Sleeping poorly, she often was exhausted and felt hopeless. Eventually she had to give up the work she loved as an elementary school reading teacher.

“I reached a point where I couldn’t even carry the tote bag I needed for my job,” Ms. Davis explains.

Her initial diagnosis was degenerative disc disease followed by cervical radiculopathy that caused tightness and pain in her neck, shoulders, upper back and left arm. She also experienced migraines and TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorder. Days of pain stretched into months, then years.

Her lengthy search for relief took her on a journey of treatments from prescription pain medications and a series of epidurals to chiropractic adjustments and a recommendation for surgery. She tried her own treatments, too – Pilates, gentle yoga, massage and acupuncture.

Sometimes Ms. Davis felt better, but she never found long-term relief. “Then I found Dr. [Robert] Bonakdar and I just knew I was in good hands. I told him my story and he listened.”

The Puzzle of Pain Relief
Robert Bonakdar, M.D., an integrative medicine specialist at Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine, understands that pain is complex and needs a mind-bodyspirit approach. If you don’t address the whole person, he asserts, you won’t get to the root cause.

“It’s like solving a puzzle,” Dr. Bonakdar says. “We get to know the person, and look beyond the diagnosis.”

Ms. Davis was the first to admit she was anxious. “My dad used to say ‘you can’t carry the world on your shoulders,’ but I didn’t know how to set it down,” she explains.

Dr. Bonakdar’s weekly treatment included trigger point injection therapy, massage, acupuncture and biofeedback. He also recommended relaxation exercises. In time, Ms. Davis’s pain diminished and her spirits lifted.

“Before I could overcome my pain, I had to understand it. Dr. Bonakdar gave me the tools to do both. I learned a lot about myself from biofeedback. There was a moment early on, when I sat quietly weeping for joy,” she continues. “I finally felt I was going to get to the root of my pain and really heal.”

Today, Ms. Davis moves more freely, has fewer migraines, sleeps well and knows how to handle her anxiety. But the best benefit is yet to come.

“We’re expecting our first grandchild,” she says. “I look forward to playing with my grandson, pain-free. I am grateful every day for my renewed strength and quiet mind.”

For more information about the Lifestyle Change Program, call 1-800-SCRIPPS.