tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88336081764615594892012-01-17T17:24:32.932+01:00::a feel-good blog for people living with chronic pain::Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.comBlogger3951100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-38421909240593409212011-12-20T11:37:00.001+01:002011-12-20T11:38:12.844+01:00

”Life is a lot like jazz... it's best when you improvise.”-George Gershwin

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-64403804045486992382011-11-16T15:03:00.000+01:002011-11-16T15:03:06.026+01:00

When I'm constantly fighting the pain, my body becomes a battle ground... so I've decided to be buddhist about it and embrace my enemy :)

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-69461814686167573692011-11-07T14:42:00.002+01:002011-12-20T11:38:51.791+01:00

It's been a pretty intense year. After spending 2010 working mostly on this blog and my book, this year I have been in worse shape physically - and have had time for reflection. After I got the grant to start a Norwegian blog about the health care system  I've been getting more involved in politics concerning chronic disease, patients rights and freedom of choice. With more pain, there is less

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-68791462193171963412011-09-02T14:49:00.000+02:002011-09-02T14:49:18.511+02:00

This educational video sums up the new pain paradigm in just 5 minutes. Maybe a bit simplistic for many of us, but great to share with our friends and family as an introduction!

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-78916064232877587372011-06-14T16:44:00.000+02:002011-06-14T16:44:39.740+02:00

Sorry for being out of touch lately... I have forced myself to take out sick-leave from all non urgent activities and keep my computer time to a minimum. Nothing dramatic, just a grinding increase in my daily pain through this whole winter, that has left me slightly more humble and quite reduced. Once again I have trouble walking to the tram and back, not because I'm paralyzed, simply because I

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-85358998875668202112011-04-26T13:26:00.000+02:002011-04-26T13:26:02.110+02:00

I walked underneath these cherry tree blossoms on my way to the office this morning... huge fluffy pink clouds of flowers... woooow :) reminds me that watching beautiful nature can provide pain relief. Now that summer is coming, I'm expecting - or hoping for - a significant decrease in muscle pain.  As this has been a pretty bad winter pain-wise, I've been taking measures to take care of myself

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-30815019406087609892011-03-29T14:04:00.000+02:002011-03-29T14:04:50.180+02:00

The most important discovery I've made so far in my struggle with chronic pain, is that I have lots of options for pain relief. If I see my goal of having a life unrestricted by pain as a building project rather than as a race, I am free to choose different building blocks and combine them in various ways in order to find a combination that I am happy with. Personally I don't believe in

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-30782093278842342562011-03-20T10:19:00.002+01:002011-03-21T10:06:58.255+01:00

I can sympathize with this mammut. Living with RA + having about half a pound of steel in my spine makes winter a challenging time to say the least. I'm visiting my native Norway this week and there are still several feet of snow here, while in Gothenburg 3 hours south all the snow and ice melted several weeks ago - but it's still cold as #&%. Sometimes I wish I could live in a warm climate,

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-72753430024204894512011-03-01T15:51:00.000+01:002011-03-01T15:51:13.086+01:00

Ten days of level 6-9 pain after one botched pilates class... what's up with that?! It's been a gnawing constant ache in my neck and upper back for the last week, inflammation? Overstretching? I don't know what it is, only that whatever it was that went wrong has set off my old pain so now I'm right in the middle of a strong flare. I went to the doctor - new doctor in my new hometown - and apart

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-36706885207356430002011-02-21T17:45:00.001+01:002011-02-21T17:47:35.019+01:00

This year's experiment: "Just how pain-free can I get?" is taking an interesting turn. I'm not very happy with the Omega-3 for inflammation relief experiment, but the "getting in shape" experiment is progressing nicely. After being "good" for two weeks, working out 3 times a week while pacing myself and not doing too much, I seem to have reached a rather dangerous point in the journey. I've

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-29232885751265390752011-02-16T15:28:00.000+01:002011-02-16T15:28:11.281+01:00

Wow!!! I just had one of those "A-ha" moments... I looked at a box of ibuprofen and realized that ... I haven't had to take any painkillers for quite a while, at least four or five days!? That may be a new record since my straight edge experiment in september... which ended shortly after I wrote about how well it was working - having gone 5 weeks with low pain and no meds. The last months have

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-2752165925628273702011-02-08T16:32:00.000+01:002011-02-08T16:32:56.812+01:00

Dear readers, there are now more than 5000 people reading this blog every month, and I see I need to start organizing the content better! This is where I need your help... How should I organize the material to make it more easily accessible? Would you prefer tags or folders that make it possible to search the entire site for certain keywords, or perhaps a system based on what kind of pain

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-37511688181726672642011-02-07T18:27:00.000+01:002011-02-07T18:27:44.343+01:00

Week 3 of my pain reducing experiment is finished and I am not keeling over yet, Yippee :D The two last weeks of gradually building stamina with micro cardio workouts have had a good effect on my pain levels, but what my new physiotherapist told me last week seems to be a key topic...  Chronic pain and inflammation go hand in hand (or nerve fiber in nerve fiber?). There are gradually more

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-62869813832481802492011-02-03T16:13:00.000+01:002011-02-03T16:13:10.375+01:00

