How depression makes pain worse

Which comes first...the chicken or the egg?  Many people ponder this question and now I'm going to ask which comes first....pain or depression.

You live in pain and there doesn't seem to be anyway out of it.  You don't understand what your Doctor tells you...you need a medical degree to understand their language.  So you take your pain killers....but they stop working.



Your body can build up an immune to your pain killers.  It starts out with needing to take more to relieve your pain symptoms...then they just quit working.  So you get depressed and guess what?  Depression can make your pain worse.  

 "Living with chronic or long-term pain is a tremendous burden. But when you have chronic pain and depression, the burden gets even heavier.

Depression magnifies pain. It makes it more difficult to cope with everyday living.  (WebMD)

According to WebMD:  "If you have chronic pain and depression, you've got plenty of company. Depression is one of the most common psychological issues facing people who suffer from chronic pain, and it often complicates the patient's conditions and treatment. Consider these statistics:

• According to the American Pain Foundation, about 32 million people in the U.S. report have had pain lasting longer than one year.
• From one-quarter to more than half of the population that complains of pain to their doctors are depressed.
• On average, 65% of depressed people also complain of pain.

People whose pain limits their independence are especially likely to get depressed.

Because depression in patients with chronic pain frequently goes undiagnosed, it often goes untreated. Pain symptoms and complaints take center stage on most doctor visits. The result is depression -- along with sleep disturbances, loss of appetite, lack of energy, and decreased physical activity, which may make pain much worse."

You tried pain medication which is highly addictive.....it didn't work.  You become depressed, which only makes your pain worse....so you take more pain medication.  It is a viscous cycle. What can you do?  The first thing you need to do is find a Doctor who understands this cycle and who wants to help treat your pain not your symptoms.  Often times the symptoms are treated because the injury is not known.  Find a Doctor in your area that has Digital Motion X-ray.  To learn more about DMX click here.  This revolutionary product can actually help find injuries that the common x-ray and MRI's will miss.   Treating the injury through a non-medication approach with healthy lifestyle changes will make the difference in your life.


No one wants to live in pain.  No one wants to become addicted to pain killers.  Now there is a way to eliminate these from your life.  Depression is a symptom of pain.  Don't take more medication for depression when your pain can be treated if you know where the injury is.  

Don't settle for the old X-rays....choose Digital Motion X-Ray!  

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Dr. Jere Sutton of the Colorado Car Wreck is a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon

Why can't you sleep?

Why does a person, who is tired all day, go to bed and can't sleep?




According to WebMD there are six reasons why a person can't sleep at night and we will address three today:  

Stress:  Okay, so who isn't stressed?  According to WebMD and a study that was conducted in 2009 by the American Psychological Association three in four American Adults are stressed.  Stress comes in many different forms; good and bad.  Worry will keep you awake.  I often tell people that the emotional work is much harder on a person than the physical.  The mind will keep working after the body has had enough.  This is what happens when we are stressed and try to sleep; our minds are thinking about the situation(s) and trying to resolve it. 

 "No one sleeps well with worries," says Joyce Walsleban, RN, PhD, associate professor of medicine at NYU's School of Medicine. "They are too alerting. They will either keep you up or wake you up later on."

"Stress hormones shoulder some of the blame. When you're stressed out, your adrenal glands release hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, which keep you amped up and struggling to snooze." (WebMD)

Depression:  According to WebMD Insomnia and depression go together; determining which one causes the other may be difficult.  Research suggests that people with insomnia have ten times the risk of developing depression vs. those who sleep well. 

"And people who are depressed commonly struggle with insomnia, showing symptoms such as difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up feeling rested. The brain chemical serotonin, which affects mood, emotion, sleep, and appetite, according to Walsleban, is one likely reason the two conditions travel in tandem.

Ironically, Avidan warns, a common class of medication used to treat depression -- selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors -- sometimes causes sleep disorders, such as periodic limb movement disorder, which causes your legs to jerk while you sleep, or rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder, in which people act out their dreams, punching, kicking, or jumping from bed while still asleep. Talk with your doctor about all possible medication side effects."

Caffeine:  Who knew caffeine could stay in your system for up to 14 hours?  According to WebMD it can take eight to 14 hours for your body to rid of one-half of the caffeine you consume throughout the day.  Keep track of what you eat and drink throughout the day as you would be surprised how much of what we eat and drink have caffeine.  

