From gap filling to conceptual change
Another nugget this week, but first a few more thoughts on their use. Some nuggets will help you gap fill – challenging inaccurate grains of information. For example, Nugget No. 4. from Explain Pain Supercharged ‘The Crown Jewels’ (not those crown jewels) explains that some of the most precious bits of our body – the brain and spinal cord – are protected by some of the toughest structures in our body – the skull and spinal column. This nugget also emphasises that our backs are strong, robust and built for movement.
Other nuggets can start the process of conceptual change. They can help destroy a DIM – such as the ideas often associated with inflammation, and enhance SIMs – I am a powerful self-healing biological marvel! One of our oldest, and favourite, nuggets does just that…
Nugget No 15. Well done you old self healer
“That’s a very swollen knee (or other body area) you have there, but in that swelling there’s some really good stuff that’ll help you heal*. The swelling indicates that you’ve already started the healing process even before you came here, so well done you old self healer! I’ll need to check that there isn’t any serious damage, but for now understand that inflammation is a good thing for you, it’s a necessary step towards full recovery and with your great inflammatory response, any injuries you will ever have in the future are likely to heal quickly too. It shows the resources your body has when needed. This swelling will go as the tissue heals and if need be, I can help you with that.
But for now, take some pride in your body’s healing response!”
Who’s going to give this a try tomorrow? Tell us how you go in the comments below.
-NOI Group
Knowledge Driving Health
*PS: No, you don’t randomly apply this to everything and everyone, of course you wouldn’t say it to a person with severe Rheumatoid Arthritis. Come on people, you still need to think and reason! (Just anticipating some of the responses based on previous feedback…)
I use this nugget with most of my patients who’re r recovering from surgical procedures and injuries.
Great explanation and easily understandable
But – what to do/how to explain when swelling and inflammation are persistant?
Hi Simon – you’ll need a different story/explanation/nugget then. One based on your best understanding of what is occurring with that individual. Swelling is only one of the cardinal signs of inflammation – perhaps the inflammation has resolved but one of the byproducts (swelling) has remained – this will need a different story (one encouraging movement perhaps) to a situation where there is truly ongoing inflammation, which might require some further investigation?
Perhaps it is more about the process or the idea behind ‘nuggets’ – essentially telling the truth, explaining the science/process/pathology based on our best understanding, in a way that is first and foremost not alarming and threat inducing, and in a manner that has been tailored to the person in front of you.
Cheers
Tim