How I Ended Up with PTSD
as a Caregiver

By Rachel Lopez

My daughter’s diagnosis of epilepsy, specifically, juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, at the age of 15 sent me into complete panic mode. As we listened to the neurologist confirm that Elena had JME, I could not help but ruminate what this would do to her, our family, and me.

I will never forget the crash that woke me one morning… I thought she was dying…
We were forever changed.

Elena handled the news pretty well; she shed a few tears—ever strong for me—as she knew I would be a mess. I sobbed all the way home thinking, “I delivered a perfect baby girl…this can’t be…maybe they are wrong…how will she attain her dreams…how am I going to deal with this?” Too many thoughts to state.


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I Am Truly Grateful for What Crohn’s Disease Taught Me

By Thomas Robinson

I have had Crohn’s disease for 19 years. During those years, there were times when my symptoms were so awful I felt like I would be better off dead. But those times notwithstanding, I am truly grateful for all the things my illness taught me. Learning them has changed my life for the better in more ways than I can count.

I am also grateful that I was open enough to learn the lessons Crohn’s had to teach me. I hate to imagine what my life would be like if I hadn’t been.

While my illness has been a great teacher,
living with it has been one of the most
difficult ordeals I have ever faced.

My symptoms were painful and debilitating. They included: losing so much weight that I was almost literally skin and bones; loss of bowel control accidents; disabling muscle weakness; passing out while standing; acute fatigue; night sweats so profuse I had to change my bed sheets twice a night; and intense, unpredictable pain and swelling in my arms, legs, hands and feet that made it hard for me to do everyday things like walk or hold a pen.

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Pain Times Two: Family Life When Both Parents Have Chronic Pain

By Kristen Counts

When one member of a family experiences chronic pain, the entire family is affected. In my family, two people are coping with pain on a daily basis—my husband and myself.

I do not know any other young families where both adults have chronic pain. However, I know that we must not be alone in this. My husband works many hours at his job. I have my part-time freelance writing and oversee most of our daughter’s care. It is probably the fatigue that is the most challenging. Finances can be a bit challenging as well.

Really, I think that we are struggling with
issues that many other families struggle with. However, I think that there are
a few notable differences.

We have been married for 16 years, so I think it is safe to say that we are coping and finding our way. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia at the age of 27. The American College of Rheumatology offers this brief definition of fibromyalgia: “Fibromyalgia is a common health problem that causes widespread pain and tenderness (sensitive to touch). The pain and tenderness tend to come and go, and move about the body. Most often, people with this chronic (long-term) illness are fatigued (very tired) and have sleep problems.” My husband’s final diagnosis came a few years later. His was rather non-specific, as he was diagnosed with chronic pain. Most of his pain is in the back and neck. His pain causes him to become fatigued as well.

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Can Chiropractic Care Help
Your Neck Pain?

By Micah Hamilton, DC

Approximately 70% of the population will experience neck pain in their lifetime (3). Neck pain can happen for many reasons, but what is the best option for getting rid of neck pain?

If you find yourself not getting anywhere with that nagging neck pain, it may be time to take a look at some alternative solutions.

Many Americans will try and decrease their pain with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which include names such as Advil, Aleve, Motrin, ibuprofen, naproxen, etc. Yet is that the safest option to treat your neck pain?

Research has shown that NSAIDs increase the risk of heart disease, cause over 200,000 hospitalizations and between 10,000-20,000 deaths each year (2). With these alarming statistics many people are seeking a natural alternative, rather than medications, for treating their pain.

To understand how chiropractic can help with neck pain it is important to understand what chiropractic is.

Chiropractic is the largest drug-free health care profession in the world.

Chiropractors focus on the relationship between structure and function, meaning that they detect and correct specific misalignments of the spine and extremities that can be causing irritation, inflammation and malfunction of the nervous system. Many times this is done through a specific chiropractic adjustment, also known as manipulation. By applying a skilled adjustment to spinal vertebrae, the objective is to restore normal biomechanics while stimulating mechanoreceptors (sensory receptors) deep in the joint, which decreases the response of nociceptors (nerve cells) that are responsible for sending pain signals to the brain. These adjustments can increase joint range of motion and reduce pain.

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