Pain Management

Why is it hard to treat my pain?

The truth is that most pain relievers aren’t very effective against chronic pain syndromes. The relief they provide is temporary at best, which doesn’t help when your pain is constant.

Chronic pain also leads to a condition called central sensitization, which worsens the pain cycle. Biochemical changes occur in your central nervous system when your nerves continuously carry pain messages to your brain.

As a result, you become overly sensitive and experience pain from non-painful stimuli, like the touch of soft clothing.

What type of pain is caused by mental health disorders?

Mental health disorders like anxiety, depression, and PTSD cause physical pain and more: They also intensify pain from other physical causes.

This connection between mental health and pain is not “all in your head.” Psychiatric disorders and pain conditions share some of the same nervous system pathways. For example, medical doctors use tricyclic antidepressants to relieve neuropathic pain.

What happens if you’re addicted to the opioids treating your pain?

For many years, doctors have prescribed opioids to relieve pain. Unfortunately, they’re also widely available on the street. Now, opioid addiction is an epidemic.

If you started taking opioids for chronic pain and you became addicted, your challenge has intensified. In addition to pain, you also have opioid cravings and withdrawal pain if you try to stop.

You have hope, however, because Dr. Ghorieshi provides medication-assisted addiction treatment. Under his care, you can break your addiction with medication that stops the craving and prevents withdrawal symptoms.

During addiction treatment, the change in brain chemistry that led to your addiction is rebalanced. Then during your recovery, Dr. Ghorieshi offers ongoing, innovative care for chronic pain syndromes.

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How is pain management achieved?

The first step toward pain management is identifying the underlying cause. If your muscles ache due to depression, directly helping your depression can also alleviate your pain.

The providers at Palo Alto Mind Body also offer treatment with ketamine, which is an innovative and highly effective option for pain management.

How does ketamine relieve pain?

Ketamine is a drug with a long history of use as an anesthetic. When used in low, subanesthetic doses, ketamine is also an effective pain reliever used to treat chronic pain syndromes.

Low-dose ketamine has another significant benefit: it rapidly lessens symptoms caused by depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems. In addition to acting on pain receptors, ketamine balances neurotransmitters in the brain that regulate mood.

Dr. Ghorieshi provides intravenous ketamine infusions in the comfort of a quiet, private room at Palo Alto Mind Body. To learn whether you’re a good candidate for pain management, call or send a confidential email. Please note, we also serve many patients located in the surrounding Bay Area, such as South Bay, North Bay, East Bay, Peninsula, San Jose, and San Francisco.

650-681-2900