Acute and chronic pain effects over 100 million people in the United States each year. Pain can be caused by a variety of situations such as accidents, musculo- skeletal disorders, improper lifting, bending, sports activities, misalignment of the vertebrae of the spine and disease. It can also appear out of nowhere with no obvious cause. A viral illness may possibly be a cause, or emotional trauma, such as fear or resentment. The pain may be acute or it may develop slowly over a matter of hours or days out of a minor discomfort. In acute form, pain can render a person helpless, enabling them from getting up from a sitting or lying position, functioning on a daily basis or even feed, wash, or dress themselves.

In the vast majority of cases, pain is caused by stasis of blood and or our body's energy resulting in muscle spasm, trauma and immobility. Pain is a vicious cycle: spasm and inflammation lead to more spasm and inflammation. Although the cycle can develop due to injury, the ultimate cause is often in the brain, which can interfere with muscle physiology through the spinal cord. Chronic (long term) and acute back (and neck) pain are common expressions of stress and emotional stress. This demonstrates the true complexity of the mind/body interaction. Many times it is the brain's distortion of muscle function that sets us up for pain by preventing muscles from responding freely to physical stresses.

Proper alignment of the head over the shoulders over the hips over the knees over the feet, are also imperative in maintaining a pain-free body. Firm abdominal muscles help to keep the back straight and strong. Bad posture habits can lock your muscles into positions you are not even aware your body is taking which can put unwanted strain on the lower back. Without a doubt, added stress and strains can take its toll on your spinal and nervous system. Maintaining a physically fit body, awareness of body positions, a clean and detoxified internal system, keeping fears, stress and insecurities in check and careful execution physically, through each day are all great ways to avoid daily aches and pains.

Pain is a message sent by the body to the brain, signalling that dis-ease, injury, or strenuous activity has caused trouble in some area. Without pain, you would be unaware of many problems until the disorder became very serious. At low levels, pain can motivate you to rest the injured area so that tissue can be repaired and regenerated and additional problems can be prevented. Severe pain can motivate you to seek treatment. While Acute pain can alert us to a problem, Chronic pain can also last long after the injured area is healed. In such cases of chronic pain, this is where pain management works the best. For some people, pain can be tolerated at high levels; this is someone who has a high tolerance for pain, and others have a very low tolerance.

For most people, pain is cyclical. Pain produces anxiety and this can intensify the pain. Fear and anticipation of physical problems can also heighten the pain leading to feelings of depression and helplessness. When one experiences this pain, we tend to limit our activities which can lead to a chronic "pain cycle". This will adversely affect one's confidence and self-esteem. Being aware of a chronic pain cycle and understanding its psychological effects, can help you avoid being drawn into the cycle.

In this cycle, which tends to begin with long periods of rest and inactivity, this causes a loss of physical strength, flexibility and endurance. As a result, you begin to lose confidence in your ability to do things, which causes you to lower your personal goals. The inability to do your usual activities, then allows you feelings of frustration as you see yourself now as being unproductive which in turn, lowers your self-esteem and may further lead to depression. When the lower end of the cycle comes around and you are feeling the pain less than usual, we then have a tendency to overexert ourselves in an effort to prove to ourselves and others that we are still capable of doing the things we could do before we had the pain. As a result of the overexertion, the pain tends to return more severe than before. Discouraged and in pain, you begin limiting your activity again, hence the cycle begins once more.

Pain management on a psychological level works by affecting the mind's perception of the pain. In the treatment of pain, however, there is no clear cut separation between the physical and the psychological. Just as physical reduction of pain may decrease anxiety and improve your overall outlook, so can the mind be used to relax muscles and effect other physical changes that will reduce overall symptoms. By all means, the management of pain, whether acute or chronic, is never an easy path or has cut and dried solutions. By changing the way your mind deals with pain can be the key to unlocking (or unblocking) certain energies or a mind-set that holds us back from healing. Don't think about it, DO IT! Taking the control and responsibility for your own health, is the first step in breaking a dependence on doctors, medications and everyone else's opinion. This is not to say, stop seeing your doctor or throw away your medication, NO. This means that you must make an effort in learning more about your pain, where it is coming from (it's roots) and to really learn HOW to take part in your own healing.

Crystals have both piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties. This means that the polarities of the crystal will change when subjected to pressure or heat (even body heat from the hands). This will radiate energy from the crystal due to this reversal of polarities. It provides the transfer, storage and transformation of energy. Offering a balanced energy field, energy modification, amplifies both energy and thought, clarity in thinking, and harmony and alignment with the Chakra energy areas. Magnets and Quartz have been used very often in our society for managing pain and most people do not even recognize them as crystals.

Crystals that you may consider for pain management include: Amazonite, Apache Tear, Azurite, Basalt, Chrysocolla, Diopside, Magnetite, Lodestone, Quartz, Wonderstone, Zebra Rock. You can find the specific properties of these crystals at our homepage: [http://www.peacefulmind.com/pain.htm]

Applications for Crystal Healing
The mere fact that crystals are placed in an environment suggests to the subconscious mind that healing, on some subliminal level, has already begun. When crystals are placed in a room, they will automatically charge that area with energy. They will also absorb and ionize that energy in the area which is negative. The clearing, focusing, radiating beauty aspects of a crystal, work regardless if someone is aware of these traits or not. These are the amazing elements of a crystal's power. To disperse this energy outward is one of its true gifts. It is even more astonishing when we are aware of it!

In healing, place the crystal on the part of the body where you need it. For chakra work, choose crystals of the appropriate color and properties. Place the stone on the afflicted area and feel it's energies work. You can hold the stone in your receptive hand to absorb the healing energies. Crystals have been wore and adorn for centuries for not only their beauty but for the way they make one feel. As jewelry or carried in a purse or pocket or set up as a healing grid in a room or under a bed, the application for crystals are endless.

At the end of the process, the stone is probably depleted of much of it's energy. Thank your crystal and then cleanse it. Remember, most stones will retain these negative energies.


Andrew Pacholyk, MS, L.Ac
[http://www.peacefulmind.com/pain.htm]
Alternative medicine and therapies for healing mind, body & spirit!