Pain Signals and the Hidden Costs of Medication

This episode emphasizes the importance of the mind-body connection and discusses the role medications can play in distancing us from this awareness. It offers practical strategies for maintaining self-care during the holiday season, encouraging listeners to reconnect with their bodies and prioritize their well-being amidst stress and chaos.
• Exploring the impact of medication on the mind-body connection
• Understanding the interwoven relationship between thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations
• The importance of self-awareness in pain management and healing
• Navigating holiday stress and its effect on emotional well-being
• Tips for maintaining balance and self-care during the festive season
• Advocating for open dialogue about emotions during challenging times
• Encouragement to embrace mindfulness practices for holistic wellness
• Healing as a journey of reconnecting with oneself

Suki Baxter Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1HCG3BGK8I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnV3Q2xIb1U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeokFxnhGQo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwMDu6CEj9k


Podcast Disclaimer:

The Pain-Free Podcast is presented solely for general information, education, and entertainment purposes. Any information presented in this podcast is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional diagnosis. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast or website is at the user’s own risk. As always, users should not disregard or delay obtaining medical advice for any medical or mental health condition that they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions.

Chapters

• 0:05 Mind-Body Connection and Pain Management
• 10:28 Holiday Self-Care and Mindfulness

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:05

Welcome to the Pain-Free Athlete Podcast. I'm your host, dana Jones. I am a certified personal trainer and I'm here to help you achieve your fitness goals without pain. In each episode, I'll share tips and strategies that will help you stay safe and pain-free while you're working out. I'll also interview experts in the field of fitness and pain management. So if you're ready to learn how to stay active and pain-free, then subscribe to the Pain-Free Athlete Podcast today. Hi everyone and welcome to the Pain-Free Athlete Podcast. I'm your host, dana Jones.

Speaker 1: 0:39

Today we're going to dive into a topic that has had a profound impact on my healing journey the mind-body connection and I'm going to talk a little bit about, like, how medication sometimes interferes with that connection and, with the holidays coming up, I want to explore how chaos and stress of this time of year can disrupt it even further. So hopefully, you'll feel empowered and reconnected to your body, at least with a few tips that I am going to share with you. So how did we get here? So I've been interviewing or pre-interviewing people for the new year and I was speaking to one person and, all of a sudden, I had this realization that I thought I was taking drugs to take away the pain or, you know, mask the constant murmur, you know, or like nudging, that was happening in the back of my brain. But what I really what I realized was that the drugs were actually separating my mind from my body and that I think that's what I was shooting for, right, because I didn't want that connection to kind of be there. And you know, it was an interesting realization. You know it was an interesting realization and so I kind of want to go into, like, why is it important to have a mind-body connection? And you know, kind of, I guess, a little bit deeper into what I was, you know, thinking, feeling, deciding, all those good things, anyway, all right.

Speaker 1: 2:19

So for those of you who don't know, the mind-body connection is our way that our thoughts, emotions and physical sensations are interwoven, right, this is just basic science, right? Our brain and body are constantly communicating through our nervous system, through hormones and even through the gut-brain axis, right, which is like I talked about in the last episode. You know, our gut is our second brain and so when those things get affected, then everything else kind of goes to shit. When we're happy, we feel light and energized and ready to go. When you're stressed, you feel like the world is on top of you and you have this tension that you just can't release, no matter what you do.

Speaker 1: 3:07

For years I just ignored this connection. I kind of thought of my body as a separate entity, and you know, of course, what got pushed aside was also the emotional piece, right, it's like. So, you know, if you go back to the mind-body connection being thoughts, emotions and physical sensations, it's like, you know, taking drugs was trying to get rid of the physical sensations Me not acknowledging my emotions was taking that apart. So all you're left with is your thoughts, and that's kind of a dangerous place to be. But you know, yeah, going to basics, right, medication has a place, and that is not the core fight that I have going on. Do I feel that it's misused and misplaced in certain areas? For sure, but I don't want to be known as a basher of the medications that are life-saving or even brain calming for those of you who take, you know, antidepressants and stuff like that. That is not what this is about For me. I was, you know, I don't know probably dancing on the line of misusing migraine medication, and that is something that, you know, just turned into this ugly cycle, right, is that I just wanted to quiet the murmur, the pain, all that kind of stuff. And then my physical body was like, oh, we like this, or we're using this, and then became kind of addicted, and not an addicted like, oh, I'm fiending for my you know migraine medication, but gave me rebound headaches as a result of that kind of you know, you're good for a little bit and then all of a sudden you need it again and you know, the time periods get shorter and shorter while you need that medication.

