If you suffer from chronic pain of any kind, it is important for you to know that it is associated and linked with your emotions. Other than your physical activities and personal relationships getting hampered, unwanted feelings like resentment, stress and frustration are also common. These emotions and feelings are capable of making your chronic pain condition more worse. 

The Relationship between your mind and body: Your mind and body work together and cannot be separated. Your mind controls all your thoughts and also affects the way in which pain is controlled or perceived by the body. Pain and the fear of pain may lead you to avoid activities. This may reduce your physical strength and cause disruption in the functioning of your body.

Stress: Stress affects your body both physically and emotionally. It may lead to an increase in your blood pressure, breathing rate, heart rate and muscle tension may also occur. These may lead to fatigue, appetite changes and sleep disruption. Stress also causes depression, anxiety, make you dependent on drugs and make you dependent on other people.

Depression: Depression is common among chronic pain patients. Chronic pain can make cases of existing depression much more worse and the existing pain is also worsened. There are chances of developing depression from chronic pain if depression runs in your family or genes. 

Symptoms of Depression are as follows:

Feeling sad, angry, worthless and hopeless frequently
Lack of energy
Lack of interest in regular activities
Difficulty in sleeping
An increase or decrease in appetite, which may lead to major weight gain or weight loss
Difficulty with concentration
Having suicidal thoughts and thoughts about dying or harming oneself
How to Handle your Emotions during Chronic Pain: A common therapy, which people with chronic pain undertake is called Cognitive Behavioural therapy. You should seek the help of a therapist. In this therapy, you will learn about thinking in a positive way instead of drowning in negative thoughts. Your fear of pain will be reduced and you will learn how to strengthen important relationships. You will be able to develop a sense of freedom from chronic pain. 

If your chronic pain occurs due to an accident or emotional trauma, you may be assessed for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by your healthcare provider. Many patients suffering from PTSD cannot deal with their pain until the emotional stress is dealt with. If you feel depressed and cannot control your emotions, you need to consult a doctor.

Chronic Pain - Is it Linked to Our Emotions?

The toes and heels are the most load bearing components within your feet which take most of the weight when walking, running, exercising or even standing up. The heels are an especially vulnerable part of the body which can become painful either due to injuries or excessive stress put on it. Pain in your heels can also be a sign of other problems in your body.

Causes for heel pain:

1. Sprains or straining the leg: Exercising is one of the most common culprits behind heel damage. Wearing the wrong shoes over prolonged periods, which can cause your balance to be shifted and will lead you to put strain on your heels and cause pain. Falling or spraining during exercising or training can also cause heel pain.

2. Fractures: Stress or hairline fractures can occur even without impacts or trauma and also cause pain. It will slowly build up over time. In such cases, you should immediately consult a doctor and take remedial action.

3. Achilles tendon: A common cause for heel pain, the Achilles tendon connects the calf muscle to the heel. If this is torn or damaged, it can cause pain in your heel.

4. Arthritis: The deposition of uric acid crystals in parts of your body may result in arthritis; this is a fairly common cause for heel pain as well.

Treatments available

1. Change in shoes: Shoes play a major role in the development of heel pain. You will either need to change the shoes or adjust the heels to ensure that they are at an equal and comfortable height and keep your posture natural and balanced.

2. Foot supports: There are specialized heel supports and wedges, which you can wear with the footwear. These supports help redistribute weight from the problem areas and uniformly distribute it among the other parts of the foot. Heel cups are also another form of supports you could try.

3. Pain relief medications: Sometimes aspirin or ibuprofen may be required to numb and dull the pain, if getting through the day becomes difficult or you are in the middle of work.

4. Resting: Sometimes resting is the only medication you can take to relieve the pain as it can only subside once the underlying conditions are corrected.

5. Ice packs: Cold compress and cold therapy would definitely help in numbing the area and providing temporary pain relief.

It is however, advisable to visit the doctor if the pain persists and take specialized medical care in more complicated cases wherein the pain is prolonged.

Heel Pain its Causes and Treatments

The gastrointestinal tract is a large muscular tube that extends all the way from the mouth to the rectum in human beings. It is also called the digestive tract or alimentary canal. The muscles in this tube move the food, all the way to the stomach, from the mouth and then, due to the release of enzymes, the food is digested. The components of the gastrointestinal tract are the oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, liver, pancreas, gallbladder etc. 

