Painiac: The Podcast On Living Well Even When Life Hurts

Hi, this is Shelly. I hear you loud and clear, painiacs. You're ready for season two to start, and I'm ready to get it off the ground. Join me for an update on season two of Painiac, and hear how you can help support the continuation of the show. Painiac the podcast is free and widely available to anyone in the world who has access to a wifi connection. My mission is that Painiac is, and always will be, a free resource for people who need it because more people need free, accessible resources for pain management, and that's where you come in.

I've started an online fundraiser on GoFundMe. We're looking to raise some money to help cover the cost of editing services, hosting, and recording equipment. I love Painiac, but it's a project that takes an enormous amount of time, energy, and my own resources to produce. I'm asking that if you love Painiac, and you've gotten anything from its message, that you please make a donation today. When you contribute to Painiac, you'll help me and my team continue to reach more people who need support.

Ready to contribute? Head to http://bit.ly/2xfE9h6 to easily donate to Painaic season two.

If you aren't able to make a financial contribution today, please share this link with your community, and write a review for Painiac in iTunes.

Thanks in advance,

Shelly

Hi, this is Shelly. I hear you loud and clear, painiacs. You're ready for season two to start, and I'm ready to get it off the ground. Join me for an update on season two of Painiac, and hear how you can help support the continuation of the show. Painiac the podcast is free and widely available to anyone in the world who has access to a wifi connection. My mission is that Painiac is, and always will be, a free resource for people who need it because more people need free, accessible resources for pain management, and that’s where you come in.

I’ve started an online fundraiser on GoFundMe. We’re looking to raise some money to help cover the cost of editing services, hosting, and recording equipment. I love Painiac, but it’s a project that takes an enormous amount of time, energy, and my own resources to produce. I’m asking that if you love Painiac, and you’ve gotten anything from its message, that you please make a donation today. When you contribute to Painiac, you’ll help me and my team continue to reach more people who need support.

Ready to contribute? Head to
http://bit.ly/2xfE9h6 to easily donate to Painaic season two.

If you aren't able to make a financial contribution today, please share this link with your community, and write a review for Painiac in iTunes.

Thanks in advance,

Shelly

In this season one finale episode of Painiac the Podcast, Shelly reflects back on what we've learned, discussed, and shared in the inaugural season of the show. She also shares wisdom about what it means to continue on the path of mindful pain management and encourages listeners to commit to changing their relationship to pain. Be sure to download the supplemental mp3 Body Scan Meditation for Pain Management on our website at www.peacefulbodycoaching.com

Now more than ever, chronic pain patients are considering using medical marijuana for pain relief from a myriad of conditions such as Crohn's and ulcerative colitis, neuropathy, fibromyalgia, seizure disorders, back pain, arthritis, anxiety, and migraines, just to name a few. If it works, and it's legal in many places around the world, including in the US, then why is it such a challenge to find reliable, research-based, accurate information about what to take, how to take it, and where to get it.

Why is there such a stigma attached to medical marijuana when serious narcotics and pain meds are widely prescribed, despite dangerous side effects? In this episode, Join Shelly in conversation with Dr. Rachna Patel, a medical doctor who specializes in treating patients with medical marijuana.

Dr. Patel addresses and responds to listeners' concerns and questions about the ins and out of using medical marijuana to manage pain. She breaks down the pain-relieving chemical compounds in marijuana, discusses the various gentle methods of using marijuana (other than smoking it), explains the importance of using high-quality lab-tested products, shares how to avoid the undesired side effects of marijuana, including feeling "high", and provides insight as to what to look for when finding a doctor to prescribe medical marijuana. You don't want to miss this episode!

Today we're talking with licensed acupuncturist and herbalist Kirsten Cowan. Kirsten is trained as a physician of traditional Chinese medicine and she's also the founder of Angelica and Peony, a natural health and wellness beauty product line inspired by herbal medicine. I asked Kirsten to join us to talk about holistic medicine and to discuss natural remedies for pain relief that are easy to integrate into your daily life and routine.

Kira is a coach and counsellor, and the author of Aches, Pains, and Love: A Guide to Dating and Relationships for Those With Chronic Pain and Illness. In her book, Kira provides down-to-earth, practical advice drawn from 20 years of experience living with a chronic pain condition. Shelly and Kira talk about the many challenges and obstacles of learning to date, love, and be intimate while living with pain, as well as some of the ins and outs of Kira's multi-decade journey of living with chronic pain and illness.

One of the fundamental foundations of mindful pain management is all about the practice of prioritizing the ultimate health and wellness of YOU. It's about taking active steps to better manage the pain so that you can continue to thrive and live, rather than stay feeling helpless or stuck. Today, we're talking all about self-care treatments you can do yourself with that are free or really affordable. More instructions, recipes, and resources are included on our website at www.peacefulbodycoaching.com

Today we are featuring a conversation with a powerful painiac, Jen Lake. Jen is an East Coast transplant living life in the high deserts of New Mexico with her better half, Trevor, and her pack of three very large rescue pups, Miesha, T-Bone and Bumper.

By day, Jen is a web designer and photographer, but by night, she is a graduate student working on a dual masters is Business Administration and Information Systems and Assurance. Jen is also a 2016 Schwinn Bicycle Ambassador. In 2014, Jen underwent brain surgery and a fusion of her cervical spine to address a condition called Chiari Malformation, and then, in 2015, she underwent a second surgery on her back to address a tethered spinal cord.

From these experiences, Jen developed a passion for not only wellness but for inspiring others on their own health journeys. Outside of studying and practicing wellness and self-care, Jen likes to spend her free time scrap-booking, baking gluten-free desserts, drinking chai lattes, and chronicling her daily life on Instagram and her blog.

In this week's episode Shelly talks about an important piece of mindful pain management: pacing and how to manage our expectations about our goals and productivity. Pacing is all about managing our activity level and energy output in order to maintain a healthy baseline of pain.

Just like with all aspects of mindful pain management, effectively pacing and managing expectations requires you to increase your self-awareness and personal connection to both mind and body. There are studies that show that serious issues can arise in the mind and body from overactivity and even underactivity. When we take time to rest we feel like we aren't getting enough done, but when we push through the pain and work even harder, our bodies pay for it in flare-ups.

So why can it be such a challenge to pace ourselves to avoid burnout and flare-ups? Pacing is all about doing what you can when you can and doing less when you can't do a lot. It's paying attention to your activity levels, how you feel during activities, and your energy levels at certain times of the day. It's all about managing those expectations with flexibility, patience and a little forgiveness.

With some simple guidelines to follow, you can start pacing yourself in a safe, effective, and efficient way.

Focusing is an experiential, body-oriented process of self-awareness and emotional healing. It can help you manage the overwhelming emotions and strong physical sensations of pain that disrupt your overall sense of well-being and ability to live your life with ease.

Today, Shelly speaks with Anne Weiser Cornell. Anne is internationally recognized as one of the leading innovators and theoreticians of Focusing. She has taught Focusing in nineteen countries, and her Focusing books and manuals have been translated into seven other languages.