​The following article is a guest post by Jackie Waters, owner of hyper-tidy.com and someone with personal experience overcoming chronic pain. 

Chronic pain is defined as any pain that lasts over 6 months. Over 100 million people worldwide are suffering from chronic pain and if you are one of them, finding relief is your greatest concern. Many people jump to alleviate the symptoms of chronic pain through the use of prescription drugs. However, the repeated use of these pills can lead to an even bigger problem. Here are a few lifestyle changes and tips to help you minimize your chronic pain and restore your quality of life.

Exercise
When you are in pain, the last thing you want to do is move your body, but developing a habit of exercising can help minimize or prevent pain before it even starts. Exercise has a pain reducing effect on your body that strengthens muscles and helps prevent re-injury and further pain. As you exercise, endorphins are released which not only improve your mood, they also block your pain signals. This means your body’s interpretation of pain will differ and your tolerance threshold for pain will increase. The specific benefits of exercise for chronic pain sufferers are plentiful. It keeps your joints moving well and your muscles strong. Exercising is also good for your mental health, as it is not uncommon for those suffering with chronic pain to be depressed. A routine of exercising can help boost your self esteem and give you a sense of control as you are doing something positive to fight the pain and the effect that it has on your lifestyle. Staying fit also helps you avoid obesity and weight gain, which causes more pain. To find out which forms of exercise will benefit you the most, consult with your doctor and a physical therapist.
 
Reduce stress in your life
Many studies show that depression, anxiety, and stress can cause pain, and being in pain can cause stress. The relation between stress and pain creates a vicious cycle that promotes both chronic pain and chronic stress. Learning how to cope with stress, or avoiding it altogether, is the best way to minimize pain. Exercising is a great way to reduce stress, as is getting more restful sleep. Sleep impacts healing and a good night’s rest will better help you face the turmoil of the day. Find balance in your day by creating the time to get out of the hustle and bustle, and enjoy a leisure activity. You may also want to pick up a mind-body activity such as yoga or meditation, which are both known to decrease stress levels and increase physical well-being. Chronic pain can definitely take a toll on your life, but as you learn how to manage stress, the impact of pain will lessen.

Avoid long term use of prescription drugs
There are several categories of medicines used to treat chronic pain: Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) and Acetaminophen, antidepressants, anticonvulsants (anti-seizure), muscle relaxants, and opioids. When medicines are prescribed and used properly, the chances of addiction are low, but it can still happen. Although people with a history of substance abuse are more vulnerable to forming an addiction, those who have never had problems with substance abuse are still at risk. The problem occurs because it is easy to exceed the prescribed amount of medication when you are looking for relief. The best way to avoid overuse of your prescribed medication is to find alternate ways to deal with your pain, such as the activities listed earlier. There are also several non-addictive pain relievers on the market. In order to find what would work best for you, consult with your doctor.
 
In the beginning, living with chronic pain can be very frustrating. You may feel resentment toward your body because you cannot participate in what used to come easy to you. While chronic pain presents change, it does not take away from your quality of life. As long as you make the commitment of staying active and avoiding stress, you can still lead a healthy and progressive life!

About Jackie
​Accepting my diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis wasn't easy. At age 25, the last thing I wanted to hear was how the pain I'd been experiencing was incurable and would be with me for the rest of my life. But with help and support from my parents and close friends, I was able to accept my diagnosis and get on the path to dealing with my arthritis. The result was a life overhaul. I began exercising more regularly, eliminating harmful, chemical-laden products from my life, finding time to relax, and more. My goal was to live a healthy, happy life as free of prescription pain management as possible. The methods covered in my article have worked wonders for me, and I hope they can help many others as well!
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My opinions on the use of antibiotics for chronic lung infections in cystic fibrosis have changed a lot in the last several years. This is predominantly due to my personal experiences, successes, and mistakes. For several years, especially around the time that I started this website, I had a very antagonistic view of antibiotics. I saw them as a necessary evil that had to be avoided as much as possible. I made the personal choice to suffer through many months of infection, fatigue, and heavy mucus loads in order to minimize my exposure to this class of drugs. I did this for two major reasons: minimizing the risk of developing antibiotic resistance, and mitigating the impact that excessive use of antibiotics has on the gut microbiome. For about four years I made the choice to wait as long as possible between hospitalizations, and also to do without oral antibiotics for longer and longer periods of time. Upon reflection, I don't think this was the best choice for me, as I lost lung function during that period and developed some serious and irreversible lung damage. It's not clear whether or not this damage would have developed anyway, even if I was more aggressively using antibiotics. But in the last year or so I have changed tactics and I believe my health has benefitted. Here, I will describe my experiences and review why I made these changes.

I must be absolutely clear: this is not medical advice. I am not advocating for anyone to do what I did or to believe that my experiences are ultimately true and therefore applicable to everyone. This is only a reflection on what I have personally experienced. If others can learn from my mistakes in order to benefit themselves, then that's great. But as I mention in many places on this website, every person's health is very different, and what may be useful for me may not be useful for someone else. 

Inflammation is a huge factor in the disease processes of cystic fibrosis. Some studies have shown that faulty CFTR mutations may directly result in inadequate quenching of radical oxygen species (ROS) or excessive release of other inflammatory compounds like cytokines [1,2]. In addition, our burden of chronic infection and gastrointestinal complications contribute secondary sources of  inflammation. Chronic inflammation can lead to both localized and systemic issues. Localized inflammation in the lungs can lead to deficient and/or over-reactive immune responses, bronchitis, scarification and airway remodeling, allergies/asthma/hyper-reactive airway diseases, hemoptysis, pleurisy (inflammation of the pleura), and worsened infection. Localized inflammation in the gut can lead to reflux/GERD, esophagitis, gastritis, pancreatitis, gallbladder issues, liver issues, food sensitivities, malabsorption, autoimmune issues of the intestines, gut infections, general indigestion, and excessive mucus production in both the guts and the lungs (by vagal reflex). Systemic inflammation can cause insulin resistance, body pain, arthritis, achey joints and muscles, fever, fatigue, increased risk for autoimmunity, and increased risk for cardiovascular disease. 

