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L i v e Yo u n g e r L o n g e r
And that can lead to more sadness, sleeplessness and suffering.
Live Well Program – an integrated approach
to relieving pain
To help people get out from under that terrible triad — and the
overuse of pain medicine that sometimes accompanies it —
Dr. Azari helped found the Live Well Program at St. Helena
Family Health Center – Clearlake. It integrates physical, dietary,
psychological and spiritual elements to help restore patients’ quality
of life — a life of independence, less or no pain, and more mobility.
A team approach
According to Dr. Azari, patients attend the Live Well Program at
least four days a month: twice to meet with a behavioral health
coach, once to meet with a functional rehabilitation health coach
and once to meet with their primary care provider.
The first appointment is with the behavioral health coach and
includes a quality-of-life assessment. “Each patient is unique, and
that means their pain is unique — and very personal,” Dr. Azari
Unfortunately, there’s another kind of
pain you can’t ignore. It’s called chronic
pain. This is pain that continues for
three months or more. It lingers well
beyond the normal healing time for an
injury or illness. Anyone, at any age,
can develop it. In fact, 1 in 3 Americans
has some kind of chronic pain — from
spinal arthritis to fibromyalgia, from
migraine headaches to cancer pain.
Too often, chronic pain steals things
that give meaning to our lives, like the
ability to work or play sports, to enjoy time with loved ones, or to
simply get a good night’s sleep. Fortunately, there’s hope. According
to Pari Azari, MD, physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist with
St. Helena Family Health Center – Clearlake, our pain management
team is helping people reclaim their lives by focusing on the whole
person — mind, body and spirit.
Pain and the terrible triad
“Whether your chronic pain started from an accident or an illness,
it may feel like it has taken over your life,” Dr. Azari says. Patients
can become preoccupied with their pain, she says. And no
wonder. “It’s keeping you from enjoying your life. That can lead to
depression, which can cause insomnia. Then you may feel even
more depressed.” In fact, she says, it can turn into a vicious cycle
sometimes referred to as the terrible triad:
1
in
3
Americans has
some kind of
chronic pain
SADNESS
SUFFERING
SLEEPLESSNESS
Don’t live with
Learn how you can get relief
What does a paper cut have in common with a sprained ankle? Both hurt, of course. Plus, as
they heal, the pain goes away. And while you may not enjoy a throbbing thumb or an aching
ankle, this type of discomfort (doctors call it acute pain) is actually a good thing. It sends a
message you can’t ignore: Stop what you’re doing — you may need a bandage or a doctor.
chronic
pain
