What is pain? Why does a loving God allow His creation to suffer pain? If there is a purpose should we be trying to stop the pain? These were questions that Christian Living Magazine asked of Naturopathic Doctor (ND) Michael Gramazio at the Atlanta office of the Progressive Medical Centers of America.

What Is Pain?

“Pain is a distracting and sometimes debilitating message from the nervous system to the brain that says, ‘Something’s wrong and needs to be addressed,’ ” explained Dr. Gramazio. He compared it to a smoke or fire alarm that breaks into our consciousness as a warning that could prevent injury or even death. Without the intense hurt that comes from stepping on a nail or touching a hot stove, a person could suffer serious infection or be injured by repeating a harmful action.

Why Does God Allow Pain?

God watches over us and uses pain as His tough love for our protection. Many illnesses and diseases would silently destroy us unless we were made aware of their presence in our body. The same is true when we suffer trauma. Fractures, hernias, broken bones all signal the need for attention and treatment through different types of pain: aches, soreness, throbbing, or serious hurt.

Does Pain Management Defeat Its Purpose?

“Managing pain does not defeat its purpose,” said Gramazio. “Firemen turn off a distracting alarm system after they arrive on the scene of a blaze. Similarly, after a body’s distress warning is activated, then constant or reoccurring pain can create a vicious cycle that can cause inflammation and even interfere with the body’s healing process. There are two categories of pain: Acute, that which may have occurred in the last two or three days, and Chronic, which is a long term and sometimes constant pain. At PMCA we help manage both types.”
Among the painful conditions treated by the Center are herniated or ruptured discs, arm and leg and back, lingering post-operative, shingles, migraine headaches, traumatic injury, muscle spasm, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, neuropathic, and even pain caused by cancer.

Electrotherapy Works in Harmony with the Body
The Center works with traditional medical practices in addressing the causality and treatment of patients. Gramazio, who works for the Pain Management Department headed by Dr. Frank Matalone, specializes in Electrotherapy. This FDA approved non-invasive technology uses small electrical currents that harmonize with the body’s normal nerve electrochemistry to boost natural healing power. In some cases, even non-healing wounds have healed by the removal of blockage and increased blood flow that normalizes cellular function.

The patient may be treated with manual and massage therapy, pharmaceutal naturopathic medicines (botanical and herbal, vitamins, minerals and dietary supplements), and detoxification using the FIR sauna. A dietician may also recommend changes in diet and minor related life styles. Over two to four weeks, a typical treatment will involve six to ten half hour sessions. The patient may have follow up visits over a two to three month period and will typically experience anywhere from a 70-90% management of pain.

Faith and Positive Mental Attitude Is Vital for Healing
Dr. Gramazio has been a Christian from his earliest youth and is a firm believer that in addition to the treatments that he and his fellow ND’s administer, a person’s faith and a positive mental attitude are vital to bringing the body back to a balanced state or homeostasis.