Parents, Don’t Let Your Daughters Suffer With The Wait & See Approach For Period Pain

Posted on November 27, 2019November 27, 2019 by Andrew Orr

One of the things I find myself saying to parents often is “Please don’t let your daughter suffer with the wait and see approach for period pain.”

The reason I often say this is because daily I get messages from parents, mainly mothers, asking if they should wait and see if their daughters pain (and other symptoms) is miraculously going to go away. Many of these young girls have been putting up with pain for months, or longer, and still many parents are using the “wait and see” approach.

Many of these messages often start with the story that their daughter is laying on the bathroom floor in excruciating pain. The stories usually add in that their daughters may also have symptoms of nausea, headaches, vomiting and even stories of these poor young girls passing out with pain.

Then there is the usual response of “I used to get period pain and associated symptoms like this and I just had to learn to live with it”

Then comes the question I always hear so often- “Do you think I should wait and see if this just goes away, or do you think I should take her to someone to have her checked out?”

I often have to bite my tongue when responding to questions and stories such as this. If my daughter was laying on a bathroom floor each month, and in excruciating pain, there is no way I would be waiting and seeing if her pain is going to miraculously disappear. The first time she had pain, I would be off doing something about it, and I would not be taking no for an answer.

Many parents suffered period pain themselves

There is always several ways to look at this and why I always offer an empathic response. Many parents were in pain themselves and went through similar experiences. Many of these same parents were told to suck it up and that this is what a woman has to put up with each month. So to them, this is reality. This is their norm. They suffered, so it is natural for them to believe that their daughter just has to wait and see and suffer it out too.

But, as I say to these parents, these symptoms that your daughter is experiencing are not normal. Period pain and all the other terrible associated symptoms are not normal. No woman, young or older, should have to put up with excruciating pains related to her cycle, or an undiagnosed gynaecological condition.

I then go on to explain that I have daughters and that there is no way I would wait and see, before getting help. I also explain that on a health perspective, there are many dangers in letting a young woman suffer such a horrible experience.

The cause of period pain could affect future fertility

I often have to explain the implications of leaving a disease and not intervening early enough. The explanation of by not getting early intervention could mean that they may not ever have grand children, is usually enough to spur many a mother into prompt action. But, it should not have to take these words to prompt someone into action.

Gynaecological conditions cause period pain

The facts are clear now. There is enough education out there. The simple fact is that period pain (and associated symptoms) is not normal and this usually means that there is an undiagnosed gynaecological condition causing the issue. One of the most common causes being endometriosis, or adenomyosis, or both combined. There could be other facts such as pelvic congestion syndrome, or worst still, though rare, there could be something more sinister such as cancer.

Sexually Transmitted Infections

The other thing that parents may not like to admit is that their daughter may actually be having sex and has a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI). I often have parents interject when asking if a teenager is sexually active. Many a parent answer “No” on the teenagers behalf, only to then learn that their little girl is having sex.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STI’s) can cause permanent damage to reproductive organs and future fertility if not treated early enough. The reality is that many young girls, and boys, are having sex at a very young age, regardless of what parents may believe. Parents do need to open to the possibility that their child’s pain could in fact be related to being sexually active.

The things parents need to know

The things I am trying to educate all parents on are the following:

No matter what anyone tell you, health professional included, ‘period pain is not normal’
Please do not use the wait and see approach when your daughter is in pain, and has been for months.
Women do not needlessly need to put up with pain each month.
Early intervention is the key to treating and managing any disease or health issue
Teenagers are not too young to have endometriosis, or other gynaecological issues.
Many gynaecological issues are hereditary, so if a parent had period pain, or a diagnosed gynaecological issue, then there is a good chance their daughter will have the same.
Parents should not feel guilty, or blame themselves for passing on hereditary issues. All of us have faulty genes.
Regardless of upbringing, or moral stances, teenagers are having sex earlier these days
Teenagers can have sexually transmitted diseases
The earlier intervention is enacted and proper treatment and health management administered, the better the future fertility and health outcomes are for young woman.
Without early intervention, some parents may never become grandparents.
General practitioners are no gynaecologists, so please make sure you get referred onto a proper specialist. If not, find another GP.
If you don’t get help with the first healthcare practitioner you see, please remember the value or a second, or tenth opinion.

I do get that many parent’s have been led to believe that period pain, and other associated symptoms are just part of live and something that I woman just has to put up with. I am sorry for those that were told this and then have put up with this when they didn’t have to.

Period pain is not normal

Please know that you daughter does not need to put up with these symptoms. Period pain is not normal and early intervention is the key to help your daughter live a happy and pain free life. It could really also help save her from the heartache many women have to live with daily. It could also help with her being able to have children of her own.

Do not use the wait and see approach for period pain

Never use the wait and see approach when it comes to period pain and the other associated menstrual symptoms. You daughter will thank you one day and I am sure her children will thank you too. Lead by example so that your daughter can lead by example to daughter, or daughters too.