"A latte with two shots of espresso contains about 150 milligrams of caffeine. If you have that at 5 p.m., by the time you wake up at 7 in the morning, the level of caffeine in the body is still about 75 milligrams. One Red Bull contains 80 milligrams of caffeine, Avidan explains.
If you can't sleep, say no to joe until sleep problems are under control, Avidan advises. If insomnia isn't a major problem, but you mysteriously can't sleep some nights, cut off your coffee or tea intake after breakfast. "Once you go beyond 10 a.m., it can be a problem," Avidan says about ingesting caffeine. Yet, most people become sleepy around 3 p.m. and use caffeine for a midday pick-me-up. That's a mistake, he says.
And don't forget that coffee and tea aren't the only things loaded with caffeine. "Chocolate is notorious for causing sleep problems and people don't recognize it," Avidan says. "People also have the notion that soda must have a dark color to be caffeinated. That's a myth."

We know that sleep keeps us healthy.  We know that without sleep we are a danger to ourselves and others.  If you are having trouble sleeping and find yourself tired go see your Doctor!  You may not think it's a problem but it is.  Not sleeping doesn't only just affect you and your family, it affects everyone who may cross your path.  

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration there may be as many as 100,000 crashes from driver fatigue each year, with an estimated 1,550 deaths, 71,000 people injured, causing $12.5 billion economic losses. These figures may be the tip of the iceberg, since currently it is difficult to attribute crashes to sleepiness. (Car Accidents)

I have discovered a simple "fix" for my "tired during the day and can't sleep at night":  Vitamin B12 shots. I've tried the supplements and because of the breakdown that happens with digesting them they never worked.  Vitamin B12 shots have given me energy during the day and a good night sleep.

If you are in Southern Colorado and would like to try a Vitamin B12 shot you can get your first one for only $10.00 at Premier Back Rehabilitation Center.  Talk to them about your sleeping disorder.

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Stress: Is it good for you?

Stress kills.  We here that all the time; stress can lead to heart attacks, strokes and some say stress can "cause" cancer.

Stress does cause a physiological reaction with the body, whether it is good stress or bad:

The Body’s Stress Response (Taken from the HelpGuide.org website) "When you perceive a threat, your nervous system responds by releasing a flood of stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones rouse the body for emergency action.
Your heart pounds faster, muscles tighten, blood pressure rises, breath quickens, and your senses become sharper. These physical changes increase your strength and stamina, speed your reaction time, and enhance your focus – preparing you to either fight or flee from the danger at hand."

Too much stress can cause your body to react in a "not so positive way."  This type of stress can lead to many heath conditions that will far out-weigh the stress.  

So, how can stress be good for you?  Good stress comes from your reaction to whatever is happening.  As the Help Guide states:  when you perceive a threat you body releases hormones as a natural reaction.  What you do with it will determine if it will be bad for you or good for you.  We all need that adrenaline rush or life would be boring but "hanging on" to something that you cannot change can lead to unwanted consequences.

Let's look at a few major stressors that lead to bad stress: 

Loss of job:  

• Will I find another job?  
• How am I going to pay the bills?  
• How will my family/friends "view" me now?
• How am I going to pay for my family's doctor visits?
• Will I find another job that pays me what I need to survive?

The list of reasons to stress goes on and on and unfortunately the best way to relieve this stress is to get another job.  This type of stress can lead to depression which brings on a more medical problems.  

Divorce:  

• What did I do wrong?
• How will I support my family?
• What will my ex-spouse say to my children?
• Will I ever find someone else?
• How will I take care of my children?

This is another type of stress that can lead to depression and cause medical issues.

So what is good stress?  Here are a couple of examples.  

• An almost car crash:  You slide on the ice and are heading towards an object that you are going to hit.  The adrenaline starts pumping.  Your body goes into fight or flight mode.  You are stressed in those few seconds.  You are able to avoid the car crash.  How is this stress good for you?  You learned from it and carry it with you.
• Deadline:  Your boss places a file on your desk at 1:30 PM and it needs to be completed, proofed and approved  by 4:30 PM.  Stress right?  Again, your body reacts to this stress and the adrenaline starts pumping. This adrenaline can actually help you focus and complete the task at hand.  When you have the task completed there is a sense of relief and the "stress" is no longer there.

