Healing Lab

Research suggests ~28-35% of people with chronic pain use alcohol to find relief.

So if you've ever been in this cycle, please know you're not alone, and there's no reason to feel shame. 💚

When pain is relentless, it's natural to look for anything that can help you get through the day. At first, alcohol can do a pretty good job — taking the edge off, helping you fall asleep, and quieting the stress for a little while.

The problem is what happens over time. ⏳

Regular alcohol use begins to work against the very things it originally seemed to help:

→ It disrupts deep, restorative sleep (the kind your body needs to recover + manage pain)
→ It increases inflammation, often worsening pain
→ It can quietly worsen anxiety and depression
→ It heightens pain sensitivity over time, meaning you need more to feel the same relief

So in honor of Alcohol Awareness Month, we wanted to share a gentle message that you are not alone if you’ve used alcohol to help get through the pain. 💚

And if you’re looking for support to lessen your alcohol intake, SAMHSA's free, confidential helpline is available 24/7: 📞 1-800-662-4357

I guess that’s what they call a silver lining. 🌦️🫠

→ Anyone else’s joints better at telling the weather than the local news?

📸 Credit: Chronic_Illness_Chronicles_

Healthy days with chronic pain can look different:

→ Resting instead of pushing through
→ Modifying instead of doing it "right"
→ Managing a flare with grace instead of preventing it
→ Asking for help instead of handling it alone
→ Getting through a hard day

The fundamentals of health: sleep, movement, nutrition, stress management, they’ll always matter. 💚

But with chronic pain, these factors just don’t define “health” in the same way…

Instead, when you live with pain, “health” becomes more about learning to work with your body’s rhythms and signals, listening to what it needs as it changes day to day.

→ What does a "healthy day" look like for you?

We know April Fools’ is over…
But we just couldn’t resist this one. 😜🎉

This would be the dream though. 💚

→ Any other April Fools’ jokes you wish were true?

Avoid naps? With chronic pain? Sounds impossible. 👀

When you're exhausted from pain-disrupted sleep,
it's natural to try and grab rest whenever you can.
Beggars can't be choosers, right?

But here's the catch: napping can actually make it harder for
you to sleep later.

The reason: 🧠 From the moment you wake up, your brain begins
building up a chemical called adenosine. Among other things,
adenosine is a key driver of sleep pressure, helping our brains drift
off at night. 💤

When you nap, you release some of that pressure.
So come bedtime, there's less drive to sleep.

We know it isn't always realistic to skip naps - sometimes getting
sleep is more important than the timing. If you need to nap, try for no later
than 3pm, to give adenosine time to build up again.

If you can skip that nap, it might help you fall asleep more easily tonight. 💚

→ Are you a nap fan?

On 2nd thought, anything but "mysterious" please 🥵

→ Can you relate?

🎨Art credit: millionsmissingvoice

With chronic pain, it's easy to dismiss the small victories and look to what we didn’t do instead.

"I only managed a 5-minute walk."
“I didn’t even make my bed.”
"I was an hour late taking my meds.”

But when your body’s working overtime just to manage pain signals, inflammation, and fatigue —

Every accomplishment counts, no matter the size. 💫

→ What's one win you're proud of today?

We've been working on something special for you. 💚

Introducing… our all-new Holistic Chronic Pain Care Guide!

Packed with over 40 pages of evidence-based strategies across 8 key areas, explore
the research and actionable tips on everything from:

1️⃣ 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶-𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 - Discover key foods that fight inflammation from the inside out
2️⃣ 𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗳 - Explore the science behind 18 popular supplements from
vitamin K, to magnesium, ashwagandha, and more
3️⃣ 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 - Approaches that work with your body, not against it
4️⃣ 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 - Exercise strategies made easy for chronic pain
5️⃣ 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽-𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲 - Science-backed ways to support sleep despite pain
6️⃣ 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 - Practical tools to calm your nervous system
7️⃣ 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 - Social strategies for chronic pain
8️⃣ 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 - Research and practical applications

📌 Join our newsletter to be the first to know when it drops - plus get monthly tips to support your
chronic pain journey. (link in bio)

→ Which chapter are you most excited about?

You might not be able to undo all the physiological stress your body is under. But small moments of feeling relief, calm, and control? They absolutely matter. 💚

These activities help signal safety to your nervous system,
giving your body windows to shift out of high-alert mode.

Just 5-10 minutes of intentional self-care can often make a
difference. Even if pain doesn't disappear — the relief you
feel is still very real. 💫

📌 Save this as inspiration for days when you need a quick
stress-reliever.

→ What’s your go-to way to relax after a long day?

“My thumb was frozen straight. Every now and then, I'd knock it out of joint, which hurt like hell." 🤕

→ This had been Jill's reality for the past three months with trigger finger.
By the time she reached out to us, simple daily tasks had become
excruciating. 😰

💉 Kaiser had recommended a cortisone injection, but Jill was hesitant.
She wanted to explore other options first.

That's when she reached out to us at Healing Lab.

During her session, Healing Lab founder Mike Sententia examined the affected area
and, with her consent, began working on the locked joint.

💤After her session, Jill went home to take a nap. When she woke up an hour later,
she was shocked:

"That thumb had the same range of motion as my other healthy thumb!" she shared.

The pain was gone.
The stiffness had disappeared.
"It's been a complete recovery, no relapse, and no cortisone necessary after all." 🙌

🙏💚We're so grateful to Jill for trusting us in her healing journey.

Explore more stories like Jill's (link in bio)