Nutrition as Medicine for Pain

A few months ago I had the pleasure attending the Center of Integrative Medicine Health & Wellness Conference. This was right up my alley so I was as giddy as a little school girl to sit there and listen to these experts from all over the country speak about health and overall well being and how we can come together to make our society healthier and more aware of our bodies.

I learned so much, but more importantly was reaffirmed at all of the wonderful things I have learned over the years just by paying attention to my own body and listening to my children. There is so much that our own bodies are telling us that we don't listen to. Our bodies are amazing creatures - they were built to heal themselves for the most part, but there is the sensation of pain and discomfort to tell us when something might be more seriously wrong. We are in charge of how we take care of our body- it is our choice as to how we fuel and nourish it.

One of the main takeaways I had from the conference was just that, Pain Management. I've been lucky enough in my life to never have to deal with pain on a level as some of the speakers (and/or their patients), but I've come to know it all to well with loved ones - past and present. It was so important for me to take in so much of what these doctors and speakers had to say b/c it can honestly change a life. Specifically, they spoke about Nutrition as Medicine for Pain which I felt was like hitting the nail on the head. So much of what I try to feed and nourish myself and my family with is a type of preventative medicine for any illness or disease that might come our way. Pain, itself, is a failure to heal. This failure, going on inside your body,  is not allowing yourself to heal and that pain is the signal for your brain to know that something is not right. Proper nutrition is a way to nourish your body and ultimately heal that pain.

One of the things our family tries to do daily is stay active - whether its staying on our feet, going for a family walk, hitting up the gym, playing at the park, etc. Although its important to rest your body, staying active is good for our overall health - mind, body & soul. The pain management expert at the conference left us with this when referring to pain management: "when in doubt, take a walk." He strongly believes, through all of his research that it is the best health benefit to anyone over any drug/supplement you can buy. Although this is his opinion, he seemed to have enough years under his belt to know this to be true. You've always heard your parents say, "get outside and get some fresh air"....now there really is some research to back that statement up. Being outside and going for a walk helps our bodies on many levels. It enables our minds to stay open, our oxygen levels to increase, our endorphins to start flowing, our muscles to move and improve, and ultimately lower our risk of health risks and diseases.

When dealing with pain, its nothing to ignore. Your body is giving you signals as to what is going on inside of you and through proper nutrition maybe you can just decrease that pain to a level you can manage while letting your body heal.

For more information on Food as Medicine for Pain:  http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20309924,00.html