Podcast Episode 186 When Everything Hurts: Understanding Whole Body Pain and What Actually Helps

If you wake up and everything hurts, and you have been told it is just stress, just aging, or handed a diagnosis without any real explanation, this episode is for you. Dr. Holly Carling and Alicia dig into what is actually behind whole body pain and why treating it as a structural problem misses the point entirely.

Dr. Holly explains that widespread pain is often the nervous system saying it cannot keep compensating. She covers what drives the system to that point, how fibromyalgia fits into the picture, and what it actually takes to bring the pain down.

In this episode:

  • What central sensitization is, why it causes pain without injury, and how acupuncture directly recalibrates the nervous system rather than masking symptoms
  • The common drivers behind whole body pain including sleep deprivation, chronic stress, gut inflammation, blood sugar instability, and environmental exposures
  • Why fibromyalgia is a pattern description and not a root cause explanation, and why the drivers look different from person to person
  • Practical first steps including sleep protection, nervous system calming, gentle movement, and why aggressive exercise can make things worse

Learn more about our approach to pain and inflammation here.

Picture of Dr. Holly Carling

Dr. Holly Carling

Dr. Holly Carling is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Licensed Acupuncturist, Doctor of Naturopathy, Clinical Nutritionist and Master Herbologist with nearly four decades of experience. Dr. Carling is a “Health Detective,” she looks beyond your symptom picture and investigates WHY you are experiencing your symptoms in the first place. Dr. Carling considers herself a “professional student” – she has attended more than 600 post-secondary education courses related to health and healing. Dr. Carling gives lectures here in the U.S. and internationally and has been noted as the “Doctor’s Doctor”. When other healthcare practitioners hit a roadblock when treating their patients nutritionally, Dr. Carling is who they call. Dr. Carling is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health care services and whole food nutritional supplements in her Coeur d’ Alene clinic.

Medical/Health Disclaimer:

The information provided in this article or podcast should not be construed as personal medical advice or instruction. No action should be taken based solely on the contents of this article or podcast. Readers/listeners should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being. The information and opinions provided here are believed to be accurate and sound, based on the best judgment available to the author, but readers/listeners who fail to consult appropriate health authorities assume the risk of any injuries.

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