Chronic Illness

Stress is a part of everyone's life whether they have a chronic illness or not. Stress happens when changes we are not in control of occur. Having a chronic illness only intensifies the situation.

Fifty million Americans have pain; chronic pain, lasting six months or longer and 25 million Americans experience short-term pain from injuries or surgeries annually. Women tend to experience daily pain, miss work because of pain and develop conditions that cause chronic pain. If you experience pain with your chronic illness, as most of us do, you may not always want to complain to your physician.

One of the most potent forms of medicine isn't something you can buy at a pharmacy or get at the doctor's office. No one else can give you this medicine or perform its magic for you. It's movement, simple physical activity that can have profound healing effects. And it's something only you can do for yourself.

Herbs and other natural remedies are so popular in our society. Lets look at a few things to make sure what you are taking is safe and the importance of taking control of your own health care.

Let me know if there is anything I can do... we often tell a friend who lives with a chronic illness. I've offered this numerous times, but there are very few times someone has actually felt comfortable calling and asking me to help them out.

Until recently hypnosis had been on the outside looking in. It has mostly been viewed as dark and mysterious or as a manipulative stage act going for the cheap laughs. Things are changing quickly. Research is bearing out what many have been claiming for decades. Hypnotherapy is now widely practiced in 21st century medicine, psychiatry, dentistry, athletics and business.

When we ache, oh, how we ache! But when we feel half-decent, then what? Do we sit at home and dread the moment in which the chronic pain returns? Or do we run out and catch up on a bit of life and have some fun while the going is good? This is the quandry of living with chronic illness.

Why can't we succeed? What exactly is holding us back from reaching our goals? What makes us grasp onto our habits and phobias and not want to let them go? Our self-esteem.

Last week HealingWell.com hit a major milestone, surpassing 100,000 registered community members. I decided it might be appropriate to share what HealingWell means through the eyes of its members.