2 in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, M ay 1 0, 20 18 | HEALTH Advertorial How your thoughts and emotions impact pain By Dr. Trung Ngo, BSC, DC Having negative though ts and em otions is abso lu te ly norm al when experiencing pain. Acknow ledging and properly ad dress ing those though ts is im po rtan t in ge tting you through d ifficu lt tim e s . How ever, supp ress ing them or leaving them unchecked can w orsen and perpetuate pain. Why is th a t? A pain signal is like a fire a larm in a build ing. The a larm w ill sound the sam e every tim e , bu t a person 's response rang es from ca lm ly con tinu ing th e ir ac tiv ities to runn ing around hysterically. This re sponse is dependen t on contextua l cues such as announcem ents on the PA sys tem and the a ttitude o f the surrounding people. W ith pain s igna ls, our though ts and em otions provide these cues. Negative though ts are natura l respons es to chron ic pain bu t becom e de trim en ta l if they are allowed to spawn o ther neg ative though ts , fee lings and behaviours th a t can w orsen and perpetuate pain. M anaging these though ts involve: 1) be ing aware o f them ; 2) s topp ing them (e.g. by lite ra lly saying " STOP" to yourself); and 3) rep lacing them w ith though ts th a t are more constructive and specific (e.g. to tim e , activity, e tc.). For exam ple, you can replace " th is pain w ill never go away!" w ith " th is pain is bad right now but I know it can go up and down. W hat s tra teg ies can I use to bring it dow n?" C om m on em otiona l responses to pain include fear, sadness and anger. Each a ffe c ts pain in a d iffe ren t way. Fear p ro tects us from engaging in harm fu l ac tiv ities . B u t le ft unchecked, it can lead to a cycle o f inactivity, w eak ness and more pain. To m anage it, de te rm ine if the fe a r is true . For exam ple, if you fe a r th a t your shou lder w ill te a r if you move it (desp ite healthcare profes s iona ls te llin g you th a t m oving it is safe), then slow ly and gradually reach fo r ob je c ts . Once you have proven to yourse lf th a t pain does not ind icate dam age, you w ill be able to break the cycle o f fe a r and inactivity. Sadness is com m on when a person canno t do w ha t they were once able to . Left unchecked, it can deterio ra te into depress ion . D ea ling w ith sadness requires you to be open to do ing th ings d iffe ren tly (e.g. how you do th ings , how o ften , in w ha t capacity, e tc.), but the key is to continue to do th ings . For exam ple, if playing hockey is too pa in fu l, you can help to coach instead. Anger can resu lt from an in jury th a t was unexpected and not your fa u lt. It is d ifficu lt to le t go o f and can seriously dam age re la tionsh ips . One good th ing is th a t anger g ives you energy w hile o ther em otions take away energy. If you are very angry, lite ra lly go cool o ff (e.g. use an ice pack or take a cold shower) but then use the energy th a t anger g ives you to improve your s itua tion . For exam ple, te ll the o ther person why you are angry a t them and let them know w hat you w ant (e.g. an apology). In reality, though ts and em otions w ork together, unlike the iso la ted exam ples above. U nderstanding them is neces sary to e ffec tive ly m anage chron ic pain and dea ling w ith them can be a long and d ifficu lt process. Experienced m enta l health p ro fess iona ls can provide guid ance during th is process as well as d irect you to resources th a t can su p p o rt and advocate fo r you. Dr. Trung Ngo founded Novah Healthcare in 2017, an interdisciplinary clinic that spe cializes in the conservative management of acute and chronic pain, which contin ues the work he did from 2011 to 2017 at Mount Sinai Hospital. For more informa tion, visit www.novahhealthcare.ca Red areas Yellow areas Green areas Blue areas Excessive pressure. Leads inevitably to chronic strain reactions over longer periods Average pressure load. To avoid calluses, pressure points and provide relief. Low-pressure load. Foot soles are protected and put under less pressure. _ The distribution of the foot pressure should be as close as possible to 50:50 in relation to both Percentages, the front and back andthe left and right areas. Compare the distribution between barefoot and wearing the kybun shoe and check how quickly the forces from compressed loads are absorbed. w w w . s h o p p e r s d r u g m a r t . c a 267 L akesh o re Rd. E., O akville Mon.-Fri. 10-6, Sat. 9-1 Feet H u rtin g ? Flat floors damage your body Walking on flat floors in shoes with heels limits the movement of the feet, which causes uneven pressure & weakening of the muscles. This can lead to constrained and incorrect postures as well as stress pains on the musculoskeletal system, which increase overtime. A weak foot musculature is the main cause of: • Back pain • Knee- and hip damage •Vein disorders • Foot diseases such as hallux and heel spur • Numerous other complaints Walk yourself fit In the kybun shoe, standing and walking on the elastic, springy surface, distributes the weight evenly and allows the foot maximum freedom of movement. This protects the joints, trains the muscles and balances postures. Walking on the elastic springy kybun sole: • Allows a natural distribution of pressure on the foot • Protects the joints • Relaxes and relieves the back • Activates the leg and vein circulation •Trains the deep muscles Richard Price Pharmacist/Owner A Trusted name in Oakville for over 20 years! ww w.kybun.com 905.8 4 2 .2 7 7 0 DE RANGO PHARMACY INC 2501 Third Line 1905-465-3000 Open 24 hours 17 Days a Week DE RANGO PHARMACY INC 478 Dundas Street West 1905-257-9737 Canada Post . ■■ ■ • >. H a ir S tu d io 1 Treat Your Mom! • Lady's Wash, Cut, Blowdty & Treatment t GIFT for $35.00 • Color, Cut, Bowdry OR Perm t GIFTfor $75 00 • Partial highlights with Cut & Blowdryfor $8°.°° (Additional charge for long liau) N0 other discounts apply. One time use ohy. By appointment only. Offer Expires Way 31st,2°18 2368 Lakeshore Rd.W, Oakville (back entrance) To book an appointm ent please call 905- 469-0344 w w w . h a i r s t u d i o 1 . c a H Hairstudio1mn D R U G M A R T Fabio De Rango Pharmacist/Owner Voted Oakville's Favourite Pharmacist & Pharmacy Patient Counselling Complete Diabetic Care • Home Visits • Consultations • Free RX Delivery http://www.novahhealthcare.ca http://www.shoppersdrugmart.ca http://www.kybun.com http://www.hairstudio1.ca