Treating Other Health Conditions To Indirectly Treat Pain: Why This Can Help
Sources of pain are not limited to previous injuries or traumas. In fact, there are many reasons why you may have ongoing pain. Sometimes these sources of pain are linked to other health conditions. Treating these health conditions can indirectly treat the pain. Here are some examples and why this can help.
Obesity
This is a touchy subject for many Americans, but the fact remains that people are not meant to be obese. In a country where at least one third of the population is obese and almost all of those people complain of pain, it is clear that a little fat reserve is fine, but anything over twenty-five pounds above your normal weight is going to cause a lot of problems. Treating obesity requires diet and exercise, which is often difficult because of pain. However, most people find that once they start losing weight and exercising daily, their pain significantly diminishes.
Diabetes
Diabetic neuropathy produces a lot of pain in one's feet and legs. It is estimated that 7.2 million people in the U.S. are walking around with diabetes that has not been diagnosed. These people usually do not know they have diabetes until they begin to feel a lot of pain in their feet and legs. Even then, they may not seek out a doctor because they may assume that their feet and legs are just tired from standing and moving all day.
If you feel this kind of pain in your feet and legs, see your doctor right away. By starting a treatment course for diabetes, the pain in your legs and feet will lessen. Some patients can eliminate this pain completely when their diabetes is properly diagnosed and effectively treated.
IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
IBS starts out as the occasional painful cramping of the abdomen. As the syndrome progresses, you experience ongoing diarrhea or constipation and more pain. The pain intensifies and is often described as feeling like someone stabbed you repeatedly in the lower stomach or giving birth (if that point of reference applies to you). Treating the IBS with medication means you have fewer bouts of diarrhea or constipation, and subsequently, fewer bouts of intense abdominal pain too.
Crohn's Disease or Celiac Disease
Likewise, Crohn's Disease and celiac disease produce extremely uncomfortable and very painful abdominal sensations. Celiac disease is the result of an inability to process gluten and digest wheat products, which is a very big part of the American diet. Crohn's Disease is an inability to process a wide range of foods that are otherwise healthy for you. If your doctor diagnoses you with these, and helps you with the right medications, you will find that pain management is not far behind.