Symptoms of gastrointestinal tract problems include:

Pain
Abdominal distension
Heartburn
Bloating
Nausea
Vomiting
Constipation 
Diarrhea
Some of the most common gastrointestinal tract problems are:

Chest Pain: Also known as Gastro-esophageal Reflux Disease, this happens if the stomach acids travel back into one s esophagus. This phenomenon is commonly called an acid reflux. Often, it could occur after meals. It is quite common to experience this every once in a while. However, having these on a daily basis or at least thrice a week should not be ignored, as it could be a symptom of GERD.
Celiac Disease:  This refers to severe gluten sensitivity, a protein present in rye, wheat and barley. People who suffer from this disease are advised to avoid consumption of gluten in any form. The consumption of gluten sends the immune system on attack mode, damaging the villi which are found in the small intestine, that help to absorb nutrients from the food consumed. 
Irritable Bowel Syndrome: The feeling of discomfort and stomach pain, at least thrice a month for a prolonged period of time, maybe a symptom of IBS. What causes IBS  is unknown, but the treatment is to avoid foods which produce gas. A diet low in fats and high in fiber content is also advised. 
Hemorrhoids: Blood during bowel movements is a sign of hemorrhoids. It happens when the blood vessels present towards the end of one s digestive tract get inflamed. The causes may include diarrhea, chronic constipation, or a low fiber diet. OTC creams may give temporary relief. A high fiber diet, drinking a lot more water, and exercising regularly is advised. 
Crohn s Disease: This is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks cells in your own body. Crohn s disease is part of a group of digestive conditions called inflammatory bowel disease. Some symptoms include weight loss, rectal bleeding and abnormal pain.       
Gallstones: These are hard deposits that form in the gallbladder. They occur when there is a high amount of waste or cholesterol in your bile. Gallstones block the passage from the gallbladder to the intestines, which may result in a sharp pain felt in the upper right region of the abdomen. Medication to dissolve the gallstones or surgery is advised.
The gastrointestinal tract is very important and should be taken care of properly. Any discomfort shouldn t be ignored. 

6 Most Common Gastrointestinal Problems!

Intestinal distress is usually characterised by discomfort and pain in the abdomen, as well as an irritable bowel. This is generally caused when food does not move fast enough through the food pipe, to get digested in time. In Ayurvedic terms, this undigested, unprocessed food and the toxins that it causes is known as Ama. Intestinal distress includes conditions ranging from heartburn to IBS or irritable bowel syndrome. This is also known as Grahani in Ayurveda. Want to more about treating these conditions, the Ayurvedic way? Here's how!

1. Mustakarishta: This medicine helps in the prevention and treatment of loose motions as well as indigestion that causes gas and acidity.

2. Dadimavaleha: This is generally prescribed for patients suffering from fever along with loose motions, and bleeding, which usually points to infections in the body.

3. Kutajarishta: This concoction is used for treating patients suffering from dysentery, loose motions and mild to severe irritable bowel syndrome. 

4 Pushyanuga Churna: This medicine is used for treating menorrhagia, metrorrhagia, excessive bleeding during menstrual cycles and other digestive disorders.

5. Kutajavaleha: This is usually used during treatment for conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis and piles. It also treats inflammation and bleeding issues. This medicine is also useful in treating patients suffering from anaemia.

6. Sanjeevani Vati: This medicine can be used for treating problems associated with dyspepsia, gastro enteritis and indigestion which can lead to heartburn. 

7. Bilwadi Gutika: Patients who have endured rodent or insect bites as well as gastro enteritis issues can use this medicine for instant relief.

8. Jeerakarishtam: This medicine is used for mothers who have just had babies and need to control frequent stools and indigestion in the post-natal period. 

The use of Ayurvedic medicines necessarily needs the support of other measures like eating a healthy and balanced diet as well as massages and other such tools prescribed under this science. The medicines work towards healing and preventing further eruptions of the ailments. But for the successful treatment of the same, patients of intestinal distress need to remember not to overeat and to have meals on time, and in a routine manner. The meals should consist of cumin, turmeric and easy to digest food as well as plenty of water. Exercise is another important facet of relieving the discomfort felt under such situations.

