Llewellyn Worldwide - Why We Hurt: Table of Contents

Contents

Disclaimer, xxi

Acknowledgments, xxiii

Introduction, xxv

Book One
the story of chronic pain:
how we got here, 1

Section 1
Misconceptions in Our Modern Healing, 2

1: an uncomfortable reality 3
Science-Based Alternative Answers 4
Best Medicine in the World? 5
Drugs: Not the Safest Way to Achieve Health 6
The Adequacy of Musculoskeletal Care in the United States 8
Why Not Rely on Yourself ? You're in the Driver's Seat 9
Turning Crisis into Opportunity 10
Running Toward the Wrong Goal 12
The Menagerie of Holistic Medicine 13
The Beautiful Tapestry of You 14
Disease-Care vs. Wellness Care 15

2: the problem with pain 19
Chronic Pain and Chronic Disease: Same Source 20
Looking for a Quick Fix 20
Everyday Pain and NSAIDs 21
Inflammation: Not the Bad Guy 23
Our Misguided War on Inflammation, 24
The Many Faces of Chronic Benign Pain 26
The Role of “Silent” Inflammation
in Chronic Pain and Disease 27

3: the fallacy of pain relief 29
Dancing with Our Genes 29
Where Most Chronic Pain and Disease Come From 31
What Food Is and Its Connection to Pain and Disease 32
Our Health and the Health of the Earth Are One 34
The Dance of Earth and Sun That Is You 36
Appreciating Your Health from the Inside 37
The Hard Work of Digestion 38
Case Study, 39
The Benefits of Bacteria 40
Case Study, 41
Your Liver and the Importance of Detoxification 42
Case Study, 43

Section 2
Roadblocks to Healing, 44

4: our fantastic fascia 45
Movement Is Life 46
Primary Source of Chronic Pain: Muscles and Fascia 47
What Fascia Is Made Of 48
The Interwoven Tapestry of Your Fascia 49
Nociceptors: How We Hurt 51
The Specialness of Nociceptors and Chronic Pain 52

5: the smoldering fire of chronic inflammation 55
Inflammation: The Healing Response 56
Chronic Inflammation and Our Nociceptors 57
Chronic Inflammation and Degenerative Disease 59
From Inflammation to Free Radicals and Chronic Pain 61
The Nature of Free Radicals and Oxidative Stress 62
Oxidative Stress, Aging, and Your Mitochondria 64
How Mitochondria Are Vulnerable to Damage 67
Quick Reference Guide to Managing Oxidative Stress 69

6: the painful side of sweetness 71
The Roots of Our Sugar Addiction 72
What Is a High Glycemic Diet? 73
How a High Glycemic Diet Creates Problems 74
Pain, Disease, and Aging from Insulin Resistance 76
Diagnosing Metabolic Syndrome 77
Stopping Metabolic Syndrome from Ruining Your Life 80

7: our injured earth, your injured self 83
The Toxic Nation 83
What About the Children's Health? 85
What About All This ADD/ADHD and Depression,
or Why Is Everyone On Prozac? 86
How Bad Is It? 88
The Warning Had Been Sounded, 90
How We Become Polluted 91

8: how it all comes together neurologically 95
Stress: The Source of Your Pain 95
The Nerve of Pain, 96
A Rose by Any Other Name, 97
Why the Big Deal over Terminology? 98
Your Brain and the NML 100
Dietary Promotion of Painful NMLs 101
The History of the Trigger Point, or NML 102
How Pain-Causing Muscle Knots Form 104
The NML: Very Common, Never Normal! 107
The Active NML, or Primary Trigger Point 108
The Lurking NML, or Latent Trigger Point 109

