For people living with chronic pain or illness, life often feels debilitating and frustrating. People with chronic pain can often feel powerless about what they can and often need to adjust their lives and work schedules around the pain.
If you suffer, you are not alone. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), more than 20% of American adults suffer from chronic pain. Chronic pain is linked to decreased mobility, opioid dependence, anxiety, and depression, as well as reduced quality of life.
A typical conventional medicine approach leaves only three choices:
- Just live with the pain.
- Commit to expensive, time-intensive procedures or surgeries.
- Take medication to numb the pain but deal with the fatigue and foggy-headedness that comes along with that.
The problem with these approaches is that no matter which route, more often than not, people are still in pain and suffer from a much lower quality of life. Not only that, since the root cause is unaddressed, the remedies hide the real problem.
I see so many people lose hope, thinking, “This is as good as life gets.” All of the excess pain and medication takes a toll on the body, mind, and spirit.
In all my years as a holistic practitioner, I’ve seen there is a better way. One that restores quality of life and hope without unwanted side-effects. That is why I share Tim’s story today.
TIME FOR A VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: DO NOT STOP ANY PRESCRIBED MEDICATIONS WITHOUT MEDICAL SUPERVISION OR WITHOUT CONSULTING THE PRESCRIBING PHYSICIAN. ABRUPTLY STOPPING MEDICATIONS CAN CAUSE SERIOUS, EVEN FATAL, EFFECTS. EVERY SITUATION IS UNIQUE, THIS CASE INCLUDED, AND IT IS VERY IMPORTANT YOU NOT GENERALIZE THESE RESULTS TO YOURSELF. TO FIND OUT IF THE UNIQUE METHODS OF TREATMENT OUTLINED IN THIS CASE HISTORY MIGHT BE A GOOD FIT FOR YOU, YOU MAY SCHEDULE A FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION.
Tim’s Story
Tim learned about Cup of Life Healing Center from a friend, who is also a past patient. Referrals from past patients happen all the time in our clinic. Even patients who haven’t seen us for years remember their excellent experience and refer their friends and loved ones in for help too.
When Tim arrived for his free initial consultation, he hobbled into our clinic with the support of a cane. His body hunched over, and he moved very slowly. Despite him being a positive person, it was also very apparent that he suffered a lot from his pain.
When the free consultation began, I invited him to tell his whole story about why he was seeking help. He was very open and offered a detailed but brief history of his condition.
What prompted Tim to seek out help was swelling in his legs and feet. The swelling, plus pain in his low back and hips, led to numbness in the legs and feet and impacted his balance. It was so painful and made it impossible to go out and do the things he likes to do, or anything.
Tim, like many with chronic pain, has a long, complicated medical history. He is no stranger to seeing a wide variety of doctors and had just about given up on anyone being able to help him. For Tim, the edema was the last straw.
I see this a lot, not just with chronic pain cases, but with all kinds of issues, including women’s health and fertility, auto-immune issues, hormone imbalances, thyroid conditions, and depression/anxiety, to name a few. In many instances, for whatever reason, western medicine has come up short on answers.
When others have no answer is where Chinese medicine and a holistic approach shine. Our 100% holistic approach of looking for and treating the root cause means we often have answers where others do not.
So, I assured Tim we could help. Physical, mental, and emotional stress can take a toll on the body over time. The symptoms he experienced now resulted from his body adapting perfectly to the environment it was living in.
We often don’t realize that we are a perfect design and that our bodies will alter themselves when needed. Our bodies do this naturally to ensure survival in any circumstance we put them in or find ourselves in.
Events like physical/emotional trauma, working too hard for too long, stuffing down emotions, poor food choices, etc. However, this state of survival is not always what we would like and often manifests as pain, inflammation, and other undesirable health conditions.
During the consultation, I shared with Tim about our unique approach and my process of finding the root cause of his symptoms. When we address the root cause, symptoms begin to disappear.
And, I explained to Tim how we look at ALL of him. I also explained how understanding the root cause helps us target a multi-faceted treatment with acupuncture, dietary recommendations, and targeted herbs and supplements. And, equally importantly, mind-body guidance as well.
The other thing that I told him about my diagnostic methods is that I do not rely on expensive lab tests to tell me what is out of balance or even for measuring progress. I pay attention to what the patient is telling me both consciously (“I feel better than I have a long time”) and unconsciously (the look on the patient’s face or the bounce in their step). Everyone’s lab test ranges are different and can be different at various times of the day. Not that I throw away lab test results when a patient presents them to me. They can be another piece of the puzzle. However, I do not rely on them. Therefore, I see no reason to add that expense for the patient. Lab tests show what is going on now, and we already know that something is wrong now. That is why people come in for help. I want to know how it got to this point to adjust that and ensure long-lasting results.
Tim knew, at that point, that my methodology was what he was looking for. He felt very confident that I could help him where so many others could not. He booked his Initial Intake appointment on the spot.
Tim’s Journey to Wellness
When Tim returned for his initial intake appointment, he was very excited. As I started asking more questions, he remembered more details that I used to build his treatment plan. We reviewed some other serious health issues that he was experiencing, some of which he suffered from his whole life.
I described how his past experiences led to what he is facing now, and I did it understandably.
After Tim’s first treatment, he said he felt great. There was no significant impact on his pain and ability to walk. Still, he felt great and enjoyed the feeling he had during his acupuncture treatment and the meditative setting. He could tell that something felt different.
At the end of his intake, I also gave Tim a comprehensive, written treatment plan which we reviewed together for clarity. The treatment plan included some specific nutritional supplements focused on precisely what Tim needed, some simple yet powerful dietary shifts, and weekly acupuncture treatments to calm the nervous system.
Tim scheduled his future treatments and left that day feeling hopeful (he felt physically better that day) and empowered (he had a plan) in his path to better health.
Tim returned for regular weekly follow-up visits. Each week, he reported feeling better and better. The treatment had improved his balance, significantly reduced his pain, and drastically reduced the edema in his legs and feet.
On his fourth treatment, I greeted him at the front door to give him his COVID checks (this happens each time someone comes in for their appointment). On this particular day, I watched him get out of his car in the parking lot and walk very swiftly to the stairs and climb up the stairs not only without a cane but without even using the handrail.
I said. “You must be feeling terrific today!” He asked why and I pointed out what I had just seen. He had forgotten that he had not needed his cane because of the improvements in his balance.
There is still work to do because of the severity of Tim’s condition, but he makes progress every week, and we are there every step of the way to help him with the ups and downs of his healing journey.
Suppose you are ready, like Tim, to start YOUR journey to better health, take control of your chronic pain condition, AND reduce or eliminate harmful pharmaceuticals in your current regimen. In that case, I want to invite you to take the next step RIGHT now, just like Tim did, and request your FREE initial consultation.
Your initial consultation is free. Come meet us in person and learn more.
Or, just call 603-352-3625 and we'll be happy to answer your questions.
Consultations are available for both Keene, NH and Nashua, NH locations.
SPECIAL NOTE FOR COVID: Initial consults are conducted in person or via Zoom (your choice). Just let us know your preference when booking.
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* Individual results vary. No guarantee of specific results is warranted or implied and your results will depend on many factors (full disclaimer)
