A woman listened to panelists speak about ways to deal with chronic pain at this year’s Take Charge of Your Health Today! Community
Health Forum and Expo, organized by N.Y.U. and VillageCare.
Nix opioids: Move, eat smart, socialize
BY ALEJANDRA O’CONNELL-DOMENECH
Doctors at New York University’s and VillageCare’s
Take Charge of Your Health
Today! community health forum stressed
the importance of diet, exercise and good mental
health as ways to manage chronic pain.
The theme of the June 5 forum — the eighth annual
— was “Your Pain Matters— Understanding
and Speaking about Chronic Pain.” It featured a
panel discussion moderated by CBS medical journalist
Dr. Max Gomez on ways to manage pain
without the use of painkillers.
“We unfortunately fi nd ourselves mired in an
opioid epidemic,” said Dr. Soriya Lizette Motivala,
a neurological surgeon at Lenox Hill Northwell
Health Physician Partners and one of the forum’s
fi ve panelists.
“Part of how we ended up in this spot is that
we were looking to cure it,” Motivala said of pain.
“That’s what those pills were supposed to do.”
Healthcare providers are currently trying to
change how pain is treated and viewed. The idea
is to shift the perception of pain from something
that can be treated with a pill — specifi cally, opioids
— to something that can be managed. And
during the two-hour-long event on the 10th fl oor
of N.Y.U.’s Kimmel Center, panelists gave attendees
some practical pieces of advice.
Get up and move. Even if it’s walking for just a
few minutes a day, staying physically active is essential
to keeping joints loose and preventing and
easing joint or muscle pain.
PHOTO BY SASKIA KAHN / N.Y.U. PHOTO BUREAU
Dr. Soriya Lizette Motivala spoke about the
history of pain treatment at this year’s Take
Charge of Your Health Today! Community
Health Forum and Expo. The panelists included,
from left, moderator Dr. Max Gomez,
Motivala, Dr. Jonathan Whiteson, Dr. Tara
Cortes and Dr. Maureen Anderson.
Eat better. There are countless fad cure-all diets
out there, but removing foods that might cause infl
ammation from your diet could help ease chronic
pain. Dr. Maureen Anderson, a professor at Oakland
University Beaumont School of Medicine, recommended
PHOTO BY SASKIA KAHN / N.Y.U. PHOTO BUREAU
taking supplements, such as fi sh oil, to
help with pain.
Lose some weight: According Dr. Jonathan
Whiteson, director of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation
at N.Y.U. Langone Medical Center, one extra
pound on the body means four extra pounds of
pressure on a joint.
Manage depression: The depression that can
come along with chronic pain is not talked about
enough, according to the panelists. All too often,
those suffering from chronic pain feel alone, frustrated
and saddened by how challenging it can be
to engage in activities they once loved. But the panelists
all agreed that forcing oneself to get out and
join in activities and see friends, families and neighbors
is an immediate mood booster. Staying active
and socializing can also provide distractions from
pain, they added.
Be your own advocate: Panelists urged attendees
not to be afraid to talk about their pain with
their doctors — and if a doctor seems distracted,
to make sure that they listen. Physicians should always
be willing to spend an extra 20 minutes with
a patient to ensure they are on the same page when
it comes to the patient’s health.
Also a panelist at the event was Dr. Tara Cortes,
executive director of the Hartford Institute for
Geriatric Nursing and professor at the N.Y.U. Rory
Meyers College of Nursing.
Schneps Media TVG June 20, 2019 17