Winter is the time of year most people dread. They see no sun, feel no heat
on their skin unless they sit in front of the fireplace or soak in a hot tub.
Many people are SAD. No I don't just mean sad in the traditional sense. I
mean seasonal affective disorder. This basically means that the brain is not
producing the serotonin because it is not being blessed with sunlight. It
makes people sad, anxious, and hungry (trying to self sooth I imagine). Then
people (women are the most effected by this) gain weight, become more
depressed because they are gaining weight and this perpetuates the cycle.
Sometimes antidepressants are needed to help them lift from this state.
Sometimes it is just artificial sunlight that makes them feel better. This will
generally clear by itself when the sun does return to its rightful place in our
lives. Spring, the time for renewal of body, mind and soul.
If you are a pain patient, which many diabetics are due to neuropathy
usually, but not always. Pain increases as the thermometer decreases.
Dampness, rain, cold are all triggers for pain. Many people also deal with
depression because of pain. This takes the care of a team to help resolve
the issues. Usually primary care physicians have no idea how to treat a pain
patient. Today, for the first time, doctors are being taught that pain is real
and needs to be treated as the whole body, psyche as well as backs require
treatment. Many people find hypnotherapy as a wonderful respite or rest
from the daily pain they deal with. I personally have seen this and am in awe
of a mind that is so strong that it can overpower the nerve endings
screaming in distress. Of course there are other ways of dealing with pain,
such as a pain pump for intractable back pain. Pain that is constant,
unremitting and literally killing the pa patient. I have heard a pain doctor say
to a primary care physician "If you get a bad toothache, leave it, deal with
what these patients deal with on a daily basis. You know you can put a time
to when you can have that fixed and the pain removed. These patients don't
have that luxury. They never know how much worse it is going to become
instead of improving."
Doctors are just now being given the information of how to treat chronic
pain. Oh, they knew of narcotics, but fear of creating a drug addict or having
a patient overdose loomed all to clear in their minds. Fear of their
consequences stopped them from treating patients. They would just "refer
them to a pain clinic" and forget them. Occasionally this is a good answer,
but not always. Some people do not have the funds for a specialized center
to treat them. They fall through the cracks. As a wonderful friend of mine
once told me "Pain is terminal. If a patient can get no relief from pain, he will
take his own life in desperation". Because my husband is a pain patient, I
have never let this leave my mind. Most pain treatment is a "band aid" in
other words, not a fix, just a way to hold on until something changes.
As I mentioned pain pumps, they are one way for a patient to have a "fairly
normal existence". They are having either morphine or another, stronger,
narcotic dripped into their spinal fluids, round the clock.
They feel no "drug effect", act normal, and only occasionally need to treat
additional break through pain, it must be available for those times. These
people, although they are only receiving micrograms of narcotics, do go
through drug withdrawal if their pump fails or they some how have received
a miscalculated date for a pump fill.
Most patients, unless there is a permanent condition, recover from their pain
after a while. Pain pills and are slowed and stopped and they are able to go
on about their normal lives. There are many drugs today that can safely treat
severe pain with no lasting effect, once the drug has cleared from your body.
Extreme caution is always necessary when pain medication is
administered. Follow up care is necessary to make sure all is well.
Hypothyroidism is another cause of exhaustion. If your thyroid is not
working to capacity and is sluggish, so are you. The result is feeling weary,
weight gain amid a myriad of other symptoms. This is a condition that is
easily detected by a simple blood test.
Heart disease is another cause of exhaustion. If your heart is not pumping
sufficiently to make it to your brain, you are not doing well at all. It may
caused by clogged arteries, or stenosis (narrowing of arteries). A visit to a
cardiologist should take the guesswork out of the picture.
Sleep disorders also make people exhausted and depressed. Whether you
have a night spent wide awake in a chair, or a fitful night in your bed, a poor
nights rest is a sure way to feel bad the next day. Try a warm bath, a cup of
tea, soothing soft music as a backdrop to fall asleep to. Sometimes a house
is so quiet a person cannot relax. Those are the times the "grey" noise of
soft music can offer a soft place to fall asleep.
There are so many reasons for exhaustion, for depression and pain. I have
merely touched the tip of the iceberg here. If you have any of these issues, I
urge you to seek help. These are real life crushing issues that deserve your
priority.
Best wishes,
Marilyn
on their skin unless they sit in front of the fireplace or soak in a hot tub.
