Oct. 26, 2012 — A former dentist who became disabled from chronic pain, Morehead State University graduate Dr. Vera A. Brown, D.M.D., of Orange, Calif., is now dedicating her life to teaching healthcare providers and individuals how to be pain free. Her extensive medical training provided the background and more than nine years of suffering from chronic headaches, and neck and arm pain was the incentive to find relief. She believes it was a combination of alternative healing techniques and traditional medicine that helped her become pain free.



“Pain has emotion,” said Dr. Brown, “and that component must be addressed for complete healing.”



She specializes in holistic pain relief for those individuals who suffer from chronic pain. An alternative practitioner, Dr. Brown has more than 13 years’ experience in treating chronic pain. She has served as lead instructor of the Los Angeles Chiropractic College department for diagnosing and treating headaches, TMJ, and neck and arm pain. She is a much sought after teacher for head and neck anatomy and how to treat head and neck pain.



A native of Teaberry (Floyd County), Dr. Brown had always known she would work in the medical field and just wasn’t sure which discipline. She completed a degree at MSU in 1994 and enrolled at the University of Louisville where she earned a degree in clinical laboratory sciences. With a passion for microbiology and hematology, she applied to U of L’s dental school where she finished the undergraduate program.



Enjoyment in her work with medically compromised patients landed her a dental residency at the Veteran’s Hospital in Portland, Ore. During this time, she developed pain in her elbows but attributed it to the normal aches and pains from a long day at work. It wasn’t until she purchased a retiring dentist’s practice in Oregon that the real pain found her.



For months, she suffered from chronic headaches, neck and arm pain. When her left arm had no feeling, she continued to work. She fell into a cycle of taking anti-inflammatory medication to keep the pain at bay. After approximately four years, she went cold turkey.



“It was then I realized that my body and my mind were in bad shape,” she said.



Dr. Brown spent time seeing doctors, chiropractors, physical therapists and counselors and before looking into alternative healing therapies. “Here the real healing occurred for me and my own skills developed as an alternative practitioner,” she said.

In her research, she learned that indigenous people around the world, including the ancient Egyptians and American Indians, utilized alternative healing techniques to get to the root cause of a person’s pain. Advancements in science have allowed many doctors to prescribe pain medication and antidepressants to fix the symptom(s) of pain. By discovering the origin of one’s pain, the healing process occurs at a much faster and more complete rate, she determined.



“I definitely don’t feel that I chose the field of alternative healing or being an alternative practitioner, but rather, it chose me,” she added.



After incorporating these natural ways of healing, she noticed her patients were getting better much faster than those individuals who had been treated without the use of alternative healing therapies. By using repetitive sound, such as American Indian drumming, Dr. Brown places herself into a meditative focused, dreamlike state. She receives visions, images or other messages about her client, acting as a detective to see if there is an emotional trigger causing the pain.



After completing this process, Dr. Brown has a better understanding of the overall picture of why the client has pain and gives the client ‘homework’ to maintain their healing. “The goal is to return the body, mind and spirit to a state of wholeness, therefore, energizing, empowering and allowing the client to release their pain,” she said.



Believing that a complete evaluation of the client is critical, she offers three ‘Scooby Snacks’ about how to get started on the path to becoming pain free:



First, seek a healthcare provider who understands all aspects of pain. If he/she pulls out a prescription pad to give you pain killers, leave!



Second, the practitioner must take the time to allow you to tell your story and access your medical history.



Third, the healthcare provider needs to perform a complete physical exam, an emotional interview and a sleep health analysis. This is key as pain patients typically have unhealthy sleep patterns.



Continuing to help others is her professional choice, while her personal goal is to keep her mind and body in the best shape possible. For fun, Dr. Brown is a competitive Olympic weightlifter and a qualifier for the World Masters’ Championships. She also is a Brazilian JiuJitsu enthusiast and has been training for more than five years in this martial art.



She encourages visits to her website at www.DrVeraBrown.com or to contact her by telephone at 949-554-9373.