Book Two
the triangle of healing:
physical / biochemical / spiritual, 111

Section 3
Physically Healing Your Pain, 112

9: self-care 101 for myofascial pain syndromes 113
The Neuromyofascial Lesion
of a Myofascial Pain Syndrome 114
Finding the NML, or Myofascial Trigger Point 115
Figure 9.1: Trigger points and referral patterns
for trapezius muscles, 115
Finding a Treatment Point, or NML 117
Reference Guide for Common Lower Body
Pain-Causing NMLs 117
Figure 9.2: Treatment areas for low-back/hip-leg pain, 118
Reference Guide for Common Upper Body
Pain-Causing NMLs 119
Figure 9.3: Treatment areas for headaches and for pain
in the mid-back, shoulder, arm, and neck areas, 119
Physically Treating the NML, Your Source of Chronic Pain 120
Proper Self-Care Trigger Point Therapy 122
Why Trigger Point Therapy Is So Effective 124
The Neuromyofascial Patterns of Chronic Pain Disorders 126

10: conquering your low-back pain
and sciatica 129
How Your Back Is Built 130
The Patterns of Pain 131
Anatomy of a Low Back 132
An Unlevel Foundation: LLI 133
Figure 10.1: Posture affected by unlevel foundation, 134
The Quadratus Lumborum Muscle 135
Figure 10.2: Trigger point locations, 135
Figure 10.3: Trigger points and common referral patterns, 136
Figure 10.4: Self-administered trigger point therapy, 137
Why Trigger Point Therapy Sometimes Fails 138
The Lumbar Paraspinal Muscles 139
Figure 10.5: Trigger point locations, 139
Figure 10.6: Self-administered trigger point therapy, 140
Figure 10.7: Trigger points and common referral patterns, 141
Figure 10.8: Self-administered lumbar spine distraction, 142
Case Study, 143
The Gluteus Medius Muscle 144
Figure 10.9: Trigger point locations, 144
Figure 10.10: Trigger points and common referral patterns, 145
Figure 10.11: Self-administered trigger point therapy, 147
The Gluteus Minimus Muscle 148
Figure 10.12: Trigger point locations, 149
Figure 10.13: Self-administered trigger point therapy, 150
Case Study, 151
The Piriformis Muscle 152
Figure 10.14: Trigger points and location of
piriformis muscle and sciatic nerve, 153
Piriformis Syndrome 154
Piriformis Myofascial Trigger Points 154
Figure 10.15: Self-administered trigger point therapy, 155
Case Study, 155
Piriformis Nerve and Vessel Entrapment 156
Rehab Exercises for the Core Muscles of Your Low Back 157
Figures 10.16-20: Exercises, 158

11: solving the mystery of your
chronic shoulder and arm pain 161
Figure 11.1: Right shoulder joint anatomy, anterior view 162
The Challenge of Having It Both Ways-
Mobility and Stability 163
Chronic Shoulder Pain: Where It All Begins 164
Shoulder Impingement Syndromes 165
Role of Shoulder Abduction, 165
The Humble Shoulder Blade 167
Figure 11.2: The scapula stabilizer muscles, 167
Infraspinatus: The “Shoulder Joint Pain” Muscle 168
Figure 11.3: Trigger point locations, 169
Case Study, 170 00
Figure 11.4: Infraspinatus trigger point, 172
Figure 11.5: Self-administered trigger point therapy, 173
Figure 11.6: Stretch for infraspinatus, 173
Infraspinatus “Little Brother”: The Teres Minor Muscle 174
Figure 11.7: Trigger point locations, 175
Supraspinatus Muscle:
The “I Think I Have Bursitis” Muscle 176
Figure 11.8: How to find the supraspinatus trigger point, 176
Figure 11.9: Trigger point locations, 177
Figure 11.10: Self-administered trigger point therapy, 178
Figure 11.11: Supraspinatus stretch, 179
Subscapularis Muscle: “My Arm Is Frozen” Muscle 180
Figure 11.12: Trigger point and referral pattern, 181
Figure 11.13: How to find the subscapularis trigger point, 183
Figure 11.14: Self-administered trigger point therapy, 184
Figure 11.15: Subscapularis stretch, 184
Case Study, 185

