Millions of people suffer from pain, be it neck pain, lower back pain, leg pain or reoccurring headaches. Billions of dollars are spent on pain relief. Yet, those who suffer from pain don’t take the first and most important step. Like me, they are in a hurry to get relief and try this and that. And, like I did find most cures at best bring only temporary relief.
Picture this for a moment, you suddenly become aware of a pain in your right foot, it starts out as a sharp pain at first, then turns into a burning pain and begins to ache and throb.
You could take an over the counter painkiller (a first choice for many), or you could have a steroid injection or something similar.
You could even try the latest hyped guru recommended treatment. But the results would invariably be the same. The pain would simply return and the condition would only worsen.
Why would this be the case?
The underlying cause has NOT been dealt with.
The cause could easily have been a sharp pebble in your shoe. Remove the cause (in this case mechanical) and the pain will soon disappear.
Unfortunately, not all underlying causes are this easily discovered. Most pain conditions will require expertise and the right instruments to discover what is really going on and the cause behind the pain.
The single most important step is to find out the underlying cause of the pain. Yet, this often is the most overlooked step or skipped step, often because we may not know who to turn to for help in finding out what that underlying cause maybe.
Who should you turn to in order to uncover the underlying cause of pain? This is where I ran into trouble. Here’s what I did. I found an open-minded healthcare professional using the following as my guide.
1) First, select someone who is recommended by someone whose judgment you can trust. A friend, even a family member that has or is suffering from the same or similar pain.
2) Make sure the healthcare professional is licensed to practice in your province or he or she is not licensed, this is a serious red flag.
3) Make sure the individual is part of a recognized board or professional body that oversees the healthcare profession in your province or state. A regulatory association of that particular healthcare profession.
4) Is the individual willing to work with other physicians as part of your medical team.
5) Uses diagnostic tools such as ultrasound, x-rays and para-spinal digital infrared imaging.
6) Is open to holistic preventative care and counsel, and can provide at least provide some council in this regard, or is willing to recommend some one that can.
7) Doesn’t claim that his or her specialty will cure an alphabet soup of medical conditions.
This is a serious red flag.
The single most important take-away from this short article is: Make sure you have found the underlying cause of the pain before starting any course of treatment.
Taking this single most important step and reviewing everything I was told helped me overcome not only pain but also a life threatening illness.
