PAIN AND HEALTH: IS PAIN
A RELIABLE INDICATOR OF YOUR HEALTH?
Pain and Health: Are They Always Connected?
Pain and health are often linked in our minds, but does pain always signal a health issue? At Lifehouse Chiropractic, we explore the connection between pain and health, revealing why relying solely on pain may not be the best measure of well-being. Learn how proactive chiropractic care helps you maintain optimal nervous system health, preventing issues before they result in pain.
What is Pain and What Does it Mean for Your Health?
A lot of people visit a chiropractor when they’re in pain. But what exactly is pain, and how does it relate to health? Pain is a signal from your body to your brain that something is wrong. Many people measure their health by the presence or absence of pain. However, pain is not always a good indicator of overall health.
Why Pain May Not Always Signal a Health Problem
For example, cardiovascular or heart disease is the number one killer in Canada [1]. Sometimes, people, especially women, have no signs or symptoms of heart disease [2]. The first symptom of heart disease may be death. You may hear of someone who has lived pain free and thought they were healthy “suddenly” drop dead from a heart attack. This underscores that pain and health are not always aligned—someone can appear healthy but still have underlying health issues. This highlights why measuring health solely based on pain is not reliable.
Pain is the Last Symptom to Appear
Pain usually shows up as the last symptom after an underlying cause has existed for a long time. Pain is usually the first symptom to disappear long before the cause of an underlying issue completely resolves. This makes it clear that pain is not a primary indicator of stress or health problems in the body. A proactive approach to pain and health is necessary for true well-being.
What Research Says About Pain and Health
A study published in a medical journal evaluated 88 young adults between the ages of 24-27, divided into two groups: those with pain and those without. The results showed that people with no pain still had significant spinal issues like disc degeneration and annular tears, proving that symptoms don’t need to be present for underlying problems to exist.
The Role of the Nervous System in Pain and Health
We have different types of nerves. We have nerves that control our movement (motor), nerves that receive information about what’s happening in our body and environment (sensory – touch, taste, smell, vision, hearing, position in space/balance) and nerves that automatically keep our body working, like our heart beating and lungs breathing (autonomic).
A paper written in 2000 titled, “The Neurophysics of Human Behavior,” from Furman and Gallo reported that “while the brain can process several trillions of bits of information per second, it appears that we are perhaps only consciously aware of 50 bits of information per second at any given time.” This science explains exactly why most dysfunction and disease go unfelt and undetected until the later stages of the dysfunction/disease. This finding argues against the idea that we should base our health on how we feel [4].
Proactive Chiropractic Care for Pain and Health
As quoted by Dr. Dan Sullivan, chiropractor, “The spine plays far too vital of role in the health of all body function to follow a model of health based on reacting when the body begins to fail. From heart function and digestion to immunity and reproduction, the spine directly influences the proactive health of the nervous system and serves as a vital component to optimal health that needs careful evaluation and lifelong maintenance. The pain usually manifests as a final alarm that something is terribly wrong within the body. Chiropractors believe in proactively achieving and maintaining spinal health. True health care allows the incredible power within the body to flourish and provide years to life and life to years.” [5]
Chiropractic is all about making sure your spine and nervous system function properly. As a result of better nervous system functioning, pain and other symptoms often go away. Even if you don’t have pain, it’s good to have your spine checked regularly. You are constantly being exposed to physical, chemical, and emotional traumas that affect your nervous system. Regular checks can prevent pain and other problems from occurring, and it makes sure your body is functioning as well as possible.
Chiropractic is not a treatment for anything. It is the reduction of nerve interference to allow for a greater expression of LIFE!
Sources…
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hc-ps/dc-ma/heart-coeur-eng.php
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/hdw/signs
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3535216/