12: nagging mid-back pain
and the great entrappers 187
Rhomboids: The Midbackache Muscle 188
Figure 12.1: Trigger points and common referral patterns, 189
Figure 12.2: Self-administered trigger point therapy, 190
Rounded Shoulders, Mid-Back Pain,
and the Pectoralis/Rhomboid Relationship 191
Case Study, 192
Pectoralis Minor and Major Muscles 193
Common Pectoralis Symptoms: What to Look Out For, 194
Pectoralis Minor Syndrome:
Entrapping Nerves and Vessels 195
Finding and Treating Pectoralis Trigger Points, 196
Figure 12.3: Trigger points and common referral patterns,
and three bands of pectoralis major, 197
Figure 12.4: Coracoid process, 198
Figure 12.5: Self-administered trigger point therapy, 199
Scalene Muscles: The Great Entrapment 200
Figure 12.6: Trigger points and common referral patterns, 201
Case Study, 202

13: overcoming upper back, neck,
and chronic head pain 205
Stressed Scapula Stabilizers Equals
Neck Pain and Headaches 206
Figure 13.1: Trigger points and common referral patterns, 207
Levator Scapula: The Stiff Neck-Bad Shoulder Muscle 208
Figure 13.2: Trigger point location, 209
Figure 13.3: How to find the levator scapula trigger point, 211
Figure 13.4: Self-administered trigger point therapy, 211
Figure 13.5: Levator scapula stretch, 212
The Trapezius Muscle 212
Figure 13.6: Trigger points and common referral patterns, 213
Causes of Upper Trapezius Trigger Points, 214
Figure 13.7: Most common trigger point on human body, 215
NML Location and Referral Pattern of the Upper Trapezius, 216
Figure 13.8: Self-administered trigger point therapy, 217
Figure 13.9: How to stretch upper trapezius muscle, 217
The Posterior Cervical and Suboccipital Muscles, 218
Figure 13.10: Trigger points of “ache in the head” muscles, 218
Figure 13.11: Trigger points and common referral patterns, 219
The Headache Muscles 220
Figure 13.12: Trigger points and common referral patterns, 221
Figure 13.13: Self-administered trigger point therapy, 223
Figure 13.14: Suboccipital lift technique, 224
The Deep Suboccipital Muscles 224
Figure 13.15: Trigger points and common referral patterns, 225
Take a Holistic Approach to Your Headaches 226

Section 4
Biochemically Healing Your Pain, 228

14: eating your way out of pain
and into wellness 229
Healing Your Pain vs. Relieving Your Pain 230
The Core Questions to Be Answered 231
What an Ideal Diet Is 232
Figure 14.1: The traditional, healthy
Mediterranean diet pyramid, 234
How to Follow a Mediterranean Diet 235
The Synergy of a Holistic Approach 236
Baby Steps to Eat Your Way out of Pain
and into Wellness 237
Step 1: Burn the Best Grade of Fuel, 238
Step 2: Do an Oil Change, 239
Saving the Fish, or Going Vegetarian on the Oil Change, 242
Step 3: Tuning Up Your Cellular Engines, 245
How Much Magnesium Is Needed? 246
How Do I Know if My Tissues Are Low on Magnesium? 246
How Much and What Kind of Magnesium Should I Take? 247
The Crucial Role of B Vitamins, 248
The Rediscovery of Vitamin D3, 250

15: spice up your healing 255
The Benefits of Healing Your Pain with Herbs 256
The Power of Ginger Root Extract 257
Ginger and Chronic Inflammation, 257
Ginger and Substance P(ain) in Chronic Myofascial Disorders, 258
Proper Herbal Supplementation 260
Case Study, 262
The Power of Turmeric 263
Curcumin Extract: Great Support for a Toxic World, 264
Protecting Your Heart and Brain with Curcumin 266
Proper Curcumin Root Extract Supplementation 269
Extra Help from Harpagophytum 270
About Possible Herb/Drug Interactions 271

