Good advice. A good chiropractor is one that puts his hands on you and does the manipulations. Chiro means hand practior means movement or manipulation which is based on manual which also means hand.
The chiropractor can move your spine to take pressure off the nerves. You still need strengthening exercises to stabilize the bones and keep them from moving back. If you don’t strengthen your back, the bones keep moving and you get “addicted” to the chiropractor
To me, a bad chiropractor is one that does not manipulate your spine hooks you up to machines and does a lot of clicking to convince you it’s working but it’s just draining your wallet
Chronic pain is a full time job, not just for the doctor, but for the patient as well. It takes work to fix. The work can be frustrating but has to be done
Another overlooked aspect of chronic pain is the role the brain plays. Patients don’t like to hear this because they get offended. They will resist and say my pain is real, it’s not in my head. You think I am crazy. No I don’t. I know you are suffering
Think of your brain as a muscle. What you think about will make that part of your brain stronger. If all you think about is woe is me, I am in pain. You will become sad and in pain all the time, you will hate doctors and medications and say nothing works. If all a person thinks about is pain, the brain gives you pain.
Instead, develop a hobby, read a book, get out in the sun, talk to others, get your mind off the pain and you will see it becomes more manageable.
Scripture even tells you to do this, which convinces me of the truth of God’s existence and the truth of the Catholic faith. We cannot earn salvation but when we are born again, we are called to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, deny ourselves and mortify the deeds of the flesh.
Philippians 4
6 Be nothing solicitous; but in every thing, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
8 For the rest, brethren,
whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever modest, whatsoever just,
whatsoever holy,
whatsoever lovely, whatsoever of good fame, if there be any virtue, if any praise of discipline, think on these things.
9 The things which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, these do ye, and the God of peace shall be with you.
If all we think about is sin and our inability to overcome it, then we are stuck in sin. If we take our minds off of ourselves and our sin and focus on Christ and His righteousness, He has promised to give us the power to overcome sin. We just have to believe Him
Apocolypse (Revelation) 21
6 And he said to me: It is done. I am Alpha and Omega; the beginning and the end. To him that thirsteth, I will give of the fountain of the water of life, freely.
7 He that shall overcome shall possess these things, and I will be his God; and he shall be my son.
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, they shall have their portion in the pool burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
Paul tells us to not listen to people that say sin is too strong and penance is no good. Prayer focuses our mind on God and penance helps to learn horror of sin. How we think is how we are. It’s true for chronic pain and it is true to our Christian faith. That is why I am Catholic, because the faith trains me in righteousness and does not allow me to give up on my sin. I can overcome by the grace of God.
Romans
1 I BESEECH you therefore, brethren, by the mercy of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing unto God, your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world; but be reformed in the newness of your mind, that you may prove what is the good, and the acceptable, and the perfect will of God.
God gives us power to follow Him when we ask. As it says in John 1
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, he gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in his name.
Paul warns us to beware those that deny this power.
2 Timothy 3
:
5 Having an appearance indeed of godliness, but denying the power thereof. Now these avoid
In chronic pain, we have to avoid the doom and gloom thinking or else we will be sad and in pain the whole time. If we focus our minds on other things, the pain will get smaller. You may realize oh I was having so much fun, I forgot I was in pain
Jesus calls us to come and walk on the water. We can focus on ourselves and the wind and the waves and we will sink. The wind and the waves are our sin and temptation. If we hang around people that tell us our sin is too strong for us, guess what? Instead of overcoming, we will be overcome by sin.
Life is full of scoffers and nay sayers, both in chronic pain and in Christianity. The Catholic Church gives so many graces in the sacraments and follows the biblical command to train in righteousness, I cannot listen to the scoffers any longer. God loves all His children and He offers His salvation to everyone.
We overcome chronic pain by practice, and we overcome sin in the same way. If you don’t want to believe me, there is nothing I can do for you as a doctor or a Christian.
Sorry for the tangential thoughts, but my 15 yrs of treating chronic pain has taught me so much about my faith
Forgive me and peace be with you