Treat Intestinal Distress Through Ayurveda

Vaginismus is a condition characterized by significant pain in the vagina generally during sexual intercourse. This pain occurs on penetration due to the contraction of the vaginal muscles.

Causes

The exact cause of Vaginismus is not exactly known to the doctors. But some researchers suggests that the pain might result from severe anxiety or illogical fears before sex.

Vaginismus can be primary or secondary depending on the concerned woman s previous sexual experiences. Vaginismus can be linked to an earlier sexually painful experience, sexual trauma or psychological factors. In some cases, the pain tends to exist without any direct physical cause. The causes of the pain might vary from women to women and might occur in some cases with only one specific partner and not with others.

Sometimes the pain might stem from underlying infections or any other underlying complications.

The symptoms of Vaginismus are as follows:

Severe pain during intercourse.

Severe pain during insertion of tampons or during any medical check-ups.

The following treatments can be useful to treat Vaginismus:

If the pain arises due to anxiety or fear, counselling sessions can help you to a remedy.

If the pain arises whenever something penetrates the vaginal walls, progressive desensitization can be useful to treat the pain. The process aims to loosen the vaginal muscles so that you don t experience any pain during sexual intercourse.

Kegel exercises (at least 20 of them) can help in the initial stage to relax the vaginal muscles. After you exercise for a few days, you should try inserting one finger inside your vagina while doing the exercises. Try doing it gently and if it still hurts, try doing it with a lubricating jelly. This continuous procedure will help in the contraction of the vaginal muscles which eventually relax.

Vaginismus - Things You Should Be Aware of 

Everyone can suffer from pain in the stomach, at one time or the other and we usually ignore it. But when the pain is sudden and severe abdominal pain then it is termed as acute pain and this should not be ignored.

Often the following can be expected with acute pain:

Acute abdomen pain is usually synonymous with rapid onset of the symptoms which might indicate life threatening intra-abdominal pathology.
Pain is just a feature and not necessary that it is present at all times. An acute abdomen which is pain free usually occurs in children and women who are in their third trimester of pregnancy.
The differential diagnosis is difficult and wide especially in primary care. This is because the different organs within their peritoneal cavity might have different areas of referred pains.
Abdominal pain usually happens to be in the top three symptoms when patients present their state in the emergency and accident departments. But only few of these have acute abdominal pain.
Management of the abdominal pain should be the primary focus and an assessment should be done to reach the differential diagnosis so that care can be given accordingly.
The clinical evaluation regarding abdomen pain can change quickly. Any diagnosis which had been made can change and both doctor and patient should not be hesitant and seek other treatment.
Conditions which might cause acute abdomen pain are:

Meckel's diverticulitis or Acute appendicitis
Acute cholecystitis
Ectopic pregnancy
Acute pancreatitis.
Peptic ulcer disease
Diverticulitis.
Intestinal obstruction, including paralytic ileus (adynamic obstruction)
Pelvic inflammatory disease.
Gastrointestinal (GI) haemorrhage
Gastroenteritis.
Acute intestinal ischaemia/infarction or vasculitis.
Acute urinary retention
Renal colic or renal tract pain
Testicular torsion
Abdominal aortic aneurysm
Non surgical diseases like pericarditis, sickle cell crisis, acute intermittent porphyria, HIV-associated lymphadenopathy, bowel disease, typhoid, opiate withdrawal, enteritis, pneumonia, myocardial infarction and hepatitis.
Rare causes might include thromboemboli, phytobezoar, and phytobezoar
Diagnosis of abdominal pains:

Patients can be ordered to get their blood tests done. Also if need be then imaging can also be referred to them.
Following tests can be done to rule out the condition causing the abdominal pain:
Blood Tests: these include FBC, LFTs, glucose, amylase, clotting, calcium and arterial blood gas for pancreatitis
Crossmatch or group and save
Pregnancy test in women of childbearing age
Blood cultures
Peritoneal lavage in case of an abdominal trauma
Urine analysis
X ray of the abdomen, ultrasound, CT scan
ECG and cardiac enzymes
Laparoscopy should be a routine procedure

Don't Ignore the Acute Abdominal Pain

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