Credit to Lady Gaga for bringing more attention to fibromyalgia
a chronic pain condition that affects an estimated 10 million people in the US
and an estimated 3 to 6 percent of the world population
The condition has resulted in Lady Gaga having to cancel world tours
and it would have affected all other
aspects of her life too
In this video we're going to touch on
but first let's go a little deeper into what fibromyalgia
actually is
In addition to widespread pain those with fibromyalgia may also have
So as I'm sure you've gathered, it can be a
devastating condition
If you watch Lady Gaga when in pain during her Netflix
documentary, you'll have seen how debilitating the pain can be
According to national health organizations such as the UK's NHS
But that does not mean that it cannot be cured.
More on that soon
With Lady Gaga's access to many different doctors she would have tried
various treatments that are common for those with fibromyalgia, including
and more.
We are also aware that Lady Gaga has received some treatment
for fibromyalgia with a mind-body aka biopsychosocial approach
But after reviewing the way she handles pain and her documentary, we're sure that Lady Gaga
would greatly benefit from giving this treatment method much more emphasis
So what is the biopsychosocial approach and how would giving this treatment method
more emphasis help her?
The biopsychosocial approach addresses
illness and pain from all angles
This approach is how we treat patients in the
Pathways program that has helped many people recover from chronic pain
conditions including fibromyalgia.
The program includes addressing the physical
psychological and emotional aspects of the person
It uses what is
scientifically proven about the connection between the brain
and physical pain signals
in order to reverse these signals over time
Think of it as retraining your brain to stop creating pain when it's
not needed
Lady Gaga's pain is now chronic
Her nervous system has produced
pain for so long that it's in a habit of doing so
and the more it makes pain the better it gets at doing it again
When it comes to chronic pain three components
are stuck in the cycle of pain.
Namely the brain, nervous system and body
It's critical to educate pain sufferers on the patterns and habits that are
reinforcing the pain cycle and powerful new patterns and habits that we can use
to stop persistent pain
Some of the pain reinforcing behavior that we saw in her
documentary was her distress and anxiety when in pain
Plain and simple this
behavior makes the pain worse
When experiencing chronic pain the first
critical step to get the body and mind out of the fight-or-flight mode is to
perform diaphragmatic breathing
Then use any of these techniques to help further
calm the overactive parts of the brain
From mindfulness and meditation to
positive visualizations and more
We need to take back the areas of the brain that
get hijacked when in pain and the scientific evidence supporting these
techniques is compelling
For example, 2017 research by the University of Utah
published in the Journal of general internal medicine concluded
It can be difficult to practice these
techniques when in pain but it is possible
The techniques are designed to
reduce or eliminate the fear and anxiety around the pain which will reassure her
brain that she's not in danger and the mind does not need to make pain
It's a critical step in breaking the pain habit rather than just letting the pain play out
These pain relief strategies don't just apply to fibromyalgia
They also apply to other chronic pain conditions such as back pain, RSI, migraines etc
Ultimately, pain is a protective mechanism that activates
due to physical stimuli or even perceived dangers
that could be anything
and for Lady Gaga it's most likely to be an overload of
pressure certain situations people and even the expectation of pain
The way others were helping Lady Gaga deal with pain was through massage and ice treatment
That can be useful but it should not be done in isolation as it
leaves the patient focusing on the physical alone
The physical is just the
tip of the iceberg
Lady Gaga mentions in her documentary
that if she gets depressed her body can spasm
This makes it absolutely clear
that so much more attention needs to be focused on her thoughts subconscious or
otherwise that are triggering the pain response
Focusing on just the physical
will not lead to long-lasting pain relief
It will only reinforce the belief
that something is mechanically broken inside which is not the case and only
serves to fuel pain
Help us to help her get better by sending this video out to her
on whatever social media channel you use
and if there is an update from her
or her team we'll update the description in this video
and remember if you or
someone you know suffers from fibromyalgia
or another chronic pain condition
you can be cured
we know more about how the mind and body
work together than ever before
This video is brought to you by Pathways
the chronic pain therapy app
if you suffer from chronic pain
and we'll do our best to retrain your brain so that you can go
back to living a pain-free life
no matter how long you've been in pain
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