16: conquering maldigestion, food allergies,
and dysbiosis 273
Poor Digestion, Food Allergies, and Chronic Pain 273
Improving Your Digestion and Absorption 274
Self-Diagnosing Food Sensitivities or Allergies 276
Utilizing Clinical Allergy Testing, 277
The Health Consequences of the
Right Microbes in Your Gut 278
Dysbiosis and Your Chronic Pain 280
Finding Out What's Wrong 282
Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis, or CDSA, 283
Urinary Organic Acid Test, 284
Getting Rid of Pain-Causing “Bad Bugs” in Your Gut 286
Never Forget Fiber, 288

17: strategies to enhance deto?ification
and energy production 289
Liver: The Answer to All Questions 289
Phase 1 and Phase 2 of Liver Detoxification 291
How Chemical Toxins and Endotoxins Can Lead to Pain 292
The Challenge Before Us 293
Assessing Your Toxic Exposure 294
Chemical Exposure, Free Radicals, and Pain 295
Three-Step Program to Reduce Toxic Chemicals,
Oxidative Stress, and Inflammation 296
Step 1: Eat a Healthy, Organic Diet, 297
Step 2: Filter Your Air and Water, 298
Step 3: “Green Up” Your Personal Environment, 299
Nutritional Strategies to Improve Detoxification
and Energy Production 301
Nutraceuticals to Enhance Detoxification
and Mitochondrial Function 304
Ginger and Curcumin Root Extracts, 304
Silymarin, 304
Green Tea, 305
N-acetylcysteine, 306
Alpha-lipoic acid and acetyl-L-carnitine, 306
Coenzyme Q10, 307
How We Got Here 308

18: from chronic regional pain to
fibromyalgia syndrome 311
How to Assess If You Have Fibromyalgia Syndrome 312
Fibromyalgia Classification Criteria, 313
Your Nervous System and Myofascial Pain
from CRPs to FMS 314
Figure 18.1: Increasing nociceptor and central hypersensitization, 316
Figure 18.2: The mountain of chronic myofascial pain, 318
Fibromyalgia: It's Not All in Your Head,
It's in Your Spinal Cord and Brain! 319
Comprehensive Wellness Strategies 320
Restore Your Vitality! 321

Section 5
Spiritually Healing Your Pain, 326

19: the body / mind connection
to pain and suffering 327
The Source of Our Suffering 330
Hard-Wired for Fear and Anger, 331
Figure 19.1: Pathway of fear and anger through the brain, 333
Turning Up Our Emotional “Set Point” 335
Making Our Matter Matter, 336
The Connection That Can Control Our Fear, Anger, and Pain, 337
Controlling Our Fear and Anger with Inner Dialog 338
Building Emotional Strength and Intelligence 340

20: perennial wisdom's path to healing 343
Step 1: Awaken to “I Am Nothing; I Am Everything” 344
Being Nothing and Everything, 345
Our Longing to Belong, 347
Realize That Everything Is Love, 348
Nourishing and Protecting Yourself, 349
Step 2: Cling to Nothing; Push Nothing Away 351
The Inherent Unsatisfactoriness of Our Wants, 351
The Source of Our Unhappiness, 352
The Destructive Nature of Our Selfish Cravings, 353
Making Enough Simply Enough, 356
The Way to Begin Healing, 356
Embraced in the Loving Arms of Compassion, 357
Hard-Wired for Compassion, 358
Armed with Compassion by Heaven, 360
The Peace That Passes All Understanding, 361

21: the healing power of forgiveness
and gratitude 363
How We Destroy Our Peace 364
How This Madness Can Go to Sadness, 364
A Different View of Anger, 365
Step 3: Give Yourself the Gift of Forgiveness 366
The Real Gift of Forgiveness, 367
Step 4: Open to the Happiness in What's Happening 369
The Gift of Being Fully Present, 370

Step 5: Gratefully Bless What There Is for Being 371
The Grateful Heart of Blessing, 373

Website Resources, 379

Index, 389