While I'm still working on my "cardio for pain-relief" experiment, today I was stopped by the Swedish police and had to blow into a breathalyzer. Since I don't drink alcohol (for health reasons), this is always a laugh, but this time I had a hard time exhaling as long as the device wanted me to. After my first attempt the policeman looked at the display of the breathalyzer and smiled. He said "

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-5179444719605201292011-02-03T16:07:00.000+01:002011-02-03T16:07:39.766+01:00

Yesterday I had my first session with my new PT and coach, Kristine, who is a physiotherapist AND professional football player (how cool is that!!!?) Her first reaction on hearing my health story was... "But you're not normal!" ... eeeh... yes. She's right of course... I'm actually an alien in disguise... But what she meant was that I had a special story and a great attitude. That was nice

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-29793437802932966942011-01-31T17:04:00.000+01:002011-01-31T17:04:44.187+01:00

Day 8 of micro cardio workouts and it's thumbs up for this test, this actually helps my muscle pain! Lately I've had pretty bad neck pain and muscle pain daily, but I've noticed significant reduction this last week while testing out micro cardio workouts - even with certain slips. Maybe it's too soon to say for certain, but so far it definitely feels like getting my pulse up and circulation

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-32900715663043968562011-01-26T22:52:00.000+01:002011-01-26T22:52:04.875+01:00

Ok, I admit, this cardio thing is turning out to be quite a challenge... maybe it's some kind of passive resistance, but it sort of feels like I have a non-stick teflon brain...I just keep "forgetting" to do the micro workouts... Ooooops ;) It's easy enough first thing in the morning, but as the day progresses I find myself sort of just.... not doing them. But today I had some wonderful

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-14365311437528402572011-01-25T11:13:00.000+01:002011-01-25T11:13:03.108+01:00

It's easy to fall into a negative pain spiral during the winter months. When the streets and sidewalks are covered with snow and ice as they are now, I tend to get stuck indoors a lot and gradually get less energy and more pain. I know that increasing my heart rate regularly helps circulation, which directly affects my pain levels, increases my metabolism and releases pain relieving endorphins

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-41488783112078935892011-01-23T11:41:00.002+01:002011-01-25T22:36:09.139+01:00

This week I found myself speaking in front of a large group of physiotherapists and chiropractors at the annual conference for the Norwegian chapter of the Bone and Joint Decade. I decided not to tell them about my little "working on my posture" project, as they all looked suspiciously healthy and pain-free... it sort of felt like we were living in different worlds. Sometimes when I give talks

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-47195602098094749332011-01-16T22:38:00.001+01:002011-01-16T22:38:41.520+01:00

Since it's my very first pain-free challenge, I want to start out with something basic yet important. Posture. My posture affects my pain. It's somehow the very basis of how I use my body... my physical "setpoint" in a way. A good posture improves circulation and decreases stress on muscles, tendons and discs, thereby preventing muscloskeletal pain and stimulating overall health. I have

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-13102905948552460282011-01-14T15:06:00.000+01:002011-01-14T15:06:57.307+01:00

...and enter 2011!!! It's been two weeks already, 12 days of which I have been a mostly horizontal, feverish and sniffling mess - trying to reason with a cold that turned nasty. I have a little message for my readers and fellow pain survivors here at 365 pain-free days, and just because technology is so fun, I decided to do it in video: New year, new challenges, right? Well I have

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-6501841435156811442010-12-31T16:07:00.000+01:002010-12-31T16:07:33.379+01:00

When you allow yourself to begin dreaming of a healthy, pain-free future and start setting goals, it's easy to get carried away. "This year I'm gonna get in shape, lose 30 pounds, get well and get a great life" for example, is an oh so common New Years resolution that doesn't lead to much other than a really bad conscience, a sneaking feeling of failure and a lowered sense of accomplishment.

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-38096141894620166322010-12-30T22:06:00.006+01:002010-12-30T22:06:00.107+01:00

  Hoorray! Around this time last year I had an excellent idea.... Why not start a blog where I write about everything I'd learned from living with - and to quite some extent overcoming - chronic pain? I'd thought about how to share all my pain relief techniques in a simple and inspiring way, but couldn't really come up with how until I put two and two together... Navid Modiri's super inspiring

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-50343059674571127682010-12-30T13:07:00.000+01:002010-12-30T13:07:25.035+01:00

One of the dangers of chronic illness is that it gradually isolates the person who is suffering. When you hardly have strength to manage the minimum of necessary activities, and frequently have to cut back and cancel plans, it's sort of like living in a bubble. You lose touch with the outside world. That's why joining a patient organization is extremely important. A good patient organization is

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-89863106783877853242010-12-29T09:16:00.001+01:002010-12-29T09:17:23.648+01:00

As you may already have noticed in the previous 361 posts, I'm a big fan of goals. Setting them, working for them, forgetting about them and then discovering that I'm actually still moving towards them... I like goals. When it comes to healing, I don't find typical goals very attractive. If my doctors say that it should be my goal to avoid any more back surgery for example, or they say it's a

