THE BRAIN, IMMUNE SYSTEM, AND CHRONIC PAIN
Even if the body and pain is complex, the strategies we can use to recover from pain doesn’t have to be!
We’re going on a “Magic School Bus” ride (cue 1994 PBS nostalgia) to our cellular systems on the nanomolecular level. Jump to 34:40 for simple biohacks to reset a hypersensitive biological system that happens during chronic pain.
“Change is inevitable, how you change is not.” Huge things are possible when we know how our body works and actively use that knowledge to make changes to our cellular systems. Mark reminds us that without trust, transformation in finding relief from chronic pain is really hard.
When exploring strategies, your mindset matters! Having an expectation that the strategies can work influences the outcomes. It’s critical to have a positive mindset that you can shift your pain, even it’s only by a little bit.
Professor Mark Hutchinson is the Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Nanoscale BioPhotonics (CNBP), an Australian Research Council Future Fellow, a Professor within the Adelaide Medical School at the University of Adelaide, and President of Science and Technology Australia, the peak body in Australia that represents 90,000 scientists. Mark explores the “other brain” and has pioneered research which has led to the discovery of novel drug activity at innate immune receptors.
Keep in mind, we have hundreds of cellular systems that turn on and off hundreds of switches in our body to stay in control and keep us safe. These switches determine why, when, and how much pain we experience in response to stimuli.
When we feel a feather against our skin or step on a Lego, we’re experiencing nociception. Over time, our baseline of what turns these switches on and off becomes more sensitive, resulting in hypernociception and allodynia that are caused from stimuli that normally wouldn’t cause pain, but now does.
Strategies that work with how our cellular systems function include:
Eating well (eating plants borrows their defense mechanisms!)
Going on a walk outside
Playing in nature
Having deep meaningful conversations (talking actually changes the structure of the central nervous system)
Creating a positive and supportive environment
Drinking hydrogenated water
Mindfulness practices, “thinking well” breathing practices like Wim Hof supercharges your immune response and resilience
This information is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a healthcare professional with any questions you may have regarding treatment, medications/supplements, or any medical diagnoses. This information is intended for educational purposes only and is in no way to substitute the advice of a licensed healthcare professional.