Final word

If you do need help with your daughters period pain, and other associated symptoms, please give my friendly staff a call and find out how I may be able to help. There are in person and online consultation available. Conditions may apply with online consultations. My staff will explain all this to you when you make your enquiry, or book a consultation.

Regards

Andrew Orr

-No Stone Left Unturned

-Master of Women’s Health Medicine

-The Women’s Health Experts

Let’s Talk About Pelvic Congestion Syndrome

Posted on November 13, 2019November 13, 2019 by Andrew Orr

Millions of women world-wide suffer from chronic pelvic pain. One of the causes of chronic pelvic pain is a condition called Pelvic Congestion Syndrome and it is not often talked about. I thought it was important to share this information to bring more awareness to this syndrome.

Pelvic congestion syndrome does share many of the same symptoms of endometriosis and adenomyosis and it important to have proper differential diagnosis and rule other causes of pelvic pain out first. Sometimes the varicose veins that cause pelvic congestion syndrome can be present alongside endometriosis and adenomyosis, or other pelvic issues.

In the past, a diagnosis of chronic pelvic pain left many women frustrated with few treatment options and a lack of available resources. Their doctors were often left perplexed, despite the endless negative laboratory test and imaging data as well as inconclusive consultations obtained.

In the last 10 years, improved medical understanding and increased awareness have lessened the confusion surrounding this condition and its distinct association with pelvic congestion syndrome (PCS). There are now more minimally invasive surgical solutions which give affected patients more treatments choices as well.

So what is Pelvic Congestion Syndrome (PCS)?

Pelvic congestion syndrome (PCS) is a chronic condition that occurs in women when varicose veins form below the abdomen within the pelvic region. Pelvic congestion is just like the varicose veins that some women have in their legs, but it affects the veins of the pelvis. Blood backs up in the veins, making them become enlarged and engorged. Pelvic congestion can also cause chronic pelvic pain in some women.

What are the symptoms of Pelvic Congestion Syndrome?

The main symptom of pelvic congestion syndrome is pelvic pain that lasts at least 6 months. The pain may be a heavy or aching feeling. Or the pain may be sharp. Usually the pain is only on one side, usually the left side. At times you may feel it on both sides. The pain is often worse at the end of the day. If PCS occurs in pregnancy it often first starts during or after a pregnancy. It may worsen after a later pregnancy.

Symptoms of Pelvic Congestions Syndrome can include the following.

Pain starts 7-10 days before your period
Pelvic pain is worse when you sit or stand
Lying down relieves pelvic pain
Varicose veins around the vulva, buttocks, and legs
Abnormal vaginal discharge
Swelling of the vagina or vulva
Tenderness of the abdomen
Pain during sex
Dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation)
Abnormal bleeding during menstruation
Backache
Depression
Fatigue
Increased urination
Irritable bowel symptoms
Hip pain
Lower back pain
Aches in your legs

The syndrome often causes a constant dull pain in the pelvic area that is said to worsen at different times of the cycle and in different situations. Experts believe it can be the source of pain in up to 30% of women who have chronic pelvic pain.

How is at Risk?

It’s more likely to develop in women who have previously given birth, but it can be found in women who have not had children. It is also hereditary so if someone in the family has it, you may be at a higher risk of having it.

What Are The Causes of PCS?

It is still not fully understood what the cause of pelvic congestion syndrome is. There may be multiple factors and causes.

Enlarged veins in the pelvis seem to play a major role. These large veins do play a major role in those that have chronic pelvic pain, but many women have enlarged veins and no symptoms.

Pregnancy may increase the risk for pelvic congestion syndrome. This is because veins enlarge during pregnancy to support the increased blood flow. This can permanently enlarge the veins and lead to symptoms.

Just like endometriosis and adenomyosis, hormones may also play a role in pelvic congestion syndrome. It is though that estrogen may play a big part of this by making veins wider (dilates). We do know that estrogen does drive disease inflammatory states. We also know that PCS is less common after menopause when estrogen levels tend to be lower.. Other hormones may also cause veins to grow wider and cause symptoms.

Excess weight and increased body fat may also cause increased inflammation and estrogenic response that leads to pelvic congestion syndrome.

Other factors such as dietary and lifestyle factors may exacerbate this condition as well.

How is it diagnosed?

PCS can be quite difficult to diagnose, and will need a multimodality approach to be able to firstly diagnose this properly and then apply appropriate treatment. PCS often requires a multidisciplinary approach because the differential diagnosis is quite long and varied. As mentioned before, some of the symptoms are the same as other inflammatory conditions such as endometriosis and adenomyosis. Multiple diagnostic procedures are needed to eliminate other possible causes for your symptoms. These procedures can include:

Ultrasound
Laparoscopy (keyhole surgery)
CT scan
MRI scan
Venogram

Ultrasound is often preferred as the first step in diagnosing PCS, as it is possible to detect the varicosities as well as assess the blood flow. The only problem with ultrasound is that is that it may not always pick the varicosities up.

