Mindbody Relaxation and Chronic Pain Relief
There are two components to pain. When you're physically hurt, you experience both physical and psychological pain. The psychological component of pain is the fear or anticipation of more pain. In many cases, the psychological component of pain and its associated tension cause more discomfort than the actual physical pain.(1)
Mindbody relaxation has been medically proven to relieve pain by reducing both the physical and psychological components of pain.(2)
Chronic Pain
Mindbody relaxation relieves chronic pain. One pain study looked at 180 chronic pain patients. They all received standard medical treatment but one-half of the group also received a ten-week course in mindbody relaxation. The results were dramatic. Almost immediately, the relaxation group started to need less pain medication. After fifteen months, they had significantly less pain. Not only did the relaxation group suffer less pain, but because they had less pain they also suffered less from depression and anxiety than the non-relaxation group.(3)
Low Back Pain
Mindbody relaxation reduces the pain and disability of chronic low-back pain. One study looked at thirty-six patients with chronic low-back pain. They were randomly divided into two groups. One group received intensive physical therapy, while the other received an eight-week course in mindbody relaxation without any physical therapy. Both groups were followed for six months. At the end of the six months, the relaxation group had significantly improved. Their mobility and lack of pain were similar to the group that received intensive physical therapy, even though the relaxation group received no physical therapy.(4)
Fibromyalgia
Mindbody relaxation reduces the symptoms of fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a chronic illness that is characterized by pain, fatigue, and sleep disturbance, and sometimes occurs together with chronic fatigue syndrome. Fibromyalgia has traditionally been difficult to treat because those symptoms set up a cycle where one symptom triggers the others, and all have to be treated simultaneously, otherwise the patient will make little progress. One study looked at seventy-seven fibromyalgia patients and treated them with a ten-week course in mindbody relaxation. Amazingly, 51 percent of the patients experienced moderate to marked improvement in their symptoms.(5) That is virtually unheard of in most treatments of fibromyalgia.
Pain Management
Mindbody relaxation can help treat cancer pain. A large-scale study that reviewed the results of twenty-eight pain studies concluded that mindbody relaxation is an effective supplement to conventional medicine for the treatment of the following kinds of pain:(6)
- Headaches
- Chronic low back pain
- Cancer pain symptoms
Learn More
In Chapter 21, "Relieve Physical Pain" you'll learn:
- How tension causes pain and creates a pain cycle
- How mindbody relaxation reduces the physical and psychological component
- A specific technique to relieve headaches and migraines
- How mindbody relaxation helps you heal quickly after some injuries or accidents
You'll also learn:
- The underlying causes of tension in greater detail
- A simple but effective relaxation technique to let go of tension and change your life
- The key to relaxing your body and mind
- Simple breathing techniques that will help you let go of tension quickly
- How to stay focused and deal with distractions
- How and why relaxation works
- The science and psychology behind relaxation
- How relaxation feels
- Answers to frequently asked questions about relaxation and meditation
- Hints to help you overcome common obstacles
- A one-month relaxation program that will help you integrate relaxation into your life
- How to reduce anxiety and improve your sleep.
Learn about Pain management, Pain relief, Natural pain relief, and Chronic pain management. Learn how relaxation methods help Low back pain, Lower back pain, and Chronic low back pain. Natural pain management and Chronic pain treatment are included. Learn about Fibromyalgia symptoms and Fibromyalgia chronic fatigue along with Fibromyalgia help and Fibromyalgia pain relief. Relaxation techniques for Headache relief, Tension headache, and Headache treatment are discussed. Treatment for migraine, Remedies for headache, Migraine pain relief, and Causes of headache are included. Learn about Causes of lower back pain, Low back pain relief, Low back pain management, along with Fibromyalgia treatment and Chronic pain relief. Cancer pain relief, Cancer pain reduction, and Cancer pain management are discussed. Learn about Low back pain treatment, Headache, Headache causes, Migraine headache, and Migraine headache treatment. Read how Mindbody Relaxation can improve your life from the book, Make Room for Happiness by Dr. Steven M. Melemis.