Chronic pain and inability to feel pleasure (anhedonia)
Website design By BotEap.comThere is an established link between chronic back pain and depression that is believed to be both situational and biochemical. A symptom that depressive people may experience but is not as well known as other symptoms is called anhedonia.
Website design By BotEap.comAnhedonia is the inability to experience pleasure, particularly from activities that you used to enjoy. A mother who does not enjoy playing with her baby, for example, may be suffering from anhedonia. This is a particularly devastating condition; not only does it make life joyless, but the afflicted may feel that they have “gone crazy” or that they are bad people who no longer love their loved ones. Understanding the mechanisms of anhedonia will help people with chronic pain cope.
Website design By BotEap.comChronic pain and your brain
Website design By BotEap.comAnhedonia has a clear biochemical cause. To understand this condition, you must first understand a key component of the brain’s reward-processing mechanism, the neurotransmitter dopamine.
Website design By BotEap.comDopamine performs many functions in the body. Most relevant to our topic is their work in initiating the reward/pleasure response in the brain, which helps motivate us to seek more reward and pleasure by engaging in activities that induce this positive response.
Website design By BotEap.comDopamine is also part of the body’s response to stress. It is responsible for the release of adrenaline that occurs during physical or psychological stress that prepares us for action. Chronic pain is stressful both physically and mentally, which means your stress response is constantly activated. Over time, the constant release of dopamine can deplete your brain’s supply. The lack of dopamine translates into a lack of pleasure.
Website design By BotEap.comAnhedonia is not a sign of insanity or apathy. It is the result of your body’s continual effort to respond to the stress of chronic pain. See http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/special_reports/depression/anhedonia.htm for more information on biochemistry and anhedonia.
Website design By BotEap.comeffective treatment
Website design By BotEap.comWhen you see a doctor or psychiatrist with anhedonia or other symptoms of depression, you’ll likely be offered an antidepressant right away. However, most antidepressants used today do not increase dopamine in the brain. An older class of drugs called MAO inhibitors interrupt the breakdown and recycling of dopamine. However, this is thought to lead to long-term depletion of the neurotransmitter.
Website design By BotEap.comOne way to increase dopamine in the central nervous system is to supplement its precursors. Tyrosine is an amino acid that leads to the development of levodopa, which is converted to dopamine. L-tyrosine supplementation may help people with anhedonia. Levodopa can also be taken as a combination drug with another compound called carbidopa that delivers it to the central nervous system. Finally, levidopa can be found in the herb mucuna pruriens.
Website design By BotEap.comLifestyle and dietary changes can help increase dopamine levels naturally. Being physically active can be beneficial, as exercise stimulates the release of endorphins and the production of dopamine. Eating more protein is recommended for people with anhedonia because tyrosine is found in high-protein foods such as eggs, cheese, almonds, fish, and poultry. Finally, it is recommended to maintain healthy levels of vitamins D and B, which affect the proper function of dopamine.
Website design By BotEap.comOf course, one of the best ways to combat anhedonia is to manage the stress that caused it. Staying on track with your pain management plan is difficult once motivation is lost, but stick with it. The fear of activity associated with back pain and other conditions often leads to worse pain, as body structures need movement to replenish fresh blood flow and maintain conditioning. If you’re not responding to your current pain control efforts, find new ones. There are many alternative options beyond traditional medicine. See http://nccam.nih.gov/health/whatiscam for more information on complementary and alternative medicine.
Website design By BotEap.comUnderstanding the cause of anhedonia and its link to your chronic pain is the first step in treating it. There are many natural treatment options for both back pain and its psychological and emotional ramifications.