MRI may be needed, but even then, laparoscopy is the only procedure to definitely diagnose this condition. I often explain to women that if they have been in pain for a long time, the best option is a laparoscopy. This can also be used to exclude other pelvic pathology and also check to see if there is endometriosis etc too. Sometimes the varicosities may need to be tied off surgically as well and can be done via laparoscopy. Laparoscopy is the gold standard investigation of the pelvis and why it is the best option.

There may need to be input from other health professionals and modalities such as gynaecologists, anaesthesiologist, gastroenterologist, advanced trained laparoscopic surgeon, neurologist, haematologist, oncologist, psychiatrist, and urologist or urodynamic specialist may also be necessary. If someone sees a lot of this syndrome then they will be able to differentiate this without the need of involving too many other areas of medicine, but all other pathology and disease states do need to be carefully ruled out first.

When I help women with PCS, I have a very specialised team of healthcare professionals I work with that see this syndrome often and know what to look for very quickly and promptly. This is why it is very important to see the right people who know about these particular areas of women’s health conditions.

Treatments for Pelvic Congestion Syndrome

Treatment for pelvic congestion syndrome is usually aimed at reducing and alleviating symptoms. Unfortunately, like endometriosis, there is no definite cure for the condition, and it can be challenging to treat if you don’t get to see the right healthcare practitioner, or healthcare team.

There are medications available to help relieve symptoms of PCS and these can include:

NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)
chronic pain medications (such as gabapentin plus amitriptyline)

The most successful treatment currently is a minimally invasive surgical procedure called pelvic vein/ovarian vein embolization (PVE/OVE). This procedure blocks off the faulty varicose veins so that they can no longer enlarge with blood, thereby relieving the pain. that are believed to be the source of pain.

Embolization (PVE/OVE) offers a safe, effective, minimally invasive treatment option that is less expensive to surgery and less invasive. It is an outpatient hospital procedure which requires only conscious sedation. Once the procedure is performed, you can return home a few hours later the same day. Medical literature shows that the procedure provides complete or partial relief in approximately 90% – 95% of the cases. As with any procedure, there are risks, and not all women may be appropriate for this treatment option.

A laparoscopy may still be needed to definitely diagnose the varicose veins first, before embolization can be performed. This is why diagnosis and treatment of PCS does require a step by step multimodality approach. This is something that needs to be clearly understood.

Outlook

PCS isn’t a condition that is life threatening, but it does have the potential to significantly affect your quality of life. Symptoms such as chronic pain, pain during sexual intercourse, and dysmenorrhea can lead to a decrease in physical activity, loss of function, and depression. It can make daily life very hard and make it difficult to function in your personal and work life.

A diagnosis does not necessarily mean you will be affected to this extent and PCS varies greatly in terms of severity for each person. Not all women with PCS will have their daily life affected and some do not get pain at all.

The good thing is that there are treatments available to minimize the symptoms and help sufferers cope with this condition. It is important that you talk to your healthcare practitioner if you do have any of the symptoms of PCS.

It’s also important to talk to your healthcare practitioner about counseling, if needed, to help you cope with the significant chronic pain that can go along with having PCS. Chronic pain can impact on an emotional and psychological level and this can then lead to further exacerbation of pain. Many people just do not realise the impact the stress and emotions and mood disorders can have on pain conditions.

Last word

If you do have chronic pelvic pain and need assistance with diagnosis and management please give my friendly staff a call and ask how I may be able to assist you. I also work in with a good network of healthcare professions to help my patients get the best care possible. My motto is No Stone Left Unturned and I apply this to everyone that comes to see me for assistance with their health condition.

Regards

Andrew Orr

-No Stone Left Unturned

-Master of Women’s Health Medicine

-The Women’s Health Experts

Acupuncture Is Safe & Effective For The Relief of Migraines.

Posted on October 16, 2019October 16, 2019 by Andrew Orr

Researchers have successfully documented not only that acupuncture is safe and effective for the relief of migraines, but also how acupuncture achieves positive outcomes.

As a past sufferer (yes past sufferer) of Migraines, I know all too well how debilitating and painful this condition can be when an attack happens. Even when the initial stage of the Migraine subsides, the aura and residual effects can last for days. While pain medication is a much needed part of the process, I also know that if you don’t administer the medication at the right time, the medication sometimes will have little, or no effect, once the migraine takes hold. Worse still, the withdrawal effects of these very strong pain medications can often then induce migraines and headaches, which then require further medication. It really can be a never-ending viscous cycle.

