Understanding Medical Trauma: The Hidden Impact of Surgery   Is Surgery Considered Medical Trauma? For many individuals, the smell of bleach, the site of a medical appointment on the calendar, an image of a doctor, or seeing a hospital can trigger severe anxiety and panic. These reactions often stem from what is known as medical trauma.   What is Medical Trauma?   Medical trauma refers to the psychological distress and emotional upheaval experienced by individuals who feel ov

Approximately 80% of people experience neck pain during their lifetime, and 20% to 50% deal with it annually, according to Dr. Frank Pedlow, an orthopedic spine surgeon at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. But there are some things we can do to reduce and even prevent neck pain and headaches. 1. Perform Thoracic Mobility Movements. What does your trunk have to do with your neck? The thoracic spine consists of 12 vertebrae located between the neck and low back

From my healing journey, I learned that in order for me to fully heal from chronic pain, I had to let go of who I thought I needed to be and instead, relax into the inner landscape of myself with awareness, compassion, and non-judgment. This process I call surrendering to one's Self.   Often we allow our self-concept to bake with ingredients of judgments from ourselves, others, memories, perceptions, and thoughts based on past experiences. These ingredients cloud our ability

Today, I watched a fly on the window, trying to find freedom as it jumped around looking at the world on the other side. I opened the window so it could be free, but instinctually, it flew away. I left the window open, backed away, and watched. It took several times leaping from window to window until finally the fly found the open window and set itself free. Having long covid or another chronic illness sometimes feels like being trapped like the fly, looking out to the worl

I am often asked, “What helped you to get better, to overcome pain?” There are many things from a healthy diet, yoga, stretching and exercising, to certain medical treatments like prolotherapy. Those helped me physically. What helped me emotionally cope with chronic pain, and still does, all started many years ago at an event that taught me about the power of our perceptions. I almost did not attend because I knew that one hour of laying on the floor instead of my

The warmth from a heating pad is a wonderful way for pain relief and muscle relaxation, to open blood vessels and increase oxygen flow, to self-regulate into relaxation, to relieve cramps, and to warm up on cold nights. I used to put a heating pad on my lap when I worked at the computer or in bed with me at night to help raise my body temperature and fall asleep faster. Warm vs. Moist Heat. What's the Difference? I am bias to moist heat. Why? Because it penetrates muscles mo

Does your back feel painfully taut with limited mobility, or do you have aching and burning pain in your groin or front thigh? This could be

What does it mean to accept living with chronic pain? And forever? How do people do that? Should they? I struggled with these questions for

Let’s be blunt. #Pain sucks. It really sucks. It interferes with every aspect of a person’s life, and it affects others around us. So, what is pain?  Our body has “danger detectors” called nociceptors that send messages through nerve roots to the spinal cord, which, in turn, decides to send or not send messages, or to alter and not send all messages to the brain. The brain reads and processes these messages, compares it with our emotions, thoughts, expectations, beliefs, memo