1step2life: For those living with chronic pain and the people who love them.
1step2life: For those living with chronic pain and the people who love them.
Nancy Darling
Honest talk for people living with persistent pain, chronic illness long COVID or other complex medical conditions. Nancy Darling is a psychologist who studies adolescent parenting and the mom of a son with severe chronic migraines. Living with chronic pain or illness shrinks your world, limits your social life, and makes even small things an effort. We discuss information common to folks living with chronic illness. Many of our podcasts are for caregivers - particularly parents - who support people who live with pain. These podcasts grow out of the 1step2life.com blog.
Why Did A Psychologist Who Studies Families Develop An App for Tracking Pain?
When her son developed severe chronic migraine at age 14, Dr. Nancy Darling developed an app to help parents of children in pain support their children. The app, 1step2life, is built on cutting edge developmental and rehabilitative science. It is the only app that helps parents and caregivers as well as people living with pain.
Jun 25, 2021
9 min
Pain & the TMJ: It's Complicated!
The TMJ joins the jaw to the skull. It's complex, closely linked to facial nerves, & under tremendous stress. No wonder it often causes pain. If you're interested in learning more about TMJ disorders, try the following links: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Michigan Medicine at the University of Michigan . WebMD
May 28, 2021
4 min
Chronically Ill Teen? Fighting the Dread
Dread comes from one more day of pain, Two more days missed school. Three more failed classes. Seeing your child's future slip away. When every little failure looms into a life lost.   It's time to step back. From the original post on the 1step2life.com website.  1step2life is the only app with a Caregiver mode for parents and partners of people living with chronic pain.
May 19, 2021
9 min
Ganglia, Facial Nerves, & SPG Blocks
In this two part episode, Andrew Burns talks about facial nerves and ganglia and how SPG blocks can be used to stop pain originating in facial nerves and ganglia. If you'd like to look at diagrams showing the anatomy being discussed, please check out the original essays at 1step2life.  We also have a YouTube video describing nerve functioning available through that same essay.
May 13, 2021
9 min
Why Are My Hands Green? An Introduction To Raynaud's Syndrome
Raynaud's phenomenon is an unusual circulatory problem where a twitchy, sensitive nervous system can over-react to cold or stress. Originally published by 1step2life.com.
May 6, 2021
7 min
The Trigeminal Nerve
The head and face are highly innervated.  One of the most important nerves is the trigeminal, which sends information from the temples and face to the brain. The trigeminal nerve is the nerve most closely associated with migraine disease and trigeminal neuralgia.   From a 1step2life.
May 4, 2021
3 min
Pain Is In Your Head. It's Still Real.
The bio-psycho-social model of pain provides multiple ways to reduce pain by interfering with how painful stimuli are processed. Check out original post on the 1step2life website. 
Apr 22, 2021
11 min
Why The Definition Of Pain Matters
In 2020, the International Association for the Study of Pain revised its definition of pain. The work involved several years of interviews with multiple stakeholders and much debate. The revised definition of pain distinguishes healthy pain that protects us from harm from unhealthy pain that is a disease unto itself. But does it matter? Don't we already know what pain is? Read the original essay on the 1step2life website.
Apr 20, 2021
6 min
Post Pandemic Socializing: Dipping Your Toes In The Water
It's been fantastic seeing folks again and dipping my toes back into the world. But even in the 'before' times I needed quiet time by myself to regenerate and get back into the social whirl. After a year of near solitude, going slowly seems the path of wisdom. First published ib 1step2life.com on April 12, 2021.
Apr 18, 2021
3 min
Keeping What’s Good About This Crazy Year
One of the things that has been so frustrating about lockdown is that it is so clear that disabled people and folks in pain could have been served better. My son now (finally) has good days every week and good hours every day. But he doesn't have the same good hours every day. And they sure as heck don't line up with a school or work schedule. . If COVID has taught us nothing else, it's taught us that work and school can be a lot more flexible than they have been. It's time to ask for a change. For disabled people. For caregivers who need to be able to adjust their work so they aren't making decisions about leaving a sick or endangered child at home and earning a paycheck. Or between sending them to school not knowing if they can make it through the day or keeping them home so they don't get called away from work. . I always recommend this exercise because it focuses my mind. Try it. First published by 1step2life.com on April 12, 2021.
Apr 12, 2021
6 min
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