95. Pain Care Redefined: Non-Drug Therapies for Pain Relief with Heather Tick, MD

Bendy Bodies with the Hypermobility MD, Dr. Linda Bluestein

Dr. Heather Tick, a renowned pain expert, discusses non-drug therapies for pain relief; applying the principles of integrative medicine for comprehensive pain care. She emphasizes the need for education and understanding of pain neuroscience to empower patients. Dr. Tick also highlights the significance of nutrition in reducing chronic pain and inflammation. Additionally, she explores various modalities, such as acupuncture and manual therapies, as effective strategies for pain relief. Dr. Heather Tick discusses the impact of habits on movement and the importance of developing healthy movement practices. She also explores various modalities for pain relief, including heat, cold, Epsom salt baths, and movement therapies like yoga and Tai Chi. Dr. Tick emphasizes the role of mast cells in the stress response and the importance of managing diet to reduce mast cell activation. She discusses the effectiveness of laser therapy, ozone injections, and shockwave therapy for pain management. Dr. Tick also addresses the overprescription of medications and the potential benefits of supplements. She provides insights into the appropriate use of interventional pain management and the risks associated with steroid injections. Finally, she discusses the challenges of determining the expertise of medical professionals and the need for caution when considering regenerative medicine.

Takeaways

• Integrative medicine takes a holistic approach to health, focusing on achieving overall well-being rather than just managing symptoms.
• Pain management should involve a comprehensive care plan that includes movement, education, nutrition, sleep, psychosocial support, modalities, medications, and supplements.
• Understanding pain neuroscience can help patients reframe their perception of pain and explore non-pharmacological strategies for pain relief.
• Nutrition plays a crucial role in reducing chronic pain and inflammation, and a whole-food, plant-based diet is recommended.
• Modalities such as acupuncture and manual therapies can provide effective pain relief and should be considered as part of a comprehensive pain management plan. Developing healthy movement habits is crucial for optimal movement.
• Heat, cold, Epsom salt baths, and movement therapies like yoga and Tai Chi can provide pain relief.
• Managing diet and reducing mast cell activation can help alleviate stress response.
• Laser therapy, ozone injections, and shockwave therapy may be effective for pain management.
• Caution is needed when considering the use of medications and supplements.
• Interventional pain management should be approached with strict criteria and careful consideration.
• Regenerative medicine shows promise but requires further research and careful selection of providers.

Chapters ➡

00:00 Introduction to Dr. Heather Tick

02:05 Understanding Integrative Medicine

07:41 Redefining Pain Management

10:31 The Importance of Education in Pain Care

12:58 The Role of Nutrition in Pain Relief

21:53 Exploring Different Modalities for Pain Relief

53:56 Impact of Habits on Movement

55:11 Benefits of Tai Chi

56:34 Connective Tissue and Movement

57:37 Role of Mast Cells in Stress Response

58:10 Effectiveness of Laser Therapy

01:00:35 Usefulness of Ozone Injections

01:02:03 Effectiveness of Shockwave Therapy

01:03:13 Overprescribed and Underutilized Medications

01:03:44 Importance of Stopping Medications

01:04:32 Impact of Proton Pump Inhibitors

01:05:37 Role of Gut in Producing Neurotransmitters

01:06:34 Importance of B Vitamins and Coenzyme Q10

01:17:26 Evaluation of Interventional Pain Management

01:19:16 Risks of Steroid Injections

01:21:26 Appropriate Use of Regenerative Medicine

01:25:30 Determining the Expertise of Medical Professionals

01:31:28 Differentiating Flares from New Problems

01:33:48 Challenges of IV Infusions and Regenerative Medicine

Connect with YOUR Bendy Specialist, Dr. Linda Bluestein, MD at https://www.hypermobilitymd.com/.

Thank YOU so much for tuning in. We hope you found this episode informative, inspiring, useful, validating, and enjoyable. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to level up your knowledge about hypermobility disorders and the people who have them.🎧

Join YOUR Bendy Bodies community at https://www.bendybodiespodcast.com/.

YOUR bendy body is our highest priority! 🧬🔬🦓

Resources:

Learn more about Dr. Tick

https://heathertickmd.com/

https://www.facebook.com/heathertickmd/

Heather Tick - YouTube

Buy Dr. Tick’s book

https://tinyurl.com/3na9zchp

Fibromyalgia and other pain conditions

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3236313/

Evidence-Based Nonpharmacologic Strategies for Comprehensive Pain Care: The Consortium Pain Task Force White Paper (Dr Tick is the first author)

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550830718300223

Medical errors

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28186008/

https://nap.nationalacademies.org/resource/9728/To-Err-is-Human-1999--report-brief.pdf

https://psnet.ahrq.gov/issue/incidence-adverse-events-and-negligence-hospitalized-patients-results-harvard-medical

Sham acupuncture

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2022.834112/full

Acupuncture in the emergency department

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8896475/

Risk of stroke after chiropractic manipulation

https://www.jmptonline.org/article/S0161-4754(14)00267-X/fulltext

WUSTL program developed by Shirley Sahrmann, PT, PhD

https://pt.wustl.edu/education/movement-system-impairment-syndromes-courses/

Mast cells: Versatile gatekeepers of pain

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0161589014000546

Carla Stecco, MD