The Pain PT News

When I think of the brain's role in somatic symptoms, I think of three main outputs the brain can produce that will affect symptoms: 1) thoughts 2) emotions, and 3) behaviors. The brain is continually…

I want to review this new study that came out recently (May 2024) in the Clinical Journal of Pain. The results showed how we deal with emotions in real time can have an immediate effect on our pain experience.…

Let's look at a new 2024 research paper that reviewed and looked at the neuroscience data on the role of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) in chronic pain. The authors "suggest an updated model…

Here'a a 2017 study from New York University that found "that chronic pain rewires circuits in a brain region called the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) to increase “aversion,” the amount of attention…

Anger is a primary emotion in all humans. How couples handle it during conflict can influence which health issues we are prone to getting, according to a 20 year study from UC Berkley and Northwestern…

One way to understand how the brain can create symptoms in the body is through fight, flight, freeze, fawn nervous system reactions. These stