Welcome to the first of three articles from our PCN Health & Wellbeing Coach, Ludmila, on the relationship between pain, tiredness and low mood. We will release these articles over the next week.
Are there any links amongst these common symptoms? And if there are, how to impact them with lifestyle?
PART ONE OF THREE: The logic of the body.
People who suffer with chronic pain normally tend to suffer with chronic fatigue as well. In fact, a lot of those go on to develop depressed mood disorders. Could there be a link to tie these symptoms together? The fact is there is always a link that ties everything together in the human body whether we understand it or not. Our bodies are highly dynamic and sophisticated systems that interconnect and self-adjust with a precision we are yet to fully understand. But the trouble is, human physiology is full of 'black boxes' which have not been 'opened' yet and sometimes not even discovered. Science is constantly trying to catch up with nature and it is humbling to observe the innate wisdom that drives human physiology. There is a logic to everything that happens in the body. And so, there is a lot to infer if we take the time and interest to reflect upon the network that interlinks organs, systems, and behaviours. The idea of the mind and body operating separately is finally on its way out; but somehow, the ins and outs of how different parts interconnect with the whole are still elusive.
Warning lights
In any case, if we consider the knowledge we have to date, in light of the more recent advances that have brought about the notion of every part belonging to the whole, we can look at symptoms with different eyes. Symptoms should really be taken as signs rather than nuisance. Warning lights that come up in the control panel of a car or any other vehicle are taken seriously and no one who intends to keep the machinery in good working order would dare consider removing the bulbs behind the red warning lights as a solution to the problem. I think we need to learn to treat our bodies and our 'warning light signals' (i.e. symptoms) with similar curiosity, bringing into consideration the way we run the system on a day-to-day basis.
Putting the puzzle together
So, using the common cluster of symptoms that group together pain, tiredness and low mood, how to look at those when considering the whole picture, or in this case, the whole person? First and foremost, we need to back away from the 'keyhole' or 'zoomed in' approach through which symptoms are considered in isolation. It is important to think in terms of connections and this is what is now known scientifically as 'systems biology'. What goes on with a particular part of the body cannot be the final object of our attention if we take a holistic approach. We need to engage with curiosity and think bigger. So, I invite you to ponder. First, we look at the facts as hard evidence. Starting with pain and its function in the body. Initial pain is a warning to the system about damage that could otherwise go unnoticed. Especially if we think of internal damage such as that which happens in joints from wear and tear, or in the gut from gluten allergy, pain is a strong communication tool that the body uses to catch our attention. Now, from the idea of damage behind pain, we can link up pain with inflammation because whenever there is damage to physical structures in the body, an inflammatory response is triggered. Through inflammation, the body seeks to protect and repair damaged structures. The question that remains is: when does inflammation change from solution to ongoing problem? That’s what we will look at in part two.
By Ludmila Enticott, Warwickshire East PCN Health & Wellbeing Coach
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