Friday, November 22, 2013

What Works For You: Lotions, Creams, Unguents, Etc.

So, you get home, take off those shoes, and reach for the muscle cream to try and regain ownership of your feet. For some, it's the tingly stuff, and for others, it's the deep heating effect. How about for you?


I am asking all of you for your favorite brand. Ben Gay, or Tiger Balm? Mentholatum Deep Heat, or ______________ fill in the blank! Let us know what you have tried, and what you have found works best, and why. What kind of applicator - roll-on, or just plain cream? Perhaps a spray-on works for you. Here is a chance to share your experience with other clubbies everywhere!

So come on - slather it on!!

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

It's Not Always About The Feet

The real problem with having a part of your body in constant pain is how it affects your perspective daily. I am pretty sure anyone who lives with post-club feet, as with other conditions, does not at least occasionally say, "what I wouldn't do to have an entire day where I don't think about (insert body part or condition here.)" It seems like the sort of privilege we will never be afforded. Even small, brief respites are worth pursuing, because it's not like we have a lot of readily-available choices. It becomes as much a mental and emotional weight to shoulder as it is a physical burden.


But when we see others who complain about truly inconsequential things, its hard for us not to scratch our heads. When someone has real hurdles, on the other hand, many of us find ourselves cheering for their battles, because we know them from our own experiences. The truth is, however, that everyone has hurdles, everyone has something that holds them back, obsesses them, keeps them up from time to time wishing for something different. And while "something different" might seem like a great deal if you could get it, it is usually the case that it doesn't really change anything.


I suspect this is because we learn how to be who and what we are over such a slow and convoluted pathway that even if we win the lottery and find ourselves suddenly rich, our basic ways of being in and seeing ourselves acting in the world don't change as easily as that. What made us miserable before will still do so, and what made our struggles take the shape they have will remain stubbornly fixed in place. How we dealt with pain will always be the way we do so, unless we pursue real change, the kind that matters and lasts. I am speaking of the change we can make in our own minds.


There is a saying that has somehow emerged out of the modern understanding of pain, that it is "all in our minds." This is only true to the extent that our minds are where the pain registers. That is, where the signal is sent and processed, but not where it originates, and too often, endlessly repeats from that location. For us, it emanates from our feet and legs. So without changing the points and sources of our pain, little we do to alter those receptors will actually alter the fact and agony of our pain. That is why most pain medications are so ineffectual for chronic pain - because they are designed to have their impact on the pain centers in the brain, and do absolutely nothing for the sources of those damaging signals. That is why I always have such a negative reaction when I hear someone use this silly saying - especially a doctor. because it betrays the speaker's absolute ignorance of the true nature of chronic pain.


But there are some things we can do on our own to affect a reduction at least in those receptors in the brain, and they don't always require pharmaceuticals. Things like biofeedback, and guided imagery have been shown to bring sometimes significant levels of pain reduction. The trick I like to use, when I have the presence of mind to do so, is what I have come to call the tropical island gambit. It's quite simple, but takes practice to see the results. It goes like this:


Find a photograph in a travel magazine, say, national Geographic, of a tropical island with a mountain in the center. Even better if there is a lovely tropical lagoon in the foreground, complete with sandy beach. Now, look at the photo and imagine you are reclining there on that beach, and then, picture your pain as having taken a walk around the island and is now somewhere on the other side of that mountain. Over time, you will be able to sustain this image for longer periods, and the effect will become more evident. There is you - on the beach, and there is your pain, off by itself doing who cares what. I often find this effective when I realize I am overly focused on my pain, especially just after I take my shoes off at the end of my work day. 


Like I said, it takes practice. But we clubbies have all the time in the world. Because we know too well - these feet are not going to be changing anytime soon.