In the U.S., most patients with chronic pain are dissatisfied with their treatment. That’s 50-52 million people impacted by pain who are unhappy. Chronic pain is the leading cause of disability, outranking diabetes, depression, heart disease, and cancer.
Aggressive treatments, ranging from chronic narcotic analgesics to injections to nerve ablations to stimulators to fusion spine surgery, have varying degrees of success. I’ve been practicing pain management for over 30 years now, so there isn’t a great deal that I haven’t seen. One of the most difficult aspects of treating chronic pain is “matching” the right patients with the right specialized treatments. I’ve seen dozens of well-researched decision trees designed to help do this. Typically, they show great initial promise, but over time, the cracks and flaws inevitably show.
However, one treatment, rarely selected, has consistently impressed me as a great fit for most every patient: bioidentical hormone optimization therapy. I only wish I’d known about it sooner.
For years, patients had told me, in so many words, that if they could just feel like themselves again, they’d be able to gather up enough strength to cope. “I’m not a weak person. THIS has made me weak. If only you could have seen me (fill in the blank) years ago! I was different then!” I understand this. Chronic pain is like any other chronic disease. Left to its own devices, it will, and does, ruin everything.
At a certain point, a patient will dejectedly declare that “nothing works”, while in the same breath reporting 70-80 percent relief for six weeks with my last treatment. How is this possible?! I’ve encountered this scenario thousands of times over the years, and I’ve learned to hear what’s behind “nothing works”.
Perhaps you yourself have been in this situation? If so, you get it. Simply put, it’s very hard to make the most of, say, 6 weeks of impressive relief from lumbar nerve root pain if nothing else in life feels any better. Still fatigued. Still no libido. Still no motivation. Still no energy. Still depressed. Still hopeless. Still not yourself. And, though you might be reluctant to say so, still dissatisfied with treatment.
Now as much as I might want to push this all back onto the patient, I don’t. Instead, I get some blood work, and often as not, those simple lab tests explain quite a bit.
Suboptimal thyroid hormone levels. Suboptimal testosterone levels. No estrogen. No progesterone. Low vitamin D. Low vitamin B. Low magnesium. Elevated blood glucose. Dysbiosis. No wonder the patient feels utterly awful! This is a biochemical mess, and nothing within the standard pain management playbook is going to fix it.
It’s time to try something new.
Certainly, we will continue to tackle anatomic pain sources head-on, but that will not be, indeed cannot be, our only tactic. Setting this metabolic house in order is top priority. It will take time and energy, but by combining hormonal and nutritional supplementation with daily behavioral changes, life will improve. Dramatically.
If I’ve piqued your interest, please consider arranging a consultation with us at Revive Pain Solutions Grand Rapids. I think we can help.