Migraines really do need a multimodality approach to them because the causes of them come from neck dysfunction(sublaxations), diet, blood sugars, hormones, stress and lifestyle. This is why an individual approach is always needed to properly assess, evaluate and treat migraines is needed. Too many people are just patching their condition, with a variety of treatments that really are only just getting them through to the next attack. What people need is a treatment that will not only treat the cause of their migraines, but also help prevent further migraines and give them long term relief and even cure. Acupuncture is just one component in that overall treatment and prevention, alongside medical interventions. So let’s look at how acupuncture can help.

How can Acupuncture Help?

Acupuncture has been shown to induce important biological responses to prevent and alleviate migraines. Imaging studies of the brain using fMRI technology confirm that acupuncture causes specific cortical responses to achieve lasting analgesic effects. In addition, blood level measurements document specific responses to acupuncture that play an important role in preventing and eliminating pain.

Researchers conclude that acupuncture is effective for the prevention and treatment of migraine headaches. A meta-analysis of controlled clinical and laboratory investigations are the basis for the conclusion. In analysis of recent clinical trials, they showed the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment for migraines, with less migraine days and less pain intensity levels when acupuncture was administered. Furthermore, no severe adverse effects occurred. A follow-up of up to three months following acupuncture treatments maintained the same results and showed that acupuncture is effective for the treatment of migraines both on the short-term and long-term basis.

In some of the investigation, researchers conducting a clinically-controlled study using fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) where they found a significant decrease in the functional connectivity of the right frontoparietal network of migraine patients. This connectivity dysfunctions was found to be reversible after four weeks of treatment using acupuncture. This is another curative effect of acupuncture that is quantifiable in repeated controlled experiments.

Acupuncture has been used for assistance with pain for centuries

For over 7 thousand years, people have used acupuncture in China for the treatment of various pain conditions, including migraines. It is useful, both as a supplementary treatment and as an alternative treatment, in situations where there is no response to drug therapy. Migraines are a headache disorder affecting a broad population that causes many burdens due to associated healthcare costs and people not being able to go to school and work.

Up to 25% of households in Australia and the United States have at least one member who suffers from migraines. The estimated total number of migraine patients in the United States alone exceeds 28 million and half of them have reduced work or school productivity. In Australia millions of people suffer from Migraines daily and it also affects their work, study and general day to day function, with some not even able to leave their homes due to this debilitating condition.

Acupuncture has an analgesic action

Scientists have uncovered some of the biochemical mechanisms responsible for acupuncture’s pain killing effects. Drugs used for the treatment of migraines not only have a analgesic action, but they also activate a reaction in the cerebral vessels. In the studies analyzed it was found that acupuncture has been found this very same analgesic action and also activated the same process in the cerebral vessels. The studies revealed acupuncture’s ability to regulate key regions of the brain affected by migraines. The areas are essentially the pain circuitry regions of the brain and cognitive components of pain processing. In addition, acupuncture also restores normal serum nitric oxide (NO) levels that have been found to be almost 55% higher in patients with migraines. Excess NO is a potent vasodilator contributing to headaches and acupuncture restores homeostasis. The regulatory effects of acupuncture can be quantified as early as the fifth acupuncture session and the effects are cumulative.

Based on these and other studies in the meta-analysis, the researchers conclude that acupuncture improves patients’ psychological profile, relieves pain, is safe and cost-effective, and has been found to be at least as effective as conventional preventative pharmacologic treatments for migraines.

Final Word

At my clinic we know we see lots of people who are looking for relief from headaches and migraines. We use a multimodaility approach that also give an individualized treatment and also looks at the individuals cause of their migraines and headaches. Our aim is to assist in the with acute symptoms of migraines and headaches and assist in the prevention of them as well, along side medical interventions. With the right care, this can be done and now research is now backing up what we have known for many years.

If you need help with headaches and migraines, please call my friendly staff and find out how I may me able to assist you in your individual needs and ongoing health care.

Regards

Andrew Orr

-No Stone Left Unturned

-The Headache, Migraine and Pain Experts

References:

Wang Y, Xue CC, Helme R, Da Costa C, Zheng Z (2015) Acupuncture for Frequent Migraine: A Randomized, Patient/Assessor Blinded, Controlled Trial with One-Year Follow-Up. Evid based Complement Alternat Med 2015: 920353.
Da Silva AN (2015) Acupuncture for migraine prevention. Headache 55: 470-473.
Vijayalakshmi I, Sjankar N, Saxena A, Bhatia MS (2014) Coomparison of effectiveness of acupuncture therapy and conventional drug therapy on psychological profile of migraine patients. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol 58: 69-76.
Mayrink WC, Garcia JBS, Dos Santos AM, Nunes JKVRS, Mendonc¸a THN. Effectiveness of Acupuncture as AuxiliaryTreatment for Chronic Headache. J Acupunct Meridian Stud 2018 Oct;11(5):296e302.

Why you cannot manage your disease by yourself!

