By Carl Weber
Pain: friend or foe?
I can see the look on your faces. You probably think I’ve lost it. How can pain be good?
But think about it. What did pain teach you as a child? To not put your hands on the stove, jump from a height or kick hard objects.
Then as you grew older, pain and its equally important sibling discomfort taught you what was good and bad for your body and what your limits were physically, chemically (coffee, alcohol, food types), emotionally (this person isn’t going to be my friend) or spiritually (this way of living doesn’t fit my burgeoning world view).
Pain and discomfort were your instructors. They contributed survival value if you listened. Guess what? Nothing has changed. They still serve to tell you what isn’t right yet. And as your instructors, pain and discomfort are not meant to be turned off, but rather respected.
The restoration of true health versus just the cessation of pain has more to do with the discovery and the correction of the cause of the problem and not just the use of drugs and surgery to cover up symptoms and fool your body. I tell people as they begin chiropractic care that moving the spine and awakening their nervous system will not revolve around just the antiquated attempt to make them feel better. Rather, as a result of holding their adjustment, their body will repair itself and the side effect of that healing will include feeling better over time.
For me, there is nothing more profound than watching people’s nervous systems readdress their past injuries, their past lung, stomach, intestinal, menstrual difficulties as they begin chiropractic care. We call it retracing. After all, healing is really just getting sick in reverse.
As your nerves send more healthful messages to each of your muscles, organs and immune system, you may even experience minor flu-like symptoms as your body begins to detoxify. The degree of discomfort depends on how beat up your spine is, how turned off your nervous system is and as a result of those two factors how much disease your body created before you began chiropractic care.
Along your healing path, this discomfort will be your guide as to which bodily parts have been neglected and which parts of your health need work.
Pain and discomfort. Much more friend than foe.
Aloha and Peace
