Nothing like the sweet ring of \u201chave you tried yoga?\u201d in the ear of somebody with chronic pain. What these people miss is while yoga is great, it can\u2019t fix chronic pain.<\/p>\n
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Why? Because pain controls everything. It controls:<\/p>\n
-what I do<\/p>\n
\u2013 what I eat<\/p>\n
\u2013 when I sleep<\/p>\n
\u2013 my relationships<\/p>\n
\u2013 my energy levels<\/p>\n
\u2013 my weight<\/p>\n
-my appearance<\/p>\n
\u2013 my fun<\/p>\n
\u2013 my brain and intelligence<\/p>\n
\u2013 how I relax<\/p>\n
\u2013 and how much sleep I get<\/p>\n
Pain controls my very existence.<\/strong><\/p>\n But Chronic Mom, why aren\u2019t you thinking positively<\/a>? You need a better attitude!<\/p>\n Now don\u2019t sniff your essential oils, but positive thinking<\/a> doesn\u2019t make pain go away. It doesn\u2019t make doctors treat me like a human being, it doesn\u2019t make the known treatments<\/a> available to me, it doesn\u2019t make bone broth a magical cure, and it definitely does not pay my bills. It doesn\u2019t save me the hours and hours of work I have to put into lowering my pain levels enough to function. Do you have any idea how much time all these hot baths, yoga practices, and meditation woo take? Lowering pain levels is basically a full-time job, there\u2019s no time or energy to do anything else. You work and work to lower your pain levels, which is sometimes successful and most often not, then you go to bed and pray to whatever Being you believe in that the pain will let you sleep.<\/p>\n Positive thinking doesn’t make pain go away. It doesn’t make doctors treat me like a human being, it doesn’t make known treatments available (opioids), it doesn’t make bone broth a magical cure, and it definitely does not pay my bills. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Distraction<\/a> occasionally works during the day, but nighttime is another story. All the distractions are removed, and the pain creeps up on you. You try ignoring it, but the pain demands attention and care. It screams that something is wrong while you cover your ears and hope it slithers away, but it never does. It\u2019s always present as a reminder that there is no escape.*<\/p>\n As John Green says,<\/p>\n Pain demands to be felt<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Distraction from pain can work during the day, but nighttime is another story. All the distractions are removed, and the pain creeps up on you. You try ignoring it, but the pain demands attention. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Now don\u2019t choke on your kale, I love yoga and do it every single day. I find it very helpful in managing the stiffness in my body caused by untreated pain, but it\u2019s not magic. It\u2019s not \u201cTHE ONE THING THAT WILL MAKE YOUR PAIN GO AWAY FOREVER\u201d as the internet clickbait articles like pretending. Yoga for chronic pain does wonders for pain-locked muscles, but keep in mind that for every yoga pose that helps my pain, there is a pose that tried to kill me. And once my pain level is up<\/a>, yoga does nothing for my pain. Yoga instructors like to say they have routines for pain, but then they try to make you do some crazy shit that will leave you in agony for a week.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Yoga for chronic pain does wonders for pain-locked muscles, but once once my pain level is up, yoga does nothing for my pain. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Now don\u2019t gag on your dessert spinach shake, but despite what the fatphobic doctors say, being thin can\u2019t take the pain away. They\u2019ll tell you there\u2019s nothing wrong and you\u2019re just fat all the way to your Stage 5 cancer diagnosis. They\u2019ll completely ignore that you were skinny when you got sick, but all the terrible medications they give you to avoid opioids<\/a> make you gain weight.<\/p>\n Doctors: You can\u2019t take #opioids<\/a> for chronic #pain<\/a>, I\u2019m going to put you in antidepressants<\/p>\n Me: Takes antidepressants which cause weight gain.<\/p>\n Doctor: Your\u201dre in pain because your fat, if you would lose weight you wouldn\u2019t have any pain.<\/p>\n Me: Throws hands in the air<\/p>\n \u2014 Chronic Mom (@chronicmom1) April 17, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Gaining weight from these medications is a known side effect, but somehow the weight gain is all the patient\u2019s fault. Sorry I had an apple for breakfast doc. I won\u2019t do it again. (If you struggle with this issue I highly recommend the Maintenace Phase podcast).<\/a><\/p>\n Life is never boring when you live with chronic pain, that\u2019s for sure. Every person you\u2019ve ever met (and some you haven\u2019t) has an opinion about your health. Abled people, do not offer suggestions to disabled people and people in pain. We know what we\u2019re doing, probably more so than even our doctor.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n *As long as the politicians<\/a> have a say in pain care<\/p>\nAll the positive thinking in the world can\u2019t make chronic pain disappear<\/h3>\n
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All the yoga in the world can\u2019t make chronic pain disappear<\/h3>\n
Being thin can\u2019t make chronic pain disappear<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nLike this:<\/h3>\n