Triple threat

Todays triple threat is chronic pain, chronic fatigue and depression.

Each can present by itself, but invariably where one is the others follow. In the US alone 20 percent of the adult population suffers from chronic pain and 30 percent of those are over 45 years of age. Chronic pain can be caused by any number of ailments such as Rhuematoid Arthritis, Transmandibular Joint Dysfunction, brain injuries, or even a car wreck or sports injuries.

The number one treatment for each of these has always been medication, in some cases surgery and medication. More often than not after surgery when the drugs wear off the pain is still there. But there is a pill for that.

Pain is exhausting physically and mentally and although chronic fatigue is generally considered to be caused by unknown pathologies it is without a doubt debilitating. The human body can only go without quality sleep for so long. But there are sleeping pills for that. So when you hurt all the time you don't sleep, you don't work well, relationships are strained, depression sets in. Depression is when the body wears down and the mind is too tired to deal with anything and everything. There are anti depressants for that!

The pattern for modern medicine has been medicate, medicate, medicate. The problem with that is it's a bandaid; temporary fix without digging deeper to find the underlying cause. All medications work but at a price they each have side effects and attack other organs such as your liver – the liver cleans and detoxifies your body but when it is constantly being attacked with medication, it too becomes overworked.

The good news is, in recent years, studies have revealed that managing pain through exercise and physical or massage therapy can improve the individuals quality of life.

Exercise increases the individuals awareness of what increases or decreases pain, and where it emanates from. This in turn enables the therapist to pinpoint and address specific issues. Although it is not a cure, it can reduce stress, improve circulation, blood pressure, sleep and over all well being.