Chronic Pain

Chronic Pain

by Deleted user -
Number of replies: 4


I know someone who experiences chronic pain in their back. They say that somedays is better than others in regards to pain but it’s always there for them and they can’t seem to get comfortable. I think there are alot of  things that people do that are not healthy to treat chronic pain. Some people just don’t do anything to fix their pain and the ted talk says, "The longer pain persists, the more difficult it becomes to reverse” (Pate). Another thing people do that is unhealthy is self medicate or use other alternatives such as drugs and alcohol to get rid of symptoms. They also can catastrophize the pain eventually making it worse than it actually already is. Joanne Wu, MD, a neurologist at Unity Hospital, say, "These ways of coping all seem like they are working for a short term — they’re an escape from the immediate pain and provide instant gratification, but mostly they continue to feed the body toxins and can act as barriers to actually facing the problem and working on resolving it" (Myers). Three healthy alternative for chronic pain treatment include but not limited to: seeing a doctor, meditation, and exercise. Exercise is helpful because when we exercise, our bodies release endorphins which is the body’s natural pain relief (Myers). 

Scripps Research explains that NOP-coding genes are the genes targeted for gene therapy in the amygdala. Opioids such as morphine and heroine can inhibit pain sensation in the amygdala since NOP receptors do not bind well with opioid receptors. I believe that physiological factors play a huge role in deciphering pain. Stress and depression are already such draining things to bring you down but then on top of that you feel chronic pain maybe in your neck because of the stress. You are stressed and depressed that you are in pain. It’s a vicious cycle. 

Myers, B. W., Shapiro, M., Dunleavy, B. P., Rauf, D., & Konkel, L. (n.d.). The Best and Worst Ways to Cope With Pain - Pain Management Center - Everyday Health. Retrieved from https://www.everydayhealth.com/pain-management/the-best-and-worst-ways-to-cope-with-pain.aspx 

Nociceptin: Nature's Balm for the Stressed Brain. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.scripps.edu/news-and-events/press-room/2014/20140108roberto.html

Pate, J. (n.d.). The mysterious science of pain - Joshua W. Pate. Retrieved from https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-mysterious-science-of-pain-joshua-w-pate

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In reply to Deleted user

Re: Chronic Pain

by Deleted user -
Hey Elizabeth,
I enjoyed reading your forum post. I think it is interesting how people experience pain and some days the pain is worse than other days. I wonder why that is the case? I agree that some people just let their pain continue until it becomes too severe and then there's not much to do for the pain. I also talked about how people abuse past medications or drugs and alcohol to deal with their pain. I think that people should become educated and know that that type of coping only works in controlling the pain short term and more than likely makes the long term pain more painful. I also think that exercise is a good, healthy way to deal with pain.

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In reply to Deleted user

Re: Chronic Pain

by Deleted user -
I really like the quote that you included about the quick fixes of drugs and alcohol. I think that it really speaks to how we as a society have pushed people to seek treatment for chronic pain. I think that we prescribe medications and kind of send people off on their own and that can lead to opioid addiction and then addiction to drugs like heroin. The TED talk discussed how important it is to look at pain on a holistic level, including a psychological one. I wish that in the US we gave people a more holistic treatment instead of just trying to treat the symptoms of the pain.

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In reply to Deleted user

Re: Chronic Pain

by Deleted user -
I enjoyed reading your post! I know so many people that experience pain in their back. Our brain has nerve tracts that run all through our body and having sensation of anything going wrong can be overwhelming for an organism. That is why the brain has evolved to identify patterns of pain and presents them to us in complicated ways. For example, chronic stimulation of the same pain neurons will lead more of that receptor to be present on the surface of the neuron. This allows more of the neurotransmitter to bind to the receptor and influence firing rates. This means that stimulus X with the same strength will be felt as more painful in someone who has gone through this neuron priming. This is called long-term potentiation and happens in more areas of perception that just pain. Drug therapies usually try to harness this action in order to increase the effectiveness of certain therapies, but this also contributes to the idea that the longer pain is experienced, the longer it is to reverse.

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In reply to Deleted user

Re: Chronic Pain

by Deleted user -
Hi Elizabeth! I really loved your coping mechanism of meditation. I think it is really important for someone with chronic pain to be in touch with their emotions. If they feel in control of their emotions then they can at least feel in control of something in their life since chronic pain may be uncontrollable. It also may help in preventing addiction because they could seek help through alternative unhealthy ways but if they feel emotionally in control then they could be less likely to become an addict. Overall it is good to have a good mental state when facing any problem especially a chronic problem.

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