Plagued with Pain? Get Magnetized!

Pain. We've all experienced it one time or another. Some of us are bothered by the occasional pain - stubbing your toe, a bump or bruise, but over 50 millions of Americans suffer with pain all the time!

Pain is a sensation - a subjective phenomenon. You can't see pain - you feel it! It is highly individualized with no way to exactly quantify its effect - ask two people with the same problem to rate their pain and you will get two different answers! Diagnostic tools, such as x-rays and MRI's, help identify the possible culprits, but are unable distinguish the amount of pain.

Acute pain or pain that occurs suddenly, is a sign of a problem or injury and should be evaluated by a medical professional. It is usually short-lived and treatment involves the removal or healing of the underlying causes and the use of analgesics.

Chronic pain, on the other hand, is much more complicated. It is pain persisting more than 6 months. It is usually accompanied by sleep disturbances, decreased appetite or loss of taste for food, weight fluctuations, diminished libido and depression.

More than half of chronic pain sufferers report adverse effects in their daily lives, including their ability to work! People in constant pain demonstrate decreased productivity, which may impede the opportunity for career advancement - many cannot even manage to put in a full day's work!

Roughly ¾ of these sufferers also say their pain affects their ability to engage in a regular fitness routine. And many report feelings of increased irritability or stress with a general decrease in motivation.

The long list of complications accompanying chronic pain only perpetuates a vicious cycle of debility. Take stress, for example. Stress impedes on the body's ability to heal. Daily pain can cause increased stress levels - and more stress decreases pain tolerance! This may be the reason so many chronic pain sufferers fail to respond to traditional treatments.