The Enigma of Pain?
Pain is one of the most controversial issues in medicine, and where it comes from
is not well understood. So Why do we hurt? Searching for the origin of pain is
underscored by the need to change how medicine treats pain. In my ongoing
search for the cause of pain, I have developed the Blatman Method which
describes four rules. First is, we cannot truly believe pain comes from where we
feel it.
Headaches do not come from the head. Left arm pain could be from a heart attack
and may not come from the left arm. Second is that we cannot believe what the
pain feels like. Our brains cannot tell the difference between numbness, tingling,
burning, aching, itch, tickle, and pain. True they all feel different, but the difference
is not necessarily diagnostic and does not closely indicate the cause.
What we can believe is that where we are specifically tender is where our fascia (a thin sheath of fibrous tissue
enclosing a muscle or other organ) is tied in a knot called a myofascial trigger point, or where it attaches to our skel-
eton and is injured. This is the most fascinating of all as it shows how the most tender sites and areas usually cause
most of pain we believe we are experiencing. Headaches for example, come largely from the tender spots in the
face, jaw, neck, upper shoulders, and upper back.
Mitigating pain is also possible by understanding that food can be a major inflammatory trigger.
Food that is inflammatory to the body can trigger past injuries in fascia and increase pain for 2-6 weeks. Pain that
is worse with barometric and weather change comes mostly from inflammation caused by some food that was
ingested during the previous 6 weeks. Avoiding inflammatory food may reduce chronic pain by as much as
40-60%.. Some foods to avoid are wheat, sugar,dairy, and white potato that are just inherently inflammatory in
nature.
Processed foods with oxidized fats can promote an inflammatory response in your body which can lead to pain,
especially for those suffering from fibromyalgia. Sugar and excessive carbs can spike your insulin levels which are
also associated with pain
Learning about myofascial pain and inflammatory food can help provide direction for working to improve and
preserve a pain free or less painful existence at any age. Pain is not a natural and forgone consequence of aging.
There are treatments that can help our bodies restore worn cartilage in joints, and others that can help restore worn
tendons and ligaments. The best way to reduce chronic and acute pain is to discover and then help the body restore
from the consequence of past injuries.
Author Profile
Hal S. Blatman, MD, is the founder and medical director of the Blatman
Health and Wellness Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, NYC & Seattle a nationally
recognized specialist in myofascial pain, and co-author of The Art of Body
Maintenance: Winners' Guide to Pain Relief, a reference for treating
myofascial pain, from migraine headaches to plantar fascitis. He is creden-
tialed in Pain Management, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, and
Integrative Holistic Medicine, and also trained in Craniosacral Therapy and
Healing Touch. After receiving his medical degree from the Medical College
of Pennsylvania in 1980, Dr. Blatman completed two years of training in
orthopedic surgery. He later studied ergonomics and toxicology during his
residency in Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the University of
Cincinnati Hospital. In the early 1990’s, he studied with the late Dr. Janet
Travel, a pain physician to president Kennedy. Dr. Blatman currently leads a
team that specializes in the Holistic and Comprehensive rehabilitation and
treatment of pain, ligament and tendon injury, fibromyalgia, and chronic
fatigue syndrome. He is a past president of the American Holistic Medical
Association, with offices also in Manhattan and Seattle.
Hal S Blatman, MD, FAAO APT, ABIHM, DAAPM