When you’re trying to rid yourself of chronic pain, it is not unusual to find yourself hoping, wishing, manifesting, praying… “I’ll try anything” is a pretty standard thought that runs through your head.
“Whatever it takes” is another thought – and sometimes those ‘whatevers’ can get a little crazy.
I’m sure we all have a story of the most outlandish thing we did to try to rid ourselves of our chronic pain… I drew the line at having a mouth-palate-massage (mainly because I have a trigger-happy gag reflex).
I came across a recent story in an Australian paper (here) that gave me the shivers. It was about the rising interest in Ozone Therapy to cure chronic health conditions. I won’t be creating a special post for it, because: it is not approved by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration; there are significant risks (including sepsis and death by embolism); and there appears to be limited science supporting the benefits of ozone being inserted into your body (through inhalation, injection, or having it blown up your woo hoo or put where the sun doesn’t shine).
The article spoke of clinics being shut down when it was discovered they were buying their “medical equipment” from a local hardware store or keeping it unhygienically next to the mayonnaise in the staff fridge.
The newspaper story refers to Cara (not her real name) walking into an ozone clinic and immediately “thinking something was amiss.” She goes on; “They put me on a bed and spun me upside down and were tapping random parts of my body”. She was then diagnosed as being ‘diseased’ in several locations, but was offered ozone therapy as a cure. She decided the clinic and the ‘doctor’ had a “dodgy vibe” (but I can’t tell whether she accepted or declined the $1,500 treatment option).
Another patient (Australia’s famous Blue Wiggle) spoke through his lawyer, noting that “Like many people facing complex health issues, he explored a range of options in good faith.”
Good faith.
Sometimes it’s all we have.
We’re not trained medical professionals, so we have to assume that the people who are offering us their services hold the required qualifications and will do right by us.
A while back, I did a post on Migraine Facts and Fiction summarizing a neurologist’s beliefs. Many of the “helpful” items on his list were actually a bit blurry in terms of whether they really did anything at all. Cola helps, for example, but not for everyone, and not if you drink too much… same again for coffee… whilst acupuncture was hit and miss and could actually exacerbate issues for some patients… same again for massage…
Many of my posts quote Wikipedia referring to “quackery” or “pseudo-science” – AND YET plenty of people find solace in alternative therapies such as: Rolfing and EFT Tapping (this last one I’m partial to).
Other posts I’ve written about for migraine relief definitely seem to be thin on the ground in terms of real success, including ear seeds and bathing in mustard.
But never say never I guess – unless it’s clearly unsafe, or your doctor says it’s a no-no because it might exacerbate other health issues.
[DISCLAIMER – remember I’m not a doctor – please don’t take health advice from blog posts or social media – always speak to medical professionals before making any alterations to your healthcare routine!]
Personally, I’ve discovered some treatments work better than others, BUT, because I often try so many different things at the same time, I’m never 100% sure what is and isn’t working…. was it the vitamin supplements this morning at breakfast or walking the dogs in fresh air that made today a good day? Was it starting Botox or the Hormone Replacement Therapy that really seemed to shift the pain levels downwards a year ago? Was it improving my hydration or creating a better sleep routine that has been the most useful preventative measure?
If I had to guess, it’s a little bit of everything that makes a difference; getting sick was a complicated slide from occasional to episodic to chronic, and so I’m not surprised that climbing back out of the pain-pit will rely on a diverse set of healing options too.
For me I’ve been jabbed and prodded and stretched and pulled and floated and and and…
Perhaps, it’s exactly because of the and, and, and, nature of chronic illness, that we are all a little bit exhausted and therefore susceptible to fall for gimmicks or fads or expensive (and uncomfortable) pseudo-science therapies… even the occasional outright scam.
I don’t regret the high cost I pay for specialist neurological advice or the one-on-one meditation session I had. I do, however, sigh slightly at the memory of the “buy-3-sessions-to-save” deal for the float tank which I found less than restful. I consider money spent on medications a must, but remain a little dubious about the high price of vitamins and supplements…
Although I really am a take-action sort of person, there are still plenty of times when hoping, wishing, praying, manifesting, and dreaming, is not totally out of order… so long as energies are directed towards the right goal.
That’s why this meme made me laugh so hard I choked on my morning half-cup-of-coffee:
[Image source: Oops – Meme Guy: text reads: “For years, an elderly Brazilian woman prayed to what she thought was a figurine of St. Anthony, until she found out it was actually a figure of Elrond from the Lord of the Rings.”]
Messy post – sorry (it’s week-end) but what I want to say is:
Keep trying to find options that minimize your pain and increase your joy – just be careful to do your research first so that your resources (time, money, energy, hope) are being funneled towards the greatest potential success in the best possible way.
Take care taking care, and (at the risk of sounding cheekily-disrespectful) may the glory of Elrond be with you, always, Linda xx
The Mindful Migraine 
Leave a comment