Kratom has one major flaw from my point of view. I don’t see it talked about much — if at all. In fact, I sense some resistance when I mention it to those who have benefited the most from this seemingly magic herb.
Most of those who come to kratom seeking herbal pain relief, relief from panic attacks, depression, diabetes, and many more conditions are so happy to find something that — in so many words — gives them better relief than their doctor’s most powerful drugs. They seem to assume that they have found the solution to their problems.
They aren’t interested, it seems, in what caused the pain itself — and what they might do to permanently relieve it. Perhaps they simply haven’t met a doctor who is willing to go beyond quickly writing a prescription or proposing surgery.
I understand their elation at finding a natural pain reliever that works, but I also know that pain is there for a reason. It is like the red warning light on our auto dashboard that tells us, “Your Oil Is Low” or “Please Check Engine Coolant“.
It is tempting to disconnect the red warning light, but it would be foolhardy to keep driving and ignore what made the light come on in the first place. I think most readers will agree with this.
Aren’t Most of Us Doing the Same Thing With Kratom?
Actually, this is not the fault of kratom. It is one of those quirks of human nature which we must become aware of so we can compensate for it.
It is our human tendency to celebrate temporary freedom from pain — while neglecting to pursue a permanent solution.
In this regard, relieving the pain with kratom is no better than numbing it with Oxycodone — if we then do nothing to remove the cause of the pain.
Getting Healthy Again Is Our Real Objective
Most of us would like to be done with the conditions that are causing us pain. Is that fair to say?
We would like to have a cure for our disease, right? Isn’t that what we go to the doctor for — a real solution to what’s causing our pain?
We would all like to wake up the next morning and find the pain was gone — even without dosing ourselves with natural herbs like kratom.
Unfortunately, we have become accustomed to hearing our doctor say, “We have no cure for your condition.”
Then, they proceed to prescribe us painkillers and antidepressants, with perhaps a benzodiazepine to deal with some of the side-effects. Our dissatisfaction with these is often what drives us to find kratom or some other herbal form of relief.
Fortunately, not all doctors are content with leaving it at that.
There are some doctors who recognize kratom for what it is and accept that it is a way their patient uses to cope with their pain. Nothing more, nothing less (until further research can be done, peer-reviewed fairly, and published).
(I have been told by conscientious doctors that pain relief is important, if the healing is to proceed successfully — and I believe this.)
Their main concern is to discover and deal effectively with the cause of the pain, which is as it should be. One such physician has been kind enough to comment on this article. His comments may prove instructive, when we go shopping for a more enlightened “second opinion”.
The following comments are provided by Arturo Portales, DO, FAARFM:
“What you describe is the functional medicine approach to disease. In the functional medicine approach, we look for the underlying cause of symptoms. Many symptoms are caused by an alteration in function rather than an organic cause. Most, if not all, chronic diseases have a functional cause.
To determine the functional causes of symptoms, a doctor has to take time to look at all the patient’s physiologic processes and look for clinical imbalances. This approach is based on a few basic principles.
First, that each patient has biochemical individuality based on their genetic and environmental uniqueness. The approach is patient centered, not disease centered. This approach also appreciates the dynamic balance between internal and external factors as well as the inter-connections of physiologic factors. Health is not looked at as merely the absence of disease but as a positive vitality. Health is more than just not feeling sick. Finally, the promotion of specific organ reserve/health prolongs health and life.
This Is Refreshing, Dr. Portales. Please Tell Us More!
“The fundamental imbalances that we look at include gut function (digestion/absorption), immune surveillance, inflammation, oxidative stress, detoxification, hormonal & neurotransmitter regulation, structure imbalance, and mind & spirit imbalance. Each of these areas are interconnected.
“When we go to the doctor and are treated for only our symptoms, we are not treated for the underlying causes of the symptoms. As an example, pain usually signifies that there is something wrong. When the pain is masked by medication, further damage could be produced. Certainly, the traditional medical model does not address the functional imbalances a patient may be experiencing.”
Too many times, with various doctors we visit, we may have felt they were too quick to reach for the prescription pad — not taking the time to truly discover the cause of our chronic medical issue(s).
Many of us have become somewhat cynical and all-too-aware of the powerful influence of the pharmaceutical industry’s never-ending push for increased drug sales and profits. (I confess to being guilty of this, but it isn’t fair to imagine that all physicians are so firmly tied to the pharmaceutical industry’s profit agenda. Many aren’t, and they have the skills and the inclination to help us. We just need to find them.)
Perhaps if our doctors’ remedies were working for us, we would more gladly follow the doctor’s instructions. Following our physician’s instructions is referred to as “compliance“.
Here is Dr. Portales’ succinct summary of how physicians could solve the problem of non-compliance:
“As for non-compliance, patients comply better when the treatments are working.”
To sum up this topic, Kratom — an imported, potent herb — is a wonderful pain reliever as those with chronic conditions testify every day. Just because the pain has been subdued, though, this should not cause us to call off the search for a doctor who can identify and effectively help us deal with the cause of our symptoms.
We need to address the cause of our symptoms, so the disease does not continue to get worse.
Thank you, Dr. Portales, for your contribution to our better understanding of how doctor and patient can work together to get at the root cause of physical, mental, and emotional complaints in a more satisfying way.
For All Your Kratom Needs, See OnlineKratom
Many Thanks to OC Medical Santa Ana