Speaker 1: 5:00

So, but I think the biggest thing that I found was that not only did the medication dull my pain, but it also dulled my ability to understand how I got there in the first place. It's kind of like when you're driving in your car and the little light is flashing right the warning light, and I don't even know how many people ignore it, but it's kind of the same thing, right. It's like oh well, I don't want to look at it because it's going to agitate me, so I'll just put some tape over it so that I don't have to, you know, notice that it's there, right? So the issue doesn't go anywhere. I just don't acknowledge that it's there until, of course, something happens where your body slams you and says you know what, let's make sure you get the message loud and clear. Here you go, bam, that's it. You know as well as your car, you know. Eventually, if it doesn't have oil or one of those things, something breaks and it gets your attention in a very expensive way.

Speaker 1: 5:57

So once I realized that medication was only working for brief moments right, it wasn't, you know, wasn't like, oh, I took a pill and I felt great for a few days. It was probably at the height of it. It was probably only like a few hours of relief that I was experiencing. But I also, you know, I was at home. Literally I was not present in my body and I can't remember what brought me to it. But eventually I just decided that I needed to get off these medications. And I think it was probably more of the physical sensations that I had acquired taking these medications that I didn't want and they made me incredibly uncomfortable. They were messing with my head and you know to the point where and I don't know if anybody's ever experienced this some of the drugs like I would turn my head to get out of the driveway while I was driving my car and I would turn my head to look over my shoulder and I'd have to wait a minute for my eyes to catch up to my brain, or vice versa. That's the kind of physical sensations that I was having that was worse than the pain, because that kind of stuff affects you everywhere.

Speaker 1: 7:10

So I started researching how to titrate or get myself off these medications in a safe manner, and I did it, and it was not pretty I mean, I did the right thing in terms of how long it took me. You know, I think normally if you go to the doctor, they're like, oh, three weeks, you should clear your system, and you know people forget. Like neurons get rerouted, like things happen when you start taking medications and when you come off them, your body has to readjust or adjust to the new way things are going to get done, and so I took my time. It took me probably about six months to get off of everything, and so that gave me the opportunity to start looking at my emotions and I really started, you know, getting into mindfulness. Right, I found my app that does meditation and I don't. I didn't really. I think I found her name, suki Baxter, who does somatics and vagus nerve release, and that was a big one for me because, um, not only did that take away, um, my fear of painful sensations, it also took away all the things that accompanied the fear, which was nausea and, you know, head spinning and you know all that kind of stuff. So, um, yeah, look her up on youtube. She's pretty awesome, um. But anyway, but I was able to get it together and, slowly but surely, I've been, you know, reacquainting myself with my body and, you know, is it perfect? No, not at all. There are times that I don't want to acknowledge that I'm pissed off, hurt, you know, sad, whatever it may be, but I'm working through that and I know that now I have a strong base to go to and that I can come back and I have these tools now that are in my toolbox.

Speaker 1: 9:12

Now we're in December in the United States and it's the holidays, so let's talk about the holidays, right? So for a lot of people, it's a time of joy, but it's also a time of high stress. There's pressure of gift giving, you know, family gatherings, to-do lists, and for some of us, you know, there's even grief that we experience this year, and a lot of it is just, you know, somebody may not be with you, whatever it may be, and that kind of stress can kind of I guess for lack of a better term pull you out of alignment and I don't know. There's just all kinds of weird pressures and I think it's weird shit we do to ourselves. Right, you know we have this holiday that's based on all these treats and cookies and all this other stuff, but then there's this weird feeling of like either we have to abstain from that or you have to overindulge in it. There is no like middle ground of like, oh, I'll just have a cookie and walk away. It's like because there's cookies everywhere and no other time of year is it really like that? Maybe Halloween, right, there's candy everywhere during Halloween, but there's like cookies and there's this and there's pies and all the things.

