parasympathetic dominant, meaning that our nervous systems perceive safety most of the time. We will only toggle into the sympathetic state briefly, to react to immediate threats, but then we'll return again to the relaxed parasympathetic state. The BASES help us to reduce sympathetic dominance, and enhance parasympathetic tone, so that bit by bit, we can return to parasympathetic dominance.
Furthermore, in a grander sense, we are integrated beings, body, mind, and spirit, which all influence one another. When we help one aspect of ourselves it positively extends into other areas, and then helps us wholistically. Healing typically is not instant. Fortunately, during the healing process, we have LOTS of options to keep active with when covering our BASES. Over time, more often than not, we will come to feel much, much better. The time will pass by anyway, so why not incorporate your own special version of the BASES and live your best life as you go along!
Body therapies
Allopathic medicine
Social support
Emotional wellbeing
Spiritual practices/energetic balancing
For healing professionals that I know personally and recommend, click my Professional Colleagues tab from the menu at the top left corner of this webpage.
The BASES are adapted from: Penny Cowan and Christine Stamatos, DNP, ANP-C.
For more about Penny Cowan's American Chronic Pain Association: www.acpanow.com/#/
Christine Stamatos, DNP, ANP-C in an interview discussing chronic pain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90hHvVhTW5s
Cover your BASES!
BASES is an acronym for Body therapies, Allopathic medicine, Social support, Emotional wellbeing, and Spiritual practices/energetic balancing.
The BASES show us we always have MANY ways to expand our healing. Some of the BASES directly treat the pain site, while others calm and balance the nervous system, which is also vital to decreasing pain.
Neuroplasticity is a term that means neurological patterning (like pain patterning) can change; it is not fixed in stone! In the brain, positive emotions and pain processing have some overlapping neural pathways. This is actually wonderful news, because as we strengthen the neural circuits for enjoyment and other "feel good things" in the BASES, we are slowly weakening the pathways for pain. For example, imagine there are two walking routes in a forest, one that leads to a waterfall, and one that doesn't. If we purposefully take the one that leads to the waterfall far more often than we take the one that doesn't, the path to the waterfall will slowly become more carved into the ground and easier to follow, while the alternate path will gradually become harder to see and to follow. Similarly, our brains can learn to favor the positive pathways when we deliberately use them again and again, and at the same time, the pain circuitry will become less efficient, little by little.
Additionally, when we are in pain for a long time, the nervous system can become sympathetic dominant. In sympathetic dominance, the nervous system directs cells and organs to defend against something perceived as threatening. In the short term, this vigilant internal commanding can literally save our lives. However, if sympathetic dominance becomes the norm, it's as if the body is in an acute crisis most of the time, which amplifies pain signals, and damages our cells and organs.
In a healthy state, we are parasympathetic dominant, meaning that our nervous systems perceive safety most of the time. We will only toggle into the sympathetic state briefly, to react to immediate threats, but then we'll return again to the relaxed parasympathetic state. The BASES help us to reduce sympathetic dominance, and enhance parasympathetic tone, so that bit by bit, we can return to parasympathetic dominance.
Furthermore, in a grander sense, we are integrated beings, body, mind, and spirit, which all influence one another. When we help one aspect of ourselves it positively extends into other areas, and then helps us wholistically. Healing typically is not instant. Fortunately, during the healing process, we have LOTS of options to keep active with when covering our BASES. Over time, more often than not, we will come to feel much, much better. The time will pass by anyway, so why not incorporate your own special version of the BASES and live your best life as you go along!
Body therapies
- Exercise that is enjoyable and appropriately challenging for you
- The Mediterranean diet (or other plant-based eating)
- Natural supplements (such as multivitamins, turmeric, fish oil, probiotics, vitamin D)
- Dr. Tina Peers lists several anti-inflammatory supplements with dosage amounts that have helped many of her patients https://www.menopauseconsultancy.co.uk/self-help-long-covid
- Sleep prioritization
- Chiropractic care (see my low-force chiropractic methods on the Home page!), physical therapy, acupuncture, massage, assisted stretching, yoga
- Vagus nerve stimulation: diaphragmatic breathing, humming, singing, ear massage
- Modalities (such as heat, saunas, ice, cold plunges, TENS units, red light lasers, LifeWave patches, CBD oils/creams)
- Guidance from my book, Soft Health: A handbook for those who aren’t motivated by killer workouts and strict diets (home exercises, home stretches, the Mediterranean diet, health motivation tips, ways to manage emotions, explanations about treatments for pain)
Allopathic medicine
- Medications
- Injections
- Nerve blocks
- Surgery
- The book, It Doesn’t Have to Hurt: Your Smart Guide to a Pain-Free Life, by Sanjay Gupta, MD, explains a wide array of allopathic options as well as many natural options.
- Dr. Tina Peers has found correlations between Long Covid, mast cell activation, histamine intolerance, and chronic inflammation (which can amplify pain). The following website explains her work and includes media interviews with her https://www.drtinapeers.com/longcovid
Social support
- Family
- Friends
- Special interest groups
Emotional wellbeing
- Journaling, or verbally venting difficult emotions (with therapists or trusted confidants)
- The book, Mind Your Body: A Revolutionary Program to Release Chronic Pain and Anxiety, by Nicole J. Sachs, LCSW, describes a specific journaling style explained with research and case studies, for relieving pain. Be sure to follow this deep journaling style with a positive meditation; this is key.
- The book, Chronic Pain Reset: 30 Days of Activities, Practices, and Skills to Help You Thrive, by Afton L. Hassett, PsyD, gives research-backed techniques that enhance emotional wellbeing and calm pain pathways. She describes the neurology of chronic pain in plain language.
- Meditation and mindfulness
- Being in nature
- Interacting with animals (even simply viewing animals)
- Gratitude for what is going well
- Communicating your needs and boundaries respectfully to others
- Enjoying music
- Traveling afar and to local venues to appreciate museums, architecture, and natural wonders
- Fun with leisure activities such as games, and non-fiction, fiction, and comedic movies, shows, and books (Stanlin & Sylvia was my fictional fantasy, sci-fi escape!)
Spiritual practices/energetic balancing
- Religion
- Personal prayer
- Sound healing
- Reiki or other assisted energy-based treatments
For healing professionals that I know personally and recommend, click my Professional Colleagues tab from the menu at the top left corner of this webpage.
The BASES are adapted from: Penny Cowan and Christine Stamatos, DNP, ANP-C.
For more about Penny Cowan's American Chronic Pain Association: www.acpanow.com/#/
Christine Stamatos, DNP, ANP-C in an interview discussing chronic pain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90hHvVhTW5s
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