Posted on October 3, 2019October 3, 2019 by Andrew Orr

In this video post, I am going to talk about why you cannot manage your disease by yourself.

Many of us like to think we can treat ourselves, or manage our own disease, or even control every aspect of our lives, but the reality is.. .we can’t.

All to often I see many people trying to manage their own disease state and some of these people are actually healthcare practitioners themselves. The problem is that nobody can manage their own health issue and it is not safe to do so, because of being too close to it. Then the judgement becomes clouded and then this can lead to a vicious cycle of mismanagement and frustration too.

Have a listen to my latest video blog about this issue. I am also talking about this from personal experience and from someone who knows what many people go through too. Today was one of my bad day, so I have an open and honest talk about why you cannot manage your own disease yourself.

No matter who you are, everyone needs help from someone who specialises in the disease that they have. There is help out there. You just have to find the right people to help you.

If you do need help with managing a chronic disease, you can also give my friendly staff a call and find out how I may be able to assist you.

Take care

Regards

Andrew Orr

-No Stone Left Unturned

-Women’s and Men’s Health Advocate

Don’t Wait Too Long To Get Help

Posted on August 19, 2019August 19, 2019 by Andrew Orr

In this post I am trying to highlight the importance of not waiting too long to get help, when it comes to pain, or any health condition.

Many people, myself included, with long term pain, chronic health conditions, often have higher than normal pain tolerance and can often leave things too long before seeking professional help. The problem is that the long a health condition is left, the longer pain is left, the harder it can be to treat, or manage on a clinical level.

I know I have spoken about this previously on many posts and why I am very passionate about early intervention for any health condition, especially pain.

During the last couple of weeks I have heard of people leaving things too long and actually ending up dead because of it. Just today, I have had two patients diagnosed with cancer, after leaving symptoms too long before seeking help. It just hits home the importance of seeking help early for any health issue we all face.

Have a listen to my latest post as to why we should not wait too long to get help.

Finding Common Ground To Work With a Good Healthcare Practitioner

Posted on August 8, 2019August 8, 2019 by Andrew Orr

Finding a good healthcare practitioner can be hard. Many have already been jaded and been missed and dismissed by many. This then sets up the expectation that everyone you see, is going to be the same as the last.

The reality is that there are good practitioners out there and it is about finding some common ground, letting go of the past and moving forward with someone who really does want to help you.

Just be careful not to let the past experience with not so good healthcare practitioners be bought in with you when seeing a new healthcare practitioner. It can often then lead to more angst and boundaries and then leading to a good practitioner not being able to really help you.

I hope people can see the point I am trying to get at here. Not all healthcare practitioners are bad. Some are actually amazing and could really help you get your life back to normal again.

It is about working together for your greater health and to do that, there must be understanding on both parts. It is an individualised team approach.

Have a look at my video (below) on this issue.

Take care

Regards

Dr Andrew Orr

-No Stone Left Unturned

-Women’s and Men’s Health Advocate

-The Women’s Health Experts

Anxiety and Chronic Pain and Chronic Conditions

Posted on August 5, 2019August 5, 2019 by Andrew Orr

Chronic pain and chronic illness can be debilitating. Both pain and chronic conditions can go hand in hand and both can interfere in the daily function in life.

While chronic disease state can cause pain, many do not realise that there are also other factors that exacerbate chronic disease and chronic pain.

Diet, alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, additives in food, chemicals, environment, and emotions can all exacerbate and flare chronic disease state and pain. But some of these things people do not correlate to being part of their daily struggles and increased levels of pain.

Anxiety and depression are two of the things that can exacerbate pain and also lead to chronic pain pathologies. For this post I am going to focus of anxiety because I see so many people who have it. Many people do not realise that they actually have anxiety.

Many people also ignore the signs of anxiety and fob it off as not being able to switch off, or they think too much, or they just do not know how to slow down and relax. Many just fob it off saying that they are busy and don’t have time to stop. They are basically busy being busy. But is it really all those things they think they are?

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is a normal emotion and almost everyone has experienced anxiety at some point. It is the emotion that people have when something dangerous might happen. Anxiety is closely related to fear. Fear occurs when something dangerous is happening. Anxiety can also activate that fight or flight response and get one adrenalin activated and running through ones veins. Adrenalin is activated to help us get away from danger. The problem with anxiety, danger isn’t really happening. It is the perception of something that may happen. None the less, the body prepares for danger and the nervous system goes into hyperdrive and the fight or flight response is activated.

As mentioned before, anxiety can also be when something dangerous is seemed to be pending, or hasn’t happened yet, though we perceive it could. This is why people with anxiety always tend to be nervous. They are nervous in their feelings, their body and their behaviours as well. These people are quite literally waiting for the possibility of something dangerous to happen, or needing to get up and get moving. They literally cannot sit still.