Life is hard.  Life today may be harder than it was a few years ago.  There is no doubt that we all experience stress.  What we do with it is up to us.  How we handle the stress will determine if it is good or bad.  One of my favorite quotes is by Maya Angelou:

“If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.”

I realize that this quote does not work for all situations as there are some stessors out there that just can't be helped.  Use this for the stress that happens in your life that you can change either the stress or your attitude towards it.

Please tell me how you relieve stress.

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Little things people do that harm your health...not sleeping

Why is it that we, as humans, KNOW we need to get sleep to be healthy...yet we don't. 




Ever watch a cat or dog stay up for hours when they are tired?  No.  They sleep when they need to sleep.  This is a great video if you need to learn how to sleep.

According to WebMD there are 10 things YOU should HATE about "lack of sleep."

1. Accidents.  We all know what can happen when you are driving and fall asleep...people die.  Maybe what you didn't know was "sleep deprivation was a factor in some of the biggest disasters in recent history: the 1979 nuclear accident at Three Mile Island, the massive Exxon Valdez oil spill, the 1986 nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl, and others."
2. Lack of sleep "dumbs you down."  (WebMD's words not mine):  Sleep helps you think so lack of sleep; "First, it impairs attention, alertness, concentration, reasoning, and problem solving. This makes it more difficult to learn efficiently.Second, during the night, various sleep cycles play a role in“consolidating” memories in the mind. If you don’t get enough sleep, you won’t be able to remember what you learned and experienced during the day."
3. Causes serious health issues: "Sleep disorders and chronic sleep loss can put you at risk for:
   Heart disease
   Heart attack
   Heart failure
   Irregular heartbeat
   High blood pressure
   Stroke
   Diabetes
   According to some estimates, 90% of people with insomnia -- a sleep disorder characterized by trouble falling and staying asleep -- also have another health condition."
4. No sleep, no sex drive:  "Sleep specialists say that sleep-deprived men and women report lower libidos and less interest in sex. Depleted energy, sleepiness, and increased tension may be largely to blame."
5. Depression:  "Insomnia and depression feed on each other. Sleep loss often aggravates the symptoms of depression, and depression can make it more difficult to fall asleep. On the positive side, treating sleep problems can help depression and its symptoms, and vice versa."
6. Ages your skin:  "When you don’t get enough sleep, your body releases more of the stress hormone cortisol. In excess amounts, cortisol can break down skin collagen, the protein that keeps skin smooth and elastic."
7. Where did I put my.......?  Forgetfulness:  "In 2009, American and French researchers determined that brain events called“sharp wave ripples” are responsible for consolidating memory. The ripples also transfer learned information from the hippocampus to the neocortex of the brain, where long-term memories are stored. Sharp wave ripples occur mostly during the deepest levels of sleep."
8. Weight Gain:  "According to a 2004 study, people who sleep less than six hours a day were almost 30 percent more likely to become obese than those who slept seven to nine hours.  Recent research has focused on the link between sleep and the peptides that regulate appetite. 'Ghrelin stimulates hunger and leptin signals satiety to the brain and suppresses appetite,' says Siebern. Shortened sleep time is associated with decreases in leptin and elevations in ghrelin.”
9. May increase death:  "In the “Whitehall II Study,” British researchers looked at how sleep patterns affected the mortality of more than 10,000 British civil servants over two decades. The results, published in 2007, showed that those who had cut their sleep from seven to five hours or fewer a night nearly doubled their risk of death from all causes. In particular, lack of sleep doubled the risk of death from cardiovascular disease."
10. Impairs Judgement:  "Sleep-deprived people seem to be especially prone to poor judgment when it comes to assessing what lack of sleep is doing to them. In our increasingly fast-paced world, functioning on less sleep has become a kind of badge of honor. But sleep specialists say if you think you’re doing fine on less sleep, you’re probably wrong. And if you work in a profession where it’s important to be able to judge your level of functioning, this can be a big problem."

This is just an overview on what the affects of "lack of sleep" can cause.  To read in more detail visit WebMD.

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Things that harm your health....staying inside

Skin Cancer is the biggest fear that most have when you are told to get outside....but did you know that avoiding the sun has higher health risks than getting moderate sun exposure while using precautions such as sunscreen?  A good way to view sunlight is the same as we view most everything...in moderation. 

