Pain Sucks Episode 011 – Understanding why we feel pain and how to overcome with Dr. Dan Sullivan

Dr. Dan had a personal road to chiropractic and then eventually into neurology and speaking.  While a track athlete he hurt himself and found chiropractic despite coming from a family of Medical professionals.  His amazing results led him on the journey to his future.

So, what is pain?  It’s a perception that involves and amazing communication between the brain and the body through the central nerve system. 

It’s not “in your head”.  It’s REAL and it serves a purpose

Imagine your child with a disease not able to feel pain.  Would never know when something needed attention.

Before understanding pain, we must understand that the Greatest Doctor in the World is Inside of You!  It’s you!!!

How does a cut heal?  How does mother’s breast milk change based on babies needs figured out from the baby’s saliva?  The body is the most amazing thing ever made. 

Science is now proving each day what we’ve known for 1000’s of years.  The body has an intelligence designed to heal itself. 

2013 research showed that those in pain had a 43% chance of surgery if seeing a doctor first but only a 1.7% chance if seeing a chiropractor first despite both groups healing!

Within the firsts 90 days the brain centers for pain are directly linked to the physical tissue of the body that is injured.  After 90 days the brain centers switched to the emotional centers.  And once these brain centers changed our perception of pain becomes 500% more sensitive.

More proof that we must understand how our emotions influence our healing and pain perception. 

Think about the Phantom Limb study where someone had their arm amputated yet still felt the pain as if the arm was still there.  That’s an emotional area of the brain!  Must be addressed along with the physical.

So why does chiropractic and the adjustment process (applied correctly following true testing) have to be a part of the healing process?

1. Chiropractic physically alters the structure of the spine and therefore the Central Nerve System
2. The adjustment process instructs the body’s stress hormones to calm down
3. The adjustment process provides nutrition to the discs and the tissues of healing
4. Chiropractic lowers the body’s needs for pain medication
5. Many more reasons

Dr. Dan’s suggestions for influencing the brain and nerve system for healing

1. Chiropractic
2. Sleep in a room 66 degrees and blacked out (receptors all over the body will calm and the pain can decrease. Also take a bath with Epsom salt and lavender essential oil before bed for the energetic and neurological healing of the magnesium in the salt and the lavender.  Eases the brain centers transmitting pain
3. Do Expressive Writing.
   1. Take a piece of paper and write down all of the emotional issues you are dealing with from the most to the least. Then tear the paper apart.
   2. 6 to 10 minutes before bed. Rewires pain centers and puts focus back on healing
4. Have an attitude of gratitude.  Gratitude turns off those pain centers in the emotional areas of the brain.  Simple but not easy to do this.
5. Deep Breathing (episode we did with Dr. Jim Claussen really hit this) Techniques where exhaling is the focus
6. Meditation (also see episode with Dr. Jim)
7. What’s funny is that the people who heal the best from disc injury had spouses and partners who just didn’t ask how the person in pain was feeling. So interesting but asking triggers the pain center in the brain.  Have that talk with your significant other or caregiver.

111,000,000 Americans in Chronic pain relying on a broken medical system of medications and surgery and not getting answers when the answers are already in them!

Dr. Dan can be found at the following places

www.chiropracticadvocate.com for doctors interested in his products and research about pain

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Dr. Dan Sullivan

Dan Sullivan D.C.

www.conqueringchronicpain.com for those interested in learning more!