Anxiety can also be divided into different aspects: feelings, physical manifestations, thinking, and behaviours.

Feelings

A number of feelings are associated with anxiety. It can cause one to feel apprehensive, feel alarmed, feel tension, feel nervousness, feel doubtful and also make one feel out of control.

Physical manifestations

Anxiety can also lead to physical manifestation in the body as well. It can cause muscle tension, increased hear rate, palpitations, increased blood pressure, heaviness in the chest, gastrointestinal upset and urgency, cold hands and feet, increased sweating, dizziness and increased energy and even cause the body to shake.

Thinking

Anxiety can also influence the way we think. It can cause increased worry, increase focus on things that have not occurred, increased focus on possible danger and all of the consequences that could occur, increased thinking of the worst case scenarios of what could happen to one self and anxiety can also cause increased thinking and overthinking in general.

Behaviours

Anxiety can also influence the way be behave. It can cause restlessness, avoidance of activities ( for fear of perceived danger), cause nervousness, inability to sit still, need to get up and move all the time, and cause difficulty in completing things.

Sometimes, anxiety becomes persistent and then can get in the way of day-to-day life. When anxiety is persistent and interfering in day-to-day life, it’s considered no longer normal. It is then considered a disorder.

Anxiety and pain

Everyone experiences pain at some point in their life, but for those with anxiety and depression, pain can become intense and very hard to treat.

Anxiety is now known to be one the most common conditions that accompanies chronic pain. Anxiety tends to go hand in hand with chronic pain, because pain is a danger signal. When we get pain it is to signal danger that something is wrong in the body and requires attention. Pain then sets of the warning system that then leads the nervous system to respond. This then often leads to that fight or flight response talked about previously.

The nervous system’s response to pain just in the same way it responds to danger. This can be in the following ways:

Feelings of alarm, apprehension and distress
Increased reactivity of the body, such as
Increased muscle tension,
Increased heart rate ad blood pressure,
Gastrointestinal reactivity and digestive pain and upset
Increased cognitive focus on the pain, and then a tendency to worry and catastrophize about it
Avoidance behaviours, such as guarding, resting, staying home and not engaging in activities that might bring about or increase pain

In acute pain, these responses might be quite helpful. These feelings of pain and fear allow someone to seek help in order to prevent further injury.

In chronic pain, these feelings become anxiety and avoidance behaviours. When someone has chronic pain for a long time, the anxiety and avoidance behaviours can become chronic. The chronic anxiety leads to a chronic sense of alarm or distress, which makes patients nervous and can’t sit still and finds it very hard to relax and recover.

Anxiety and chronic pain

Chronic pain also affects the brain and thought patterns and it can lead to a chronic focus on pain, which pre-occupies the attention of the pain sufferer. Everyday decisions seem to turn on how much pain the patient has at any given time. It also leads to then nervous system to become over reactive. This can then lead to chronic muscle tension, which can switch pain pathways on more and this then leads to more pain. Chronic avoidance behaviours can then lead to an increasing sense of social isolation, inactivity, muscles loss and then not being able to cope or function physically and mentally. Daily life literally can become an effort and the person actually become disabled.

When the body reaches this state the nervous system has become stuck in the vicious cycle of constant reactivity. Pain pathways become more reactive and harder to switch off and pain levels can become very hard to manage. This state of reactivity is associated with a condition called central sensitization. This is where acute pain has becomes chronic and then this goes hand in hand with anxiety and other mood disorders.

Anxiety can present differently in each person

Anxiety can present very differently in each person and chronic disease states can also trigger anxiety. Anxiety can also exacerbate a chronic health condition too. It can be a vicious cycle that keeps going around and around.

Everyone’s cause of anxiety is different and it’s often a combination of factors that leads someone to feel the way they do. Many do not even realise they are suffering anxiety as mentioned before.

It’s important to remember that you can’t always identify the cause of anxiety, or change difficult circumstances. You cannot always be in control of every situation either.

Recognise the signs and seek professional help

The most important thing is to recognise the signs and symptoms and seek advice and support.

There are people that specialise in managing chronic pain. Good pain management programs should use a multi-modality treatment and management approach consisting of the most effective treatments for anxiety, such as counselling and psychology, medications, diet and lifestyle changes, exercise and other therapies that can assist with pain and anxiety.

With the right help and seeing the right people, it is possible to get ones life back despite having chronic pain, and in the process overcome anxiety. The one thing I always explain to people it that you will not be able to do this on your own. You will need help from qualified professionals. No amount of Dr Google, or advice from friends and family is going to be able to help you get through this without the help of qualified professionals trained to help in this area of healthcare.

If you are experiencing long term pain and could also be suffering from chronic anxiety, please go and talk to your healthcare provider. Many people are unaware that they have anxiety and this is actually exacerbating their current pain. Your healthcare practitioner can also talk to you about effective pain management and also help you seeking help and getting coping skills for your anxiety as well.

