Understanding Pain

We have all experienced pain at some point in our lives, but while we may be able to explain the experience as best we can, we can never fully understand how pain feels for anyone else.  It is a very individual and subjective experience.  While pain begins as an electrical signal, as it travels to the brain it is influenced by a number of factors that turn that signal into a complex experience of mind and body. 

Acute vs Chronic Pain

Pain is initially triggered to tell the body something is not right.  For a recent injury, this acute pain tells us of potential damage, encourages rest, and drives us to seek help for healing.  This type of acute pain usually resolves as the body heals.  However, for nearly one in five people, this signal continues beyond the initial time of healing, causing chronic pain and ongoing disruption to life.

A Gut-Brain Link

There is now a strong understanding of how our gut health influences our mood and brain function.  So therefore, it also corresponds that our gut will influence our experience of pain through its influence on the brain.  

As the gut microbiome is responsible for producing a large amount of our serotonin and GABA, a healthy microbiome is important.  These neurotransmitters act as a handbrake on pain signals, so low levels can not only stop pain inhibition, they will also contribute to sleep disturbances, low mood and anxiety associated with chronic pain.

Both serotonin and GABA interact with the brain via the vagus nerve; the ‘Master Nerve’ that carries sensory information from many organs and the central abdomen.  It is our vagus nerve that is also responsible for the fight or flight response, and when it is overworked through chronic stress it can further influence our pain signalling.  

Furthermore, the microbiome in the gut has a great influence on the immune system, regulating inflammation that can turn acute pain into chronic pain if our inflammatory response is left un-checked.

Pain Management

There are a number of different pathways that we can target to naturally assist with managing chronic pain. 

Traditionally we might first go to herbs and nutrients that have anti-inflammatory properties to calm our immune system.  Turmeric or curcumin, along with Omega-3 fatty acids are useful in this area.  As both these options have interactions with some medications, Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is another option with minimal side effects that has shown to reduce pain in both acute and chronic pain conditions.

General support of the gut microbiome and gut integrity may also help to reduce pain through their influence on both neurological signalling and inflammatory pathways.  Probiotics with Lactobacillus strains have shown beneficial effects in pain associated with osteoarthritis and endometriosis.  Supplementing short chain fatty acids such as butyrate may also help to reduce inflammation and calm neural pathways for pain. 

As explained previously, neurotransmitters such as serotonin and GABA act as a handbrake in the brain for pain signalling.  Therefore, we can supplement with things like 5-HTP, vitamin B6 or magnesium to support levels of serotonin and GABA; particularly if you are experiencing a change in mood alongside pain symptoms.  5-HTP has shown to be particularly useful for fibromyalgic pain. Including light exercise, adequate sleep and stress management in your daily routine can also support healthy neurotransmitter levels.

If pain is interfering with sleep, this can create a cycle that exacerbates chronic pain.  Therefore pain management in terms of sleep assistance can help to break this cycle.  Think about supplementing in the evenings with magnesium, passionflower, tart cherry or L-Theanine to assist with sleep.

How Neuro Integration can help

As you can see, the nervous system is not only responsible for generation of pain, but also the regulation pain signals. By checking in directly with the nervous system, the latest protocols from Neurolink have some wonderful 'quick' fixes for pain signalling in different areas of the body, including the neck, lumbar spine, pelvis, legs, arms, shoulders, hands and feet. Clients have been getting wonderful results from these. This treatment can help reduce pain signals, and restore range of movement, particularly when there is not viral or parasitic infection affecting function. However, we will also check for these in your neuro integration appointment, to ensure latent viruses or parasites and their toxins are not affecting joints or muscles to result in poor recovery or ongoing pain. We will also be checking your vagus nerve function, along with the organs and brain regions involved in regulating your stress response to support healthy pain signalling.

Contact me today if you would like to find out more and come see me for an initial appointment to explore ways to reduce your pain naturally, by tuning in to the body's own signals.