Hi friends. I recently taught a class on using herbs in acute and chronic respiratory infections. Here is the class description: 

Prepare for winter by enhancing your understanding of how respiratory infections develop and how herbal, nutritional, and lifestyle interventions can make a big difference regarding prevention and recovery. In this class we will discuss how to use herbs to address a wide variety of respiratory complaints including colds and flus, acute and chronic lung infections (bacterial, fungal, and viral), bronchitis, as well as chronic sinus irritation and infection. Our focus will be on moderate to severe respiratory illnesses. Students will gain deeper knowledge of how to use natural means to combat infections in order to minimize the need for use of antibiotics, steroids, and other pharmaceuticals.

Below is the lecture, which is split in two parts. I've also added a slide show of my power point slides. Enjoy! Let me know if you have any questions or would like to share your own experiences. 

So I'm the kind of person who loves short cuts, when they make sense. Granola is something I like, but it often involves baking, and I am loathe to turn on the oven and waste energy when I don't have to. The Paleo granolas that you can buy at health food stores are usually super expensive and are baked, causing oxidation of the fats in the nuts. So I figured out that I can make a really tasty, cheap granola substitute with minimal prep time, and that's definitely healthier than traditional granola. Win win!

Here's the simple recipe:

• A handful (about 1/2 cup) of raw walnut pieces
• A handful of raw organic sunflower seeds
• A sprinkle of raw organic sesame seeds
• A sprinkle of maple-toasted organic coconut flakes
• Almond, coconut, or hemp milk. 

DONE. Sweet and crunchy just like regular granola, but much less carbs, no grains, more fiber, and more omega-3's from the walnuts. Plus the nuts are not heated at all, which means their fats are not oxidized nor rancidified like they would be with baked granola. You can also add in whatever other nuts/seeds you fancy, like raw almonds, cashews, ground flax, etc. or other tasty things like raisins or dried cranberries. As always, take bitters beforehand for maximum absorption of the fats. 

It's pretty much guaranteed that we CFers have to go into the hospital once in a while to get a "tune up": a few weeks of IV antibiotics, extra chest physical therapy and inhaled meds, and rest. I've had my fair share of tune ups since I was a kid, and I currently feel best when I get one every 3 to 4 months. I wanted to share a few pieces of advice to other adults with CF out there who want to maximize the effectiveness of their stays, and also reduce the risk of developing possible side effects. Being a kid in the hospital is a little bit different, but some of the same tips may be helpful for the smaller humans, too. 

Hey there friends! I have been meaning to do some more in-depth monographs on some of my favorite herbs, particularly ones that are beneficial for most people with CF. I mention a few helpful herbs in the section called Herbs for CF, but there are several herbs that are so helpful that they deserve a more lengthy discussion. 

Let me explain: a "monograph" is a lengthy description of a particular herb (there are also drug monographs, but I will not concern myself with those) that usually includes Latin name and botanical family, common name(s), parts used, how to identify them and grow them, where/how to source or buy them, their energetic profile (according to organoleptic analysis and traditional healing practices), physiological actions, clinical uses, key constituents, relevant scientific literature, safety concerns, preparation methods, and dose. A "Materia Medica" is a compendium of medicinal herbal monographs. There are many materia medicas from different herbal and traditional medical modalities, such as Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Eclectic Medicine, Tibetan Medicine, Modern Western Herbalism, and so on. I will not post my entire collected materia medica (mine is over 300 pages long so far and growing), but I will post a few herbs that I think everyone with CF (and many other people, too) will benefit from knowing. 

For many people with significant gut issues, or for those who need to help their microbiomes recover from a period of antibiotic use, taking probiotic supplements is often a good idea. But not all probiotics are created equal. In fact, many probiotics sold on the market are totally worthless. Probiotics are now such a household term that many low-quality supplement manufacturers are jumping on the bandwagon and producing products labeled "probiotic" that may not be probiotic at all. There is essentially no regulation in the US for the probiotic industry, so it is the responsibility of the consumer (that's us) to determine what's a high-quality versus low-quality probiotic. Throughout my research I've come across some great tips from clinicians and microbiologists on how to choose the right probiotic. I've come up with a list of requirements for choosing a good probiotic, and I've also provided examples of a good brand versus a bad brand:

A friend of mine with CF who lives in South Africa has a history of severe  gastroparesis (delayed gastric emptying) and low stomach acid, which (alongside her Crohn's, CFRD, and removal of her terminal ileum, ascending colon, and gallbladder years ago) has caused her significant digestive distress and inability to digest anything other than her extremely regimented liquid diet. For years Paula's gastroparesis has been so bad that if she doesn't eat precisely the right thing in precise quantities at precisely the right time of day, her stomach will not empty, which puts pressure on her diaphragm and lungs and can cause significant respiratory distress and vomiting. She is a great researcher and has tried many, many things to help this situation, but nothing had yet made a significant dent on these distressing symptoms (including multiple motility drugs). I've tried to strategize with Paula to figure out what was causing or had caused the issue, and secondly what do we do about it now. After a lot of trial and error, it seems we've found two things that have made a big difference in her life: lecithin and artichoke leaf (Cynara scolymus).