Beyond Blue has a very simple Anxiety checker (click here) and I urge everyone to take the test, especially those with chronic long-term pain and health issues.

Please remember that there is help out there. Please do not suffer in silence thinking that there is no help, or no end in sight for your pain and your anxiety as well.

Take care

Regards

Dr Andrew Orr

-No Stone Left Unturned

-Women’s and Men’s Health Advocate

Expectation versus reality with surgery and ongoing healthcare management

Posted on August 2, 2019August 2, 2019 by Andrew Orr

I have talked about expectation versus reality before but I wanted to go over this subject again. I think that many treatment plans and even surgical interventions and treatment outcomes are not explained very well.

This then leads to people not really knowing what realists health outcomes are and also what realists healing times are either.

In my latest video blog I talk about the expectation versus reality when it comes to surgery and recovery times. I also talks about being realist about time frames with treatment and results on ongoing healthcare.

I also talk about the realist time frames to help with certain conditions and also being real about healing times for pain.

Watch my latest video post to see what I am talking about and trying to explain

Regards

Dr Andrew Orr (DOAM, MRepMed, MWHM)

-No Stone Left Unturned

-Reproductive Medicines and Women’s Health Experts

-Women’s and Men’s Health Advocate

Understanding Why Hysterectomy Does Not Cure Endometriosis

Posted on June 21, 2019June 21, 2019 by Andrew Orr

Hey everyone. I’ve just recently put up a post about the facts about why hysterectomy does not cure endometriosis.

It seems this is a very contentious issue and many people are not understanding the facts, or how endometriosis presents in the body. I also think that some people just haven’t read the actual article, as I do explain all of the reasons why.

But, it does seem some people are still not getting the reasons why, or have been told the wrong things. As usual, I am here to give the facts and this is what I am here to do with this post.. Give the facts.

I am sorry for many of the journeys you have been on too and that some of you are not being listened too as well. That is why I am here. To raise awareness and give the facts and help women with endometriosis have a voice.

This is to also raise awareness about adenomyosis too. Many really do not realise that they have this disease state, or have it coinciding with endometriosis as well.

So, I have done up the video blog to explain things in more detail and hopefully it helps all of you understand things better. It is also so people can see a visual explanation and see why hysterectomy will not “Cure” endometriosis.

Non-Medical Ways to Manage Pain

Posted on May 29, 2019June 19, 2019 by Andrew Orr

In my recent post Getting a Handle on Pain with Proper Pain Management, I talked about the need for getting help with pain and how important it is to manage pain properly. But most of that was focussing on the medical side of things. But we also know that even with the best medical care, people are still in pain. So what is the answer is this approach is not working?

This is where we need to look at the Non-Medical ways to manage pain and look at an individualised and multimodality care approach to give people the best care and clinical management of pain possible.

Let’s have a look at what some of the Non-Medical options are first.

Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine

One modality that may assist in managing long-term pain is Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This medicine has been around much longer than modern medicine and it is very effective. There is now research to show that Acupuncture and TCM is not only assist with treatments for pain and pain management, but it may be equivalent to the effects of some of our strong pain medications, when it is administered properly by a trained healthcare provider and with a series of treatments. It is also being used in mainstream hospitals for pain management too. While acupuncture may be effective for pain, there is no such thing as a one off treatment for any medicine and we all need to remember that.

Biomesotherapy (Biopuncture)

There is also an amazing therapy called Biomesotherapy, also known as biopuncture. It combines the use of acupuncture and also uses injectable saline and anti-inflammatories into the acupuncture points. Local anaesthetics and pharmaceutical injectable pain killers can also be injected into the acupuncture points and this is how it has been used in parts of Europe for over 50 years by main stream medicine. It may be affective for acute pain.

Chinese Herbal Medicines

There are also Chinese herbal formulas that may assist with pain and pain management and they may also help with the root cause of your pain as well. Again these aren’t a one off treatment and require a course of treatment to get the true benefits. You don’t just take one antibiotic, or one pain medicine and it fixes your issue and the same goes for herbal medicines. What we also need to remember is that up to 50% of our pharmaceuticals are actually derived from herbal compounds.

Chiropractic & Osteopathy

There are also some other great complementary therapies that may help pain. Chiropractic and Osteopathy may help with skeletal pain and may also help with realigning sublaxations that are impinging on nerves and may be causing pain. Both modalities may assist in helping balance the body as a whole.

Yoga & Pilates

Yoga and Pilates may help with pain by rebalancing the body, working on the core and also by assisting the body to relax. There is a bit more to it than that, but they can help. There is now some good research out there to support the use of these modalities.

Massage & Complementary Medicines

Massage may also help with pain and pain management. There are also other herbal medicines that can help too. You need to see a qualified massage therapist and qualified complementary medicine practitioner to get the best care and advice with either of these modalities.

