September is Pain Awareness Month, a time to pause and reflect not only on the reality of physical pain but also on the deeper lessons pain teaches us about life and responsibility. One condition that many people live with, but few really understand, is neuropathy.
What Does “Neuropathy” Mean?
The word itself comes from two parts:
- Neuro – meaning nerve
- Pathy – meaning disease or suffering
Put together, neuropathy literally means nerve suffering or nerve disease. In simple terms, it refers to damage or dysfunction in the nerves, often leading to numbness, tingling, burning sensations, or even sharp, chronic pain.
Why Don’t We Know About It?
Strangely, despite how many people suffer from it, neuropathy is not often spoken about in everyday conversation. Unlike a broken arm in a cast, nerve pain is invisible. It hides under the skin, but it can affect every part of life. Many people mistake it for “just getting older” or “bad circulation.” Because of this, people delay seeking help, and the condition worsens.
More Than Physical Pain
Pain awareness is not only about recognising physical conditions like neuropathy. It is also about becoming aware of the choices we make that either protect or harm our health. We often live as if our bodies will never break down, eating poorly, sleeping too little, or ignoring warning signs. But every choice is an investment — it either builds up our future health or slowly erodes it.
Neuropathy reminds us of this truth. Many causes are linked to lifestyle factors such as diabetes, alcohol use, or poor nutrition. In other words, while not everything is preventable, much can be improved through the decisions we make daily.
The Pain of Responsibility
There is also another kind of pain — the pain of realising that we have not always been responsible with our bodies. As a Counselling Psychologist in East Pretoria, I often see how guilt, regret, and even denial about our health can weigh as heavily as the physical pain itself. But here lies an opportunity: once we understand the link between knowledge, choice, and consequence, we gain the power to change direction.
Education as Healing
So much unnecessary suffering comes simply from not knowing. Education is not only about information; it is about empowerment. When we know better, we can choose better. And those choices — to move more, eat wisely, rest well, seek help early — shape the future of our health and our lives.
