How to stop pain naturally: cure chronic pain—from back pain to headaches—with this simple plan that targets both your body and your mind

Natural Health, Jan-Feb, 2003 by Henry Dreher

IF YOU SUFFER FROM CHRONIC PAIN, YOU know how difficult it can be to find relief. But two licensed occupational therapists in New York City, Jane Gatanis and Alyssa Frey, say they can show you how to cure your pain naturally with an innovative plan that combines mind-body techniques and traditional physical rehabilitation.

Gatanis and Frey began developing their program in 1996 while working in the rehabilitation department at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, where part of their job was to study complementary approaches to chronic pain. Soon they found themselves successfully treating some of the hospital's most difficult-to-resolve cases of chronic pain.

Their methods work, they say, because they address a contributing factor of pain that so many doctors and patients ignore: emotions. "I have come to believe that about 95 percent of chronic pain has an emotional component," says Gatanis. "Emotions and stress can either initiate the pain or exacerbate it."

Russell Portenoy, M.D., chairman of the department of pain medicine and palliative care at Beth Israel Medical Center and a leading expert on pain, supports their program. "There is actually more scientific evidence that mind-body approaches can be useful for pain than there is for most of the drugs we prescribe," he says.

Gatanis and Frey now work in their own clinic in New York City, Integrative Rehab, and what follows is the program they give their patients to practice at home. It can help all types of chronic pain; however, the acupressure points outlined in "Release Potent Energy," page 74, are specifically for back pain, headaches, and neck pain (the most common complaints among their patients).

Practice the program daily. If you do all the exercises consecutively, it takes 30 to 60 minutes (but you can break them up if you like). Depending on the complexity of your pain, you may begin to feel relief in a few weeks or it may take as long as three months.

Fix Bad Posture

Poor posture can play a major role in chronic pain, causing tension along your spine that can make your neck, shoulders, back, and legs hurt, say Gatanis and Frey. It also restricts your breathing, reducing the circulation of the blood and oxygen your body needs to resolve inflammation and tension in your musculoskeletal system.

The Body Alignment Exercise, which you can perform in less than one minute, realigns your posture and deepens your breathing, say Gatanis and Frey. But it does more than physically correct your posture. Repeated practice of this exercise will teach you to pay attention to specific parts of your body and make you aware of how each part feels--an important step for pain sufferers, who often try to forget that those aching parts exist.

At first, do this exercise five times a day for two weeks. Later, use it two or three times per day. You can do this exercise almost anywhere, like while waiting in line at the supermarket.

1. Start with your feet firmly planted, about 6 inches apart. Make sure your ankles are parallel to each other and your kneecaps are facing front. Don't lock your knees; keep them slightly bent. Try to keep your weight equally distributed: Imagine that your big toe, little toe, and heel are the three legs of a stool that bears your weight evenly.

2. Place your arms at your sides with your palms facing forward; this position rotates your arms so that your chest is more open.

3. Use your lower abdominal muscles to gently pull your belly up and in. Your abdomen should flatten only slightly; don't shift the position of your lower back dramatically. Hold this position for 5 to 10 seconds while breathing normally.

4. Drop your shoulders down and back, and lift your chest slightly upward.

5. Imagine that your head is floating over your spine. Move your chin in slightly toward your neck and chest. Picture your upper spine lengthening.

6. Breathe in deeply for 5 counts, and exhale for 5 counts; as you inhale, relax your upper abdominal muscles so the lower portions of your lungs fill with air.

Release Potent Energy

Acupressure, a self-care technique, involves using your hands to apply pressure to specific energy points on your body. It's similar to acupuncture but without the needles. According to practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine, manipulating these energy points frees blocked qi (or life energy), helping your body to heal. While much is still unknown about these points, researchers have found that acupuncture is an effective remedy for the discomfort of ailments like low back pain and headaches.

These three acupressure exercises are for chronic back pain, headaches, and neck pain. For information on acupressure for other types of pain, Gatanis and Frey recommend Acupressure's Potent Points: A Guide to Self-Care for Common Ailments (Bantam, 1990) by Michael Reed Gach. Practice these exercises daily.

For Back Pain

1. Lie on your back on the floor on a comfortable surface, either on a rug or a mat, with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.