Your healthcare provider, or herbalist, can assist you by consulting with you and helping manage your condition. Just like medical interventions and pharmaceuticals, you should never self-prescribe and always consult with someone who is qualified in their particular profession. They can also administer you practitioner only medicines that are far stronger and more clinically efficient that over the counter products. It is the same in modern medicine too.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy can help with pain management and rehabilitation and women with pelvic pain may need a physiotherapist that can help with pelvic floor physiotherapy and that can do work internally. This is a specialist area though. Physiotherapy also fits into the medical model of pain management too.

Pulse Magnetic Therapy & TENS

Pulse magnetic therapy and TENS (Transcutaneous Electro Neuro Stimulator) may help with pain and ongoing pain management. While many people have heard of TENS, not many have heard of Pulse Magnetic Therapy and this is something that may assist with chronic pain and also pelvic floor instability and incontinence. There is such good research to support this as well. Many urodynamic specialists are now using pulse magnetic therapy in their clinics.

Diet

Let’s not forget the power of a healthy diet, when it comes to pain. Diets high in processed foods and sugars and refined grains, alcohol etc promote inflammation. Then inflammation causes pain and may make conditions causing pain worse. I always assess people’s diets, when they have pain, or health issues.

Exercise

Exercise may also assist with pain by helping with stress levels and helping with increasing blood flow into the muscles and brain and also helping with endorphins into the body. Again exercise can be a catch 22 situation. Some people are in so much people that they cannot even contemplate exercise. But, with starting out slowly and a step by step approach, little by little, exercise can help with controlling pain and getting the body back to optimum health again.

Counselling and Mindfulness

Lastly, talk therapy and counselling and mindfulness training is probably some of the most underrated therapies for the ongoing management of pain. I can’t say this enough. Our brain is what controls all our senses and unless we learn to control stress and quieting our mind, then managing pain is so much harder. I also know it can be a catch 22 situation too, but it is needed. While support groups and talking with friends is great, it cannot compare to the help from a trained professional, who has the appropriate years of training and is specialised in their particular field, or profession.

Important Things To Remember

Oh, and please don’t get your medical advice from people on support groups either. I see this so often and it really scares me what I see and hear. I know they are well meaning and their support is great for you, but they are not a trained professional and this could be very dangerous. Let’s not forget that everyone has different needs according to their condition.

What medication, or therapy, one person is on, or taking, may make another ill, or actually make someone else worse. Please do not Dr Google either. A degree in Dr Google, doesn’t make one a healthcare expert and much of the medical advice on Dr Google is not right. Sure, be educated and be informed, but be careful too. Always consult with a healthcare professional for any health advice, or before trying to do something to manage your health.

Pain is something that we have all experienced, but it is not something that should be endured either. Of course there are individual cases that are just off the charts and require a whole different level of management. These people I feel sorry for the most. While some of these cases may never have their pain gone completely, with the right treatment most of them can be managed to some form of normalcy.

For the rest of the population, most pain can be treated if intervention is administered early enough and there is good ongoing management moving forward. The problem for many is that they aren’t being managed properly and many are trying to just do it themselves. That isn’t going to work. Some people just leave it too long too. The longer you leave pain not managed, the harder it is to treat.

You may also need that multimodality (team approach) for some conditions such as endometriosis and gynaecological conditions. Some other causes of pain will need this too. For others, they just need to see the right people and once they do, their pain can be treated, or managed really well. In many cases, it can be fixed completely.

There is no magic pill

Always remember that there is no such thing as a one off magic treatment for pain, or any health issues, and that there is no miracle one off magic pill to fix pain either.

Even though pain needs to be managed with medications sometimes, it isn’t always the answer either. People need look at treating the cause of their pain and also looking at other therapies outside of modern medicine too. This is where individualised treatments and treatment/management plans are the best, because everyone is different in what they are experiencing and what their particular issue is.

I have seen the amazing effects of a combination of therapies, or stand-alone therapies, in the treatment of pain and its ongoing management. If you aren’t getting the answers you need, with who you are seeing, or what you are currently doing, then you need to look outside the box, think outside the box and start finding treatments and healthcare people that can help you and your particular health issue.

Never underestimate the body’s power to heal itself with proper care and never underestimate the power of a second, or tenth opinion.

Getting proper help and care

If you aren’t getting the help you need, then book in a consult with me and I will do my best to get you the help and care you deserve and should be getting. I also have a great network of trusted professionals I work with if it is outside something that I do, or if you need that team approach for your condition. I have my trusted team and that is what you may need too.

One more things, for anyone, pain is the sign that something is wrong in the body and means it needs to be addressed. Oh and always remember, period pain is not normal either.

Take care

Regards

Dr Andrew Orr

-No Stone Left Unturned

-Women’s and Men’s Health Advocate

– The Headache, Migraine and Pain Experts