Speaker 1: 10:28

So, you know, a lot of times we do stupid shit and we overeat and then we feel guilty about it and whatever. So, you know, I guess the biggest thing is that you need to figure out how to listen to your body above the noise of the pressure of the holiday, and I don't know how you would do that, but I'm hoping that I can give you a couple of tips. So one it's like you know I love breathing right, we all do it. But I think that there's a value in, you know, whatever it may be, whether it's square breathing or Wim Hof breathing whatever it may be like, taking a few minutes just to do those types of things where you're that, you know forced hyperventilation and then the breath hold right. That will knock you right out of any stress that you're feeling and I absolutely love it. So that's. You know one thing that you can do.

Speaker 1: 11:27

So during that time, you can pause and reflect, right. Like, how are you feeling today? What do you need? You know, it may just be a glass of water, it may be a breath break, it may be, you know, anything else that brings you some kind of calmness. Number two don't forget to set boundaries right. Say no, right. Don't sit there and make sure that your calendar is as full as it could possibly be, because that's only going to stress you out and it's okay to prioritize your well-being. So if you want to snuggle down, you know, with a cup of hot cocoa, watching netflix, uh, in your jammies for a day, then damn it go. Do that right. Take care of yourself if that's going to make you feel good.

Speaker 1: 12:09

I'm always a fan of moving, you know, go take the dog for a walk, do some light yoga stretch, you know, whatever it takes for you to just. You know, movement and your brain seem to like that, right, it's something that we just enjoy. It's like that connection. And yoga is a good way to do it as well, as you know, maybe lifting weights and you know. But sometimes the gyms are kind of crazy because people get stupid during the holidays because then they decide they're gonna, like, go there and lose a bunch of weight or do crazy stuff. It's always so weird. Anyway, sorry, off track.

Speaker 1: 12:45

Fourth, right, go ahead and make sure that you eat properly and check in with your body, right, don't be distracted while you're eating, because that's when you have that opportunity to overeat, right? So be mindful about what you're putting between your lips and, um, you know, have little checks of, like you know, am I feeling too full? Did I not eat enough? Am I eating because I'm stressed out because I didn't get the right gift? Like you know, am I feeling too full? Did I not eat enough? Am I eating because I'm stressed out, because I didn't get the right gift? And you know that kind of stuff. Like, think about how you're eating. So a little bit of a slow down and be mindful about it.

Speaker 1: 13:18

And the last thing if this is a super shitty time of year for you, then find somebody that you could talk to, find somebody that you could trust, reconnect with your therapist, whatever it may be, but expressing yourself or expressing your sadness or your fears or whatever it may be, is probably the healthiest thing that you can do at any time, and especially around this time of year. And you know people are going through it, everybody's going through it, everybody's going through something. And so I imagine, hopefully, that you have your people with you that you feel safe enough to share your difficult emotions with, and so that it allows you to move through right, because the process is not past, it's through. So I have gone back to my journaling and I find that it's a way for me to just be all the things pissed off, you know, happy, frustrated, whatever it may be and just write those things out and again it's just a few minutes and rage on the page. And then don't forget to do a little meditation, like a nice little, you know, gentle, kind of happy meditation afterward, just so that you don't carry whatever frustration you just put on the page and be like me and get rid of that shit, right? We don't, you know, hopefully you don't save your dirty tissues and look at them and keep checking back, all right. So same thing with your journal. Like write it out, burn that shit, shred it, do whatever you need to do. Um, it's, it's a tool, so it's not something that you need to hold on and keep referring back to. So just know that there are tools that are out there for you. Take the time to use them, don't get caught up in the craziness, and just, you know, remember, I guess always come back to yourself.

Speaker 1: 15:18

So anyway, that's all I got for you today. If you're in the US and anywhere else, who suffers, party and slip celebrates the holidays. Thank you so much. And you know, merry christmas, happy holidays, uh, happy hanukkah, kwanzaa. I mean, we got all kinds of stuff happening this, and it seems to be hitting all at the same time. Um, but anyway, thank you so much for joining me today. And remember that healing is not just about fixing what's broken. It's about reconnecting with yourself, and I really challenge you all to kind of slow down, listen to your body and nurture your mind-body connection, because that is all about you and I want a healthy you. So if you found this episode helpful, please make sure that you share it with somebody who you think will benefit. Don't forget to subscribe. You can shoot me an email if you got questions or you want to comment, and until next time I will catch you later.