According and copied (they say it so well) from Natural Heath Restored:

 

 

 

So, what are the benefits of sunlight? Check out this long list!

• One of the major benefits of sunlight is that it helps fruits, vegetables, and grains to grow and be healthy. It also helps animals and us humans to grow and develop as well.
• A definite plus of sunshine is that it gives you a healthy looking complexion. It will make your skin smooth with an irresistible healthy glow.
• If you get regular exposure to sunlight, it will help protect your skin in the long run. That is because your body will build up a natural resistance to the harmful effects of ultraviolet light.
• If you allow your skin to get moderately tanned, it will be more resistant to infections and sunburns than if your skin is not tanned.
• The ultraviolet rays in sunshine act as a natural antiseptic. These rays can kill viruses, bacteria, molds, yeasts, fungi, and mites in air, water, and on different surfaces including your skin.
• Getting some sun tends to help clear up different skin diseases such as acne, boils, athletes foot, diaper rash, psoriasis, and eczema.
• Another of the main benefits of sunlight is that it stimulates your appetite and improves your digestion, elimination, and metabolism.
• Getting your daily dose of sunshine will enhance your immune system. It increases the number of white blood cells in your blood. It also helps them to be better fighters in their mission to destroy germs.
• Sunshine encourages healthy circulation. It also stimulates the production of more red blood cells which increases the amount of oxygen in your blood.
• Sunlight is one of the most effective healing agents that exists.
• Feeling down? One of the major benefits of sunlight is that it will soothe your nerves and boost your mood leaving you with a renewed sense of well-being. Sunlight increases the production of endorphins and serotonin in your brain which will definitely leave you feeling much better.
• Getting enough sunlight during the day can help you sleep better at night. If you are exposed to natural light during the day, it will increase your melatonin output at night. Melatonin is a natural hormone made by our bodies. It enhances sleep and slows down the aging process.
• The healing properties of the sun are excellent for people who are suffering from various diseases and ailments.
• Sunlight helps to balance out your hormones. It may even help to relieve certain symptoms of PMS.
• Sunlight improves the function of your liver and helps it to break down toxins and wastes that could lead to cancer and other diseases.
• If you've got swollen, arthritic joints, sunlight may help lower your pain levels.
• Sunlight is an effective treatment for jaundice.
• According to some studies on the benefits of sunlight, exposure to the sun may decrease your risk of breast, colon, and prostate cancers.
• Sunlight helps your body convert a form of cholesterol that is present in your skin into vitamin D. This results in lower blood cholesterol levels. Click here to read more about the benefits of vitamin D.
• Other benefits of sunlight include the life-giving energy it gives to your organs and the way it helps to strengthen and vitalize your body.

Grab your sunscreen and go outside!!!  There are so many health benefits to getting natural sunlight and with the right protection you can enjoy the best of both worlds. 

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Obesity and the diseases it can cause

First off you need to find out if you are in the group that is considered obese....you can use this calculator to determine a rough idea if you are in that category.




The answer may have scared you....because when we think of obese we think of 100 pounds overweight.  If you fall into the category, or if you are close, this information is essential to you.

According to LSIA Medical Laboratory there are 20 diseases or condition that can be attributed to obesity.

1. Diabetes
2. Cancer
3. Congestive Heart Failure
4. Enlarged Heart
5. Pulmonary Embolism
6. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
7. Gastro esophageal Reflux Disease
8. Fatty Liver Disease
9. Hernia
10. Erectile Dysfunction
11. Urinary Incontinence
12. Chronic Renal Failure
13. Lymph edema
14. Cellulitis
15. Stoke
16. Pickwickian Syndrome
17. Depresion
18. Osteoarthritis
19. Gout
20. Gallbladder Disease

To learn about each of these disease please click the link of LSIA Medical Laboratory.

The U.S. Surgeon General warns about premature deaths caused by obesity.

• Estimated 300,000 deaths PER YEAR is caused by obesity and obesity related diseases.
• The risk of death increases as weight increases.
• If you are between the age of 30-64 even 10-20 pounds overweight increases your risk of death.
• If your BMI is 30> you increase your risk of premature death by 50-100%.

We have tended to live to eat instead of eat to live.  We have over indulged ourselves to early deaths.  It's never too late to take control of your life!

If you need help with this contact Premier Back Rehabilitation Center, PC as they are trained to help you with this.