Of course, pain has evolutionary benefits…
It tells us when our bodies are injured and prevents us from further injuring them. It’s a great survival tool.
But to what extent do we need pain?
Chronic pain (pain of 3 months or more) is recognized as having limited or no survival value. Which is why science is seeking the solution.
This kind of pain is debilitating. And what people without chronic pain don’t understand is…
- A “good pain day” doesn’t mean there’s no pain. It just means there’s less excruciating pain than usual.
- It’s not just physically painful. The pain is mentally draining too.
- People with chronic pain may hide it well, but ignoring the pain also takes energy.
More than 20% of Americans are affected by chronic pain at any given time. And most of those people dismiss their pain as the status quo or “the price of getting older.”
But my brother and I won’t let pain limit us. Not like the generations before –
When I was a kid, I vividly remember my grandfather complaining about his back pain. In my teens, my father started complaining about his back pain too.
About a month ago, my older brother came to me and told me he was starting to feel some aches in his lower back.
After some investigating, we discovered that we all carry the same OPRM1 gene variant which is linked to higher pain sensitivity.
Our variant has been shown to alter the activity of natural opioids in the body, which are your body’s way to create pleasant feelings and block pain.
To help decrease this gene’s influence on pain sensitivity, SelfDecode recommends exercise which helps by boosting opioids.
My brother was hesitant. “Every time I move, my back hurts. How am I supposed to exercise?”
I finally convinced him to try some light yoga, which put negligible strain on his back. His report suggested doing yoga would increase his natural opioids and help reduce pain sensitivity.
Although the exercise he’s doing isn’t necessarily focused on the painful area, yoga has steadily helped reduce his pain.
If my brother stays consistent with the exercise, he’ll be putting an end to our worst family tradition – chronic back pain.
Maybe it’s not back pain for you. Maybe it’s chronic migraines, hip pain, neck pain, WHATEVER IT IS (maybe you just haven’t been affected yet)… Are you just going to accept it?
Because many Americans accept their pain as the status quo. As the “price of getting old”…
But I know you don’t think this way. The fact that you’re even on this list tells me a few things about you:
You’re unique. You won’t let your body dictate how you live your life. You go out of your way to ensure that you’re living your happiest and healthiest life possible.
And today, you’re at the forefront of a new norm – one where getting older isn’t a jail sentence to inevitable pain.
With the new Chronic Pain report, you can see your genetic risk for chronic pain and get personalized recommendations to address it based on your DNA.
Analyzing 622,612 genetic variants linked to chronic pain, this is the most comprehensive Chronic Pain report that science has to offer.