Many people are SAD. No I don't just mean sad in the traditional sense. I
mean seasonal affective disorder. This basically means that the brain is not
producing the serotonin because it is not being blessed with sunlight. It
makes people sad, anxious, and hungry (trying to self sooth I imagine). Then
people (women are the most effected by this) gain weight, become more
depressed because they are gaining weight and this perpetuates the cycle.
Sometimes antidepressants are needed to help them lift from this state.
Sometimes it is just artificial sunlight that makes them feel better. This will
generally clear by itself when the sun does return to its rightful place in our
lives. Spring, the time for renewal of body, mind and soul.
If you are a pain patient, which many diabetics are due to neuropathy
usually, but not always. Pain increases as the thermometer decreases.
Dampness, rain, cold are all triggers for pain. Many people also deal with
depression because of pain. This takes the care of a team to help resolve
the issues. Usually primary care physicians have no idea how to treat a pain
patient. Today, for the first time, doctors are being taught that pain is real
and needs to be treated as the whole body, psyche as well as backs require
treatment. Many people find hypnotherapy as a wonderful respite or rest
from the daily pain they deal with. I personally have seen this and am in awe
of a mind that is so strong that it can overpower the nerve endings
screaming in distress. Of course there are other ways of dealing with pain,
such as a pain pump for intractable back pain. Pain that is constant,
unremitting and literally killing the pa patient. I have heard a pain doctor say
to a primary care physician "If you get a bad toothache, leave it, deal with
what these patients deal with on a daily basis. You know you can put a time
to when you can have that fixed and the pain removed. These patients don't
have that luxury. They never know how much worse it is going to become
instead of improving."
Doctors are just now being given the information of how to treat chronic
pain. Oh, they knew of narcotics, but fear of creating a drug addict or having
a patient overdose loomed all to clear in their minds. Fear of their
consequences stopped them from treating patients. They would just "refer
them to a pain clinic" and forget them. Occasionally this is a good answer,
but not always. Some people do not have the funds for a specialized center
to treat them. They fall through the cracks. As a wonderful friend of mine
once told me "Pain is terminal. If a patient can get no relief from pain, he will
take his own life in desperation". Because my husband is a pain patient, I
have never let this leave my mind. Most pain treatment is a "band aid" in
other words, not a fix, just a way to hold on until something changes.
As I mentioned pain pumps, they are one way for a patient to have a "fairly
normal existence". They are having either morphine or another, stronger,
narcotic dripped into their spinal fluids, round the clock.
They feel no "drug effect", act normal, and only occasionally need to treat
additional break through pain, it must be available for those times. These
people, although they are only receiving micrograms of narcotics, do go
through drug withdrawal if their pump fails or they some how have received
a miscalculated date for a pump fill.
Most patients, unless there is a permanent condition, recover from their pain
after a while. Pain pills and are slowed and stopped and they are able to go
on about their normal lives. There are many drugs today that can safely treat
severe pain with no lasting effect, once the drug has cleared from your body.
Extreme caution is always necessary when pain medication is
administered. Follow up care is necessary to make sure all is well.
Hypothyroidism is another cause of exhaustion. If your thyroid is not
working to capacity and is sluggish, so are you. The result is feeling weary,
weight gain amid a myriad of other symptoms. This is a condition that is
easily detected by a simple blood test.
Heart disease is another cause of exhaustion. If your heart is not pumping
sufficiently to make it to your brain, you are not doing well at all. It may
caused by clogged arteries, or stenosis (narrowing of arteries). A visit to a
cardiologist should take the guesswork out of the picture.
Sleep disorders also make people exhausted and depressed. Whether you
have a night spent wide awake in a chair, or a fitful night in your bed, a poor
nights rest is a sure way to feel bad the next day. Try a warm bath, a cup of
tea, soothing soft music as a backdrop to fall asleep to. Sometimes a house
is so quiet a person cannot relax. Those are the times the "grey" noise of
soft music can offer a soft place to fall asleep.
There are so many reasons for exhaustion, for depression and pain. I have
merely touched the tip of the iceberg here. If you have any of these issues, I
urge you to seek help. These are real life crushing issues that deserve your
priority.
Best wishes,
Marilyn
Tired?
Feeling Blue?
In Pain?
Feeling Blue?
In Pain?
Winter Blues
By Marilyn Neves
18th Edition Feb. 2007
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