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What Causes Chronic Pain?

What Causes Chronic Pain?

You twisted your ankle helping a buddy move into a new apartment. It hurt for a couple days but now you’re good as new again. But what about the burning pain between your shoulders that flares up during the work day? You’re not sure when it originated or how, but it’s been there for a long time and nothing ever seems to help. That could be chronic pain.

What is chronic pain?

“Chronic pain lasts much longer. Chronic pain may last months or even years. Chronic pain may interfere with your daily activities. And because the pain lasts so long, people who have chronic pain may also have low self-esteem, depression, and anger.”

The physical and psychological symptoms related to chronic pain are manageable, often with treatments like ketamine.

The difference between chronic and acute pain

Acute pain is localized, has a definite cause, and will eventually subside. It’s the sort of pain that’s mostly unpleasant, caused by a sunburn, bee sting, stubbed toe, or a mild ache or burning sensation. It rarely lasts.

Is it all in my brain?

For years, your hip hurt with every step. The pain became so intense and long-lasting that your doctor concluded it was time for replacement surgery. Once you recovered, you discovered your hip still hurt. What gives?

You can blame the chronic pain sensation on your brain. Thanks to central sensitization, your “brain gets used to prolonged exposure to pain signals and adjusts to them,” according to pain management specialist Robert Bolash, MD.

Chronic pain and other conditions

According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chronic pain is a huge problem. By some estimates, more than 50 million U.S. adults experience it each year. It may result in other conditions affecting a person’s health, including:

  • Depression, which is a mental health disorder classified by a stubbornly depressed mood or little interest in activities, impairing daily life.
  • Anxiety, which is a mental health illness described by feelings of worry, nervousness, or fear that are powerful enough to restrict your daily activities.
  • Somatization disorder, once called hysteria. It’s “a chronic psychiatric condition beginning before age 30, more commonly in women than men, in which the sick person has many physical complaints and impairments either in the absence of organic pathology or greatly in excess of the degree of pathology.”
  • Conversion disorder, also known as a functional neurological disorder. It is characterized by “nervous system (neurological) symptoms that can’t be explained by a neurological disease or other medical condition. However, the symptoms are real and cause significant distress or problems functioning.”
  • Psychogenic pain disorder, which isn’t a real diagnostic term. It’s used to describe a pain disorder caused by psychological factors. Such things as fears, beliefs, and deep emotions can cause, increase, or extend pain.
  • Hypochondriasis, which is an obsession around the idea of having a severe but undiagnosed medical condition. It usually starts during adulthood.
  • Substance abuse disorder, which affects your brain and behavior and means you can’t control your use of a legal or illegal drug or medicine.

Symptoms of chronic pain

Because everyone is different, chronic pain symptoms are unique for each person. They may include headaches, back and neck pain, cancer pain, arthritis, and pain caused by nerve damage. Thankfully, most of these symptoms have more than one treatment option, such as physical or psychotherapy combined with medicine like ketamine.

What causes chronic pain

Every so often, chronic pain is the result of an old injury or infection, or a disease. Sometimes the pain is mysterious, without a known cause.

Many conditions that could cause or trigger chronic pain include:

  • Infections
  • Headaches or migraines
  • Back trouble
  • Cancer
  • Arthritis
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Nerve damage
  • Previous surgical procedures

Diagnosis and treatment 

Diagnosing instances of chronic pain normally involves an appointment with a medical doctor, followed by a series of tests and procedures (blood test, X-Rays, magnetic resonance imaging, among others) to determine a cause. Once a cause – or more than one – has been determined, you and your doctor can talk about treatment options. Besides physical therapy, your doctor may recommend surgery or other medical procedures, psychotherapy, or store-bought or new treatments like ketamine.

Final thoughts

Chronic pain shouldn’t be taken for granted. If you suffer from pain that doesn’t seem to have a cause and has lasted for months, talk with your doctor or therapist about diagnosis and treatment options. Treatments like ketamine may help manage symptoms and give you back control of your life.

Ketamine, a prominent anesthetic known across the globe and used for decades, is also a powerful pain reliever. Ketamine is especially useful as a pain treatment because of its unique ability to possibly bring relief to pain symptoms within hours or even minutes, rather than the weeks or months traditional medication can take for some people.

Research into ketamine for mood and pain disorder treatment is still ongoing, but it is believed that ketamine helps foster new connections between synapses and restore damaged nerve connections. This, in essence, rewrites the parts of your brain contributing to your symptoms.

Contact us at Mind Balance today to learn more about this innovative new treatment option and how we can help relieve your symptoms. 

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Antioxidant Drip Information

Our Antioxidant Deluxe starts with Vitamin C and hydration, followed by two more powerhouse antioxidants glutathione and Poly-MVA (Alpha Lipoic Acid)..cause your liver needs a hug too.

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Beauty Drip Information

This infusion is designed to make your skin glow and your hair and nails grow.

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High Blood Pressure Information

Our Hypertension Protocol includes Arginine, Magnesium, and Taurine. We don’t keep all the ingredients in stock, so we need about one week before we can schedule your infusions.

The higher doses found in this injection could interfere with digoxin, dovonex, diltiazem, or verapimil. Please contact us if you have any questions about this.

Asthma & Migraine

Magnesium does all the heavy lifting in this infusion to get you breathing better during an asthma flare-up. Fun fact – Magnesium is so well-studied in asthma that most ER departments give a magnesium infusion in addition to nebulizers and steroids.

If your flare-up is mild to moderate or you want to prevent a flare-up, schedule with us. If your flare-up is severe, please go to the emergency room.

Immunity Boost Information

During periods of increased illness, whether it’s COVID, flu season, back to school, or travel, we recommend this infusion weekly.

Frequency: Weekly to Monthly

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Immunity Boost Information

During periods of increased illness, whether it’s COVID, flu season, back to school, or travel, we recommend this infusion weekly.

Frequency: Weekly to Monthly

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Immunity Boost Information

During periods of increased illness, whether it’s COVID, flu season, back to school, or travel, we recommend this infusion weekly.
Frequency: Weekly to Monthly

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The Day After Information

If you overdid it the night before, we have the right sauce for you.

If you are planning a night out like a Bachelor/Bachelorette party, book us in advance. We will go to your hotel/resort the next morning. Your friends will thank you. Minimum of three prepaid infusions required for mobile infusions.

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Fatigue Fighter Information

The Rocket Booster is specially formulated to kick fatigue’s butt and recharge your batteries. Even our toughest fatigue cases report they feel better.

Frequency: The effects usually wear off every 3 days at first because your system is depleted. After a few rounds, most people can space the infusions out to weekly and even monthly. You can also just get a boost anytime you need that little extra.

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The Works Information

Treat yourself to The Works. The body you live in will thank you! If you are feeling rundown or just haven’t been great to yourself lately, this is the infusion for you.

This infusion is only available to someone that has gotten nutrient infusions before. Check out our Rookie infusion for first-timers.

Frequency: We recommend this infusion at least once per quarter, but you can get it weekly for the demands of life.

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Post Workout Information

This infusion combines the Road Runner with the Antioxidant Deluxe. Repairs muscles and boosts antioxidants.

Your body is your vehicle. Help it repair and get back in action faster.

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Athletic Performance Information

Named after New Mexico’s favorite bird, the Road Runner is designed to keep you fast and light on your feet.

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Allergy & Sinus Information

This drip is specially formulated to calm symptoms and boost a wonky immune system.

If your symptoms are severe, you can add on Benadryl for $12. You need to bring someone to drive you home though because you will be VERY SLEEPY.

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Surgical Protocol Information

Planning on having surgery? Already had surgery? Either way, your body has or will go under enormous oxidative stress…and it has to repair itself. Our 4-step protocol includes 2 pre-surgical Infusions and 2 post-surgical infusions.

Each infusion is specially formulated to enrich your insides with antioxidants and your outsides with wound healing.

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Fatigue Fighter Information

Nutrient Intravenous (IV) therapy has multiple uses. From asthma and migraines to fatigue and sports performance, Myers Cocktail might be the answer. If you are feeling rundown or just haven’t been great to yourself lately, this is the infusion for you.

Dr. Myers started it all in the 1980s. Since then, his cocktail has been infused worldwide, thousands perhaps millions of times.

Frequency: Weekly to Monthly

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