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-15119383690862023172010-12-28T23:35:00.000+01:002010-12-28T23:35:44.298+01:00

When I started to grasp the concept of neuroplasticity it shook my world. The brain can change structure? We can grow new brain cells all through life?! In school I was taught that after childhood the brain basically stayed the same, all that happened was that you started losing gray matter at an alarming rate if your were lucky enough to survive puberty. Newer brain science has changed these

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-32170873384369548752010-12-27T22:51:00.001+01:002010-12-28T08:46:21.248+01:00

I like visual aids. When I want to improve my mood, I always try to look for what's beautiful around me. Even when my surroundings are dull, dreary or straight out ugly, it's always possible to find something colorful, pretty or fascinating to look at. With a small digital camera or a good camera cell phone I am always ready to document the beauty that surrounds me and I can even capture it and

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-53404848003180270212010-12-26T10:27:00.000+01:002010-12-26T10:27:16.807+01:00

It's not about the big expensive presents or the extravagant displays of affection. Good relationships in love, family and friendship all require a lot of maintenance - and I like to think that the small things count the most. Getting a cup of tea for someone, really listening, being attentive to how others are doing, volunteering to lend a hand when I am physically able, and saying thank you

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-90394341599827483832010-12-24T06:00:00.041+01:002010-12-24T10:09:15.053+01:00

I had a theory that hugs were good for pain relief, and I wanted to spread some smiles to people visiting the very large and very sad Ullevål hospital in Oslo. So I took my best "feel good" clothes and my stuffed penguin Pongo, put signs around our necks that said "Free Hugs" (Pongo's actually read "I'm cold" it was -20 degrees celsius that day and even penguins have their limits) and made my

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-15208567942261037022010-12-23T11:34:00.001+01:002010-12-23T11:34:00.073+01:00

I admit it. My family is culturally challenged. When my Norwegian Mom and British Dad divorced and remarried our family grew by leaps and bounds. I now have four parents, 6 siblings and a wonderful family spread across the globe from Kuala Lumpur to Rio and Sacramento. I love my American siblings very much, and seeing as they are reformed Jews it's completely understandable that they are not as

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-48407827803395172322010-12-23T08:25:00.003+01:002010-12-23T08:25:00.159+01:00

And.... if the stress of holiday planning just gets too heavy and your pain spirals out of control, it's never too late to redress, replan and reboot. If you have to cancel all plans because of a pain flare it's not the end of the world. Decide to make it into a self nurturing feel-good day. Bring out your flare kit, Christmas cookies and your favorite PJs, and have a stay at home pajama party

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-61324863411982752702010-12-22T22:00:00.002+01:002010-12-22T22:00:00.545+01:00

Comic by Natalie Dee Comic by Natalie De Once you've divided up what needs to be done, it's way easier to ask for help and share the work to get things done. Rather than collaborating with anxiety girl and the masked procrastinator... When I've made my plan for a pain-free holiday season I can also state clearly what I can do, and what I need other people to do. Transportation? I can pack

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-5302326916826139752010-12-22T17:43:00.011+01:002010-12-22T17:43:00.365+01:00

Do you know how to eat an elephant? Right. One bite at a time. It's the same way with stressing holiday projects and worrisome healing projects. If an idea or task is so big - and your strength so depleted - that you can't imagine how you're ever going to manage... break it up. Divide the task into smaller more manageable chunks and plan which need to be done first and which can wait till

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-788526573435564542010-12-22T09:43:00.000+01:002010-12-22T09:43:37.194+01:00

Some things you can change, some things you can't. If your health problems are chronic, there may be a lot of things in the past that you'd like to change. I find this way of thinking only drains me, and instead of mulling over past accidents, failed treatments and mistakes, I continuously renew my decision to learn from them and move on. "Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, 

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-27162789358497923762010-12-21T16:02:00.000+01:002010-12-21T16:02:30.729+01:00

I choose to use the holiday season and New Year especially as a time for reflection, where I choose which parts of my life I'm happy with, which I'd like to improve, and which I'd like to change or remove from my life. Then I make a plan for how I want things to be, and I make a conscious decision to move on. Working with project management I've learned this simple way to review and evaluate

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-91035783228223193622010-12-19T13:09:00.000+01:002010-12-19T13:09:21.049+01:00

Pain patches are really great for localized pain. Just like a big band aid, but with pharmaceutical or natural remedy components in the patch, you can place it on the area that hurts and get pain relief just in the exact area of the pain. For your digestion and liver this may be better than pills. I don't want to recommend any special brand here, but advice you to try patches that use your "

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-19096709510176850382010-12-18T19:44:00.001+01:002010-12-18T19:53:04.948+01:00

Life is much simpler in Flow Chart format... illustration from the brilliant XKCD When life is very complicated I tend to become quite stressed. When I become stressed, my pain usually gets worse. A good way for me to prevent this from spiraling, is to sit down and start pruning away non-necessities. These days I've been pretty strung out, with the book launch, new blog project and big move

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-27468015893677212692010-12-17T12:55:00.000+01:002010-12-17T12:55:17.867+01:00

When the pain monsters are having a party in your neural pathways and driving you nuts... it's perfectly ok to be angry and frustrated. Don't hold it in, that definitely won't help your pain, but try to avoid taking it out on people around you. Instead of snarling bitter and sarcastic comments when I'm actually just hurting, I can punch or kick a pillow with whatever part of my body that isn't

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-61849804042202717642010-12-15T17:10:00.000+01:002010-12-15T17:10:13.115+01:00

Did you know that memory loss is a common side effect of living with chronic pain? In a study performed in 2004, people living with chronic back pain were shown to suffer significantly greater loss of brain cells in the part of the brain dedicated to memory than healthy people. The researchers said it could be because the brain cells were under constant stress and working overtime in people

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-82070738886977750832010-12-14T07:32:00.000+01:002010-12-14T07:32:01.426+01:00

Remember when we used to make mixtapes to people we liked, and send them in the mail - as in... put them in an envelope and send them? These days people mostly send youtube links, chain emails and maybe share the occasional spotify playlist... But listening to music can help relieve chronic pain- which is awesome, cause it's something you can do even when the pain is so bad that you can't

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-69182664627454324452010-12-12T16:26:00.000+01:002010-12-12T16:26:02.372+01:00

Another way to avoid the rampant consumerism and pain-inducing shopping stress during the holiday season is to make your own presents. Some home made cookies, a jar of jam or preserves, a beautiful card or photo calendar. Why spend time and money on buying and giving more stuff to people you love if their homes are already full of things? Have a "Santa's workshop" and prepare some homemade

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-57215754463749852852010-12-11T05:18:00.003+01:002010-12-11T05:18:00.654+01:00

When planning to spend a chunk of money for presents (it's kind of hard to give experiences to everyone), why not make the world a better place at the same time? After all, if you have money - that means you have the power to change things! Instead of buying yet another silk tie for Dad, maybe he'd like a flashy fair trade certified T-shirt in organic cotton? Look for this brand  It has

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-50626594405473870462010-12-10T13:54:00.003+01:002010-12-10T13:54:00.453+01:00

The coolest present I ever received was from my awesome little sister Lynnea (of the infamous Squid Ink Kollective). The present consisted of a looooong ribbon, attached to a card which read: "This is a gift card for 1 -one- experience."  It then stated a time an a place when I was to meet up to go on a "mystery tour". I had happy butterflies in my stomach for ten days before the mystery tour,

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-6775524157245211102010-12-10T08:42:00.000+01:002010-12-10T08:42:15.141+01:00

Is something or someone bugging you immensely? Is that feeling of annoyance creeping into your life in a way that is determimental to your health and well-being? Then I have some really bad news for you. You're the one who has to change. "What you resist, persists." Apparently some great psychoanalyst said it, and it has to do with thinking patterns. You can't NOT think about pain for example

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-17543746558907623602010-12-08T09:03:00.000+01:002010-12-08T09:03:16.689+01:00

Walking mindfully is a method I've used to reconnect with my body and start rebuilding it after years of chronic pain and injuries. Simply walking, very very slowly, preferably barefoot or in socks or soft shoes, feeling the ground underneath me with every step. It feels like I can apply all those tiny muscles that otherwise wither away when I'm sick and out of action for longer periods of time

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-16014702381423062602010-12-07T17:22:00.000+01:002010-12-07T17:22:58.356+01:00

Sometimes it's the little things that matter the most. The race for a future happiness is one it's impossible to win because however much I get, there's always something else on the horizon. The new apartment, the new back surgery, the better car, better job.... If I chase that stuff I will never be able to stop running, so today I choose to stop chasing and just lay down and smell the flowers

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-84231843437408293082010-12-06T21:50:00.000+01:002010-12-06T21:50:52.204+01:00

It shouldn't really come as a surprise that the outer environment has a direct effect on healing, but hooray, somebody has conducted a study that proves it. So how do you apply that knowledge to your private self-healing routine? I mean, it would be wonderful if we all had access to beautiful gardens like this one, had a gardener who could do all the work tending it when we were too sick, and

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-90728447370651364282010-12-05T01:12:00.002+01:002010-12-05T01:12:00.415+01:00

This was actually a tip from a career counsellor, but I've found it works great for professional patients as well. If you've been living with chronic pain for a while, it can be a tough strain on your self worth. You can't do the things you used to, relationships suffer when you don't have time or energy to participate the way you could if you were healthy. It's easy to start feeling pretty bad

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-45451202096475736252010-12-04T01:01:00.002+01:002010-12-22T09:50:36.044+01:00

The days we are at home and can do very little because of chronic pain, are usually invisible to everyone else. Often even our loved ones don't get to see what's going on, it's almost like that time doesn't even exist. I've found it's hard to find strength to get better, if I'm not even validating my pain and my dark days. A few years back I started using my digital camera to make small

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-45867657126078397932010-12-03T09:10:00.000+01:002010-12-03T09:10:01.038+01:00

Do you have a webcamera, a cell phone camera, or a small digital camera? Great! Then you can make a movie!!! You don't even need video editing software, but if you have that on your computer (macs come with software that makes it really easy to edit film, for PCs there are lots of simple shareware options to choose from) Film yourself on a good day. Maybe a well functioning low pain day, or a

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-6543145171674481662010-12-02T15:31:00.000+01:002010-12-02T15:31:13.155+01:00

Maybe this year?

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-61329693720452863982010-12-01T05:00:00.004+01:002010-12-01T05:00:01.250+01:00

Diagnoses are great. They give our aches, pains and unexplainable but very scary symptoms a nice name (preferably in Latin, so we don't understand) and make them easier to accept. Living with chronic illness means you probably have one or many diagnoses, and every time you need medical help you get help for your diagnoses - not for you. The name of my illness provides a much-needed distance

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-30662442724844268412010-11-30T16:56:00.000+01:002010-11-30T16:56:48.045+01:00

Impulse shopping is fun, but can get expensive if one does it at the wrong place. Impulse shopping in the produce aisle on the other hand is completely harmless, stimulates cooking creativity and is even fun when you're on a budget. I wonder what that red spiky thingy is...? And would it taste good in a smoothie? Or in a curry sauce with cashew nuts and rice? Maybe both? Sometimes my private

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-5271496755711994962010-11-29T10:13:00.000+01:002010-11-29T10:13:32.315+01:00

Not just on "Love your body day", but every day! Even if it is slightly broken and hurts quite a lot, I choose to love my body just the way it is. My body is doing it's very very best to heal and function as well as it possibly can, even with RA, a steel bolted back and whiplash injury. That's awesome!!! My legs carry me around, I can use both my arms and hands, I can eat, smile, talk.... I can

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-16012552709331981352010-11-28T22:12:00.001+01:002010-11-28T22:19:38.290+01:00

Holiday season is not an easy time to live with chronic illness. Many of us find that when we are sick, social obligations are extremely difficult to deal with. We want to be close to our family and loved ones, but we have so little energy that it is very hard to participate. Being afraid to provoke further pain flares may lead us to set boundaries and say no to practically all social

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-13834155593666619672010-11-27T10:08:00.000+01:002010-11-27T10:08:20.321+01:00

If you want to be friends with everyone all the time, chances are people will step on you and not take you seriously. There are some health care workers, doctors and therapists who don't see the person, only the rules, and they don't want you to think for yourself. They tell you what you have to do and don't let you participate in making decisions fro your own treatment. One of my early doctors

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-70148125657127514562010-11-26T23:27:00.002+01:002010-11-26T23:27:00.220+01:00

A small exchange that your body may enjoy: Water instead of wine Pain makes sleep difficult, and alcohol can make sleep problems worse. It may feel like it helps you sleep, but alcohol actually reduces REM sleep so with alcohol in your system you wake up feeling less rested than before. It also interacts with common pain medication in ways that are potentially life hazardous. If you're living

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-79643733714833883652010-11-26T12:26:00.001+01:002010-11-26T16:04:12.896+01:00

When it comes to health there are a lot of fundamentalist attitudes around. People will tell you what is wrong and what is right, either based on their own personal experience or by claiming universal truth through their current belief system, be it science, spirituality or something else entirely. It's problematic that when faced with chronic illness, we are both drained of energy and desperate

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-31477064091401479542010-11-25T23:49:00.000+01:002010-11-25T23:49:45.313+01:00

About 80% of us have low back pain at some point in our life, and in 75% of the cases doctors can't find any specific reason for the pain, so there is no specific surgical or medical treatment. Meaning most of the time, we just have to learn to live with it. Back pain has perhaps been my strongest and most recurring pain, and after undergoing three major operations to stabilize my crushed lower

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-40766421812172594982010-11-24T22:10:00.001+01:002010-11-25T09:27:20.006+01:00

As a a person who lives with chronic illness I have a very different life than most people I know, yet I may not want everyone to know that when I'm out in the real world - beyond waiting rooms and hospital beds.  At a workshop for a project I was working on last year I heard this marketing mantra: "Everything communicates. Always." And it made me think differently about a lot of things. What

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-34264326430621040282010-11-23T13:10:00.000+01:002010-11-23T13:10:46.180+01:00

Woops, I forgot to follow up on the very important topic of Stress&Pain... sorry to leave it hanging! Here's the breakdown: Sometimes I get caught in the pain-stress cycle. I have a stress response going on in my body, I start breathing really shallow breaths and tense my muscles... this affects my pain levels, which stresses me further. Then I get afraid that I won't be able to bring the pain

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-31511880979411472142010-11-22T11:39:00.000+01:002010-11-22T11:39:50.923+01:00

Art by Rimfrost on Deviantart The last week has been pretty wild. I was on Norwegian TV with my book, and participated in an online discussion with readers and viewers afterwards. The discussion reminded me of something I don't often talk about here on this blog: Living with chronic pain is torture. Actually, it is pretty close to hell. People can get angry at my "positive thinking" angle,

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-90960728019549834862010-11-20T09:49:00.000+01:002010-11-20T09:49:40.231+01:00

I recently wrote about Befriending your placebo  as part of a pain management program. As we know the placebo effect is a response to sham or fake treatment, and is effective in roughly 1/3 of patients in scientific studies. It's a powerful tool, and one I have used actively while pursuing my own healing. I want to write a little more about what exactly you can do to activate your placebo. My

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-5254697744035298822010-11-19T11:16:00.000+01:002010-11-19T11:16:32.685+01:00

Being cheerful is good medicine, not only because smiling releases happy hormones like endorphins and dopamine (but it helps). Enjoying some everyday craziness is one of the ways I process my battle with chronic pain and invisible handicaps, and grief can be a great catalyst for art. Combine all of these three and you have an amazing pastime: Sweet art!!! "Sweet art" is a pun on "street art".

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-86567898105376136032010-11-18T08:10:00.004+01:002010-11-18T08:10:00.120+01:00

Your pain is real. Don't give up, just because others don't understand. Maybe you will never get the explanations or the validation that you need from others, and why should you waste your life waiting? Start by validating yourself. Listen to your body, validate yourself and care for yourself. It has to start there.

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-41596925298550038382010-11-17T20:05:00.000+01:002010-11-17T20:05:45.307+01:00

I'm a firm believer in DIY health solutions. Living with chronic illness is an enormous challenge every single day, and I've noticed that all the small things I do have a snowball effect on my overall health. Everything that gives me more energy, helps me stay fit, happy and cheerful - affects my health and also my pain levels. When I take care of the small things, sometimes my health works so

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-58808659969190787302010-11-16T11:37:00.000+01:002010-11-16T11:37:31.756+01:00

A memoir is a self-biographical book, i.e. a book about somebody's life. Many people who have gone through serious life altering disease have written books about their experience, and on my healing journey I've found their stories to be a source of strength, comfort and hope. My own memoir was recently published in Norway and I hope it can inspire others. Some of the best patient memoirs I've

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-38315033304010670392010-11-15T20:08:00.004+01:002010-11-16T23:08:56.924+01:00

The last few weeks I have met some amazing people who have one thing in common: They all suffer from back pain. Stabbing, aching, debilitating. They do their best to participate in everyday activities, but walk around like frozen statues, aching with every step. Talking to these people inspired me to put together two posts especially about preventing and overcoming back pain, based on what I've

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-83924014459785727132010-11-15T13:11:00.000+01:002010-11-15T13:11:08.786+01:00

Dogs may or may not be man's best friend, but they sure have some smart tricks. It took me quite a while living with chronic muscle and joint pain before I found out that a quick and invigorating shake all over actually provided some immediate pain relief. Just standing up and shaking my arms and legs as well as I can really stimulates circulation and is great as a physical pain distraction -

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-26493944484718919962010-11-14T20:17:00.000+01:002010-11-14T20:17:07.409+01:00

For some strange reason people rarely wear a "Help Wanted" sign when they need help. Sometimes it seems like the more a person actually needs help, the less likely he is to ask. That's one of the reasons why I'm a big fan of random acts of kindness. Just... doing small but meaningful things for other people, whether you know them or not. Giving somebody a ride home in the rain, cleaning

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-35362543785914782222010-11-13T09:53:00.001+01:002010-11-14T17:30:28.067+01:00

It's never too late to learn something new, no matter what your health situation is like. Whatever you want to learn, there is a handbook for it or a course you can take. My favorite way of learning new things is to find people who do what I want to learn and ask to learn directly from them. Then I offer to teach them something in return (for example, I make a wicked 7-fruit marmelade). As long

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-50158962788298198492010-11-12T11:38:00.000+01:002010-11-12T11:38:42.558+01:00

The pain is there, and if it's chronic recurring muscloskeletal pain it's probably not going to get better just by resting. In my experience being still when pain is increasing just gives the pain signals more space and makes the pain feel more intense. Anything you can do to activate other nerve signals will reduce the experience of pain, so whatever level pain you're on, try using some

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-31106565950597757932010-11-11T18:33:00.001+01:002010-11-11T19:13:57.502+01:00

Yay! I can reduce my pain just by thinking about something else :D Using mental distraction to blank out the pain signals can work well for dealing with low to medium strong chronic pain. Following an interesting twitterstream, playing video games, chatting online, reading, participating in online forums or solving sudoku puzzles. It's all good mental distraction, drawing your attention away

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-14023105268709519032010-11-10T14:23:00.003+01:002010-11-10T22:02:21.637+01:00

For my Australian readers I'm sorry for the seasonal discrepancy, but it's that time again... Winter has come to Scandinavia and white fluffy stuff is muffling all sounds, lighting up the frozen landscape and stranding many pain patients indoors. My back pain always increases with this kind of weather, so I'm tempted to take an indoor day and use the time to reorganize my wardrobe to prepare

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-36138065163927912382010-11-09T21:08:00.000+01:002010-11-09T21:08:45.004+01:00

An essential part of the professional patient lifestyle is to have a well organized health folder. Everything else may be out of whack if you're going through a bad pain phase, but at least you know where your last test results are. Journals, pharmaceutical information, results, letters from the hospital... I try to keep it all in one place and file it so it's easy to find (of course I prefer

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-26574904533039959522010-11-08T17:29:00.001+01:002010-11-09T17:05:19.973+01:00

If you set up your "scientific study" right, more or less anything can be proven - and unfortunately there are very many who are interested in earning money on our dreams of a healthy and pain-free life. I realize I've fallen into the trap of the hasty blogger. I'm not a journalist. I scour through tons of health news every week, I bookmark articles I like and pass things on via Twitter and

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-33001152270847014632010-11-07T19:05:00.001+01:002010-11-07T19:17:04.331+01:00

Sometimes I'm surprised at the fear and hostility that is generated in certain circles when the subject of health and healing comes up. Apparently it's a huge insult to share the story of how you got well from serious illness - at least in my native Norway, where two women were attacked by a horde of pitch fork-carrying cybercritics this week for doing just that. Maybe these people are just

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-91304388273270787872010-11-06T16:10:00.000+01:002010-11-06T16:10:34.323+01:00

Concentrating intensively on small hand movements is one of my flare control & pain distraction techniques. Whether I'm staying straight edge or waiting for pain meds to work, I've found that I can reduce the impact of my recurring chronic pain by focusing intently on the tips of my fingers and moving them in a slow and deliberate manner. I slow my breath, imagine that I'm breathing to my

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-50511638641378636142010-11-05T12:51:00.000+01:002010-11-05T12:51:51.716+01:00

From Hyperbole and a half. In a feature article about chronic pain and supplements, WebMD says that fish oil can ease the inflammation and pain caused by many chronic conditions. And we've heard it many times of course. Being of a less than disciplined nature when it comes to taking supplements, I plan to try following the Norwegian dietary recommendations instead... which means I will eat

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-89552018007486871522010-11-04T18:14:00.001+01:002010-11-04T18:15:16.416+01:00

Who says it's going to come from your doctor, or the sources you expect? Maybe your key to healing is going to come from a wildly improbable direction! It could be the neighbor, who knows someone who knows someone who got treated for your condition. Or an article in a magazine that interviews someone about a new scientific breakthrough. Your general practitioner can't be expected to stay up to

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-23805305007194265882010-11-03T17:03:00.000+01:002010-11-03T17:03:25.839+01:00

I know it's easy to get desperate when your pain is increasing. If health problems and pain are gradually taking over more and more of your life, it's easy to jump from one treatment to another and be willing to try just about anything. You invest both time, money and energy in all of these treatments that may or may not work, but the most costly investment you make is your hope. Because

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-17436285625651985042010-11-01T18:56:00.000+01:002010-11-01T18:56:03.943+01:00

Knowing how much laughter reduces pain, and also reduces stress hormones, I try to have a slanted sense of humor and find things to laugh about every day. I try not to laugh at others too much, but I laugh at myself as often as I can. Today for example I am having an all-day pajama party. It's 4 PM and I am still in my pink striped flannel jammies - and I'm planning to stay that way all day

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-46348592112275339232010-10-31T08:18:00.000+01:002010-10-31T08:18:43.824+01:00

I believe that joy helps healing and reduces pain. Planning my life to include things that give me joy is an important part of my healing lifestyle! Last night I had the awesome opportunity to share an evening with old friends I haven't seen in a while, and revel in great discussions, laughter and wonderful food (especially the creative "build your own dessert" buffet seen above) A few days

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-91690708653063210062010-10-30T10:50:00.001+02:002010-11-05T13:30:14.578+01:00

In my experience pain and stress are a really bad cycle, and I could understand this a lot better after learning more about what stress actually is. Experiencing physical pain sets off a stress response, and that means among other things: shallow breathing, heated thinking, worse digestion, higher blood pressure and worse circulation. And unfortunately several of these things directly intensify

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-56303811671911139612010-10-29T07:14:00.007+02:002010-11-03T17:04:26.686+01:00

from Hyperbole and a half But what if the threat is coming not from a wild bear, but from a full email inbox, a bunch of papers you have to sort through, an over-packed calendar ... or a painful back? You can't run away from those, and you can't really fight them either, so your stress level just builds and builds... Whatever the reason for the stress, the physical reaction is more or less

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-17311106291912043712010-10-28T10:30:00.002+02:002010-11-07T19:21:43.426+01:00

What with the book launch, planning the new blog and buying an apartment all at the same time, it's no wonder my stress levels have been a bit through the roof lately. And that reminds me of the stress and pain connection, a topic I've been looking forward to discussing in this blog. It was a big eye opener when I was told a little more about the over-used term "stress". People talk about "

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-39171320003990265292010-10-27T11:23:00.000+02:002010-10-27T11:23:29.513+02:00

Don't be fooled by fancy words and good advertising. You are the expert on your own health! A 15 minute consultation can't ever begin to cover the complexity of how your body functions, but you've lived in this body all your life, quite a few years longer than any medical education!! Doctors and all other health professionals have specific knowledge that may help you in your healing journey,

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-5271085273944837322010-10-26T21:38:00.001+02:002010-10-27T10:55:44.149+02:00

It was when I had stopped fighting that I realized there must be another way to overcome my health problems. Strangely enough... when I quit trying to force my will on the circumstances around me to shape them the way I wanted, things actually moved along pretty smoothly. Maybe not always in the direction I was planning or expecting (moving to Arvika?!!!) but as things turned out, usually a lot

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-43014768959476953002010-10-25T10:52:00.009+02:002010-10-25T10:52:00.325+02:00

In the spirit of creative solutions, I propose to be open for other options than the obvious ones. My health issues place a lot of obstacles in my path every day. For many years my solution to these obstacles was to keep fighting them. In the great river of denial, I kept fighting and fighting... until I just had no strength left at all. The obstacles were still there. That's when I had a

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-11814539064644623712010-10-24T17:19:00.000+02:002010-10-24T17:19:44.165+02:00

There are many detours on the road to a healthy life. Sometimes the road from A to B is not the shortest route, but who knows what valuabe tools you may pick up on the way if you are open to taking the scenic one? Or the one that stops in interesting places? You can help the process along by focusing on your dream, setting smart goals, committing to constant improvement and ditching your

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-82798483487688729942010-10-24T06:02:00.000+02:002010-10-24T06:02:46.792+02:00

Worry increases pain. Just imagine the difference in how you experience a stomachache if you: 1. Have been told you might have stomach cancer and you're waiting for test results. 2. If you know it's because you have eaten too much ice cream. Same stomachache, very different situation. I read about a study where doctors induced stomachache in test subjects, by inflating a plastic tube in the

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-14405161072191966792010-10-24T05:40:00.000+02:002010-10-24T05:40:45.481+02:00

People say so many things, and many of them are true. When it comes to healing and overcoming chronic pain, I've found it a great benefit to practice selective hearing. Filter all incoming messages, and choose to overhear the ones that: 1. Bring you down 2. Say you can't get better 3. Say you should learn to live with your pain the way it is 4. Tell you you should get over it 5. Question your

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-68787093386961305462010-10-21T18:52:00.000+02:002010-10-21T18:52:11.309+02:00

Why keep doing what everybody else is doing, if it isn't working for you? Creative solutions and new ideas have an important part to play in healing. If you've tried the recommended treatments and they aren't working for you, don't just keep doing the same thing. Be creative! Apart from having a new perspective on actual treatments, creativity is important in everyday life with chronic pain.

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-4694487180355197182010-10-20T15:55:00.000+02:002010-10-20T15:55:15.667+02:00

Your surroundings are important factors for health and well being, but few of us are in the position that we can look out a window to this kind of scenery every day. Yet, a newly released study from John Hopkins University shows clearly that beautiful nature scenes, even if just on a photograph, have significant pain-reducing effect. The study was performed on cancer patients undergoing

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-86627662934572079752010-10-19T15:13:00.001+02:002010-10-19T15:14:55.511+02:00

Did Beatles say it best? Maybe LOVE is all we need! I always think it's funny when hugely expensive scientific studies prove things that we already know, but here goes: A new study done at Stanford University School of Medicine shows that passionate feelings of love can provide amazingly strong pain relief!!! “It turns out that the areas of the brain activated by intense love are the same

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-29366180884951194482010-10-18T23:40:00.004+02:002010-10-18T23:40:00.196+02:00

I believe in God - and living in Sweden, which several studies have shown is the most atheist nation in the world - that is not a cool thing to say. I moved here from my native Norway, another mostly atheist nation - and one of the few western countries which even has a state church, thereby breaking one of the tenets of a healthy democracy by enlightenment standards. Needless to say, the whole

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-91592940069871101162010-10-18T14:05:00.000+02:002010-10-18T14:05:20.118+02:00

The placebo effect works in 30% of cases. As a professional patient, I don't get why its given such a bad rep, we should use it for what it's worth! That a harmless fake or sham treatment can work in one third of cases is a testament to the body's own healing mechanism, and the powerful connection between mind and body. The original "Happy Pill" Prozac was apparently only 3% more successful

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-47819084387822643702010-10-16T10:37:00.000+02:002010-10-16T10:37:45.913+02:00

If only fixing pain had been as simple as putting on a band aid.... Yesterday I had to take two excedrin to stop the incoming migraine, so my experiment was blown at 5 and a half weeks completely med free. My boyfriend tells me that normal people use the occasional pill for headaches, so why shouldn't I? But... I don't want to take pills. And I feel it really helps my general well being to learn

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-49044033469336862912010-10-15T11:39:00.002+02:002010-10-16T10:42:18.678+02:00

I keep forgetting this simple little fact: it's easier to prevent than to cure. After my three pain-free weeks I was feeling pretty good about myself, and yesterday I thought it was a good idea to save parking money by taking the subway around Oslo and carrying my stuff in a backpack. Then I woke up to a surprise visit from good old flaming neck pain, which had already invited his friends

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8833608176461559489.post-2512612900787356982010-10-14T08:31:00.000+02:002010-10-14T08:31:44.117+02:00

Hot water + being weightless + massage = really good pain relief. This kind of old fashioned jacuzzi is nice enough, but many of the flashy hot tubs being made today have therapeutic massage systems that can give really great relief, especially if you suffer from muscle or back pain.  They are very expensive to buy, and I'm afraid this wouldn't fit in our new apartment (and the neighbors

Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09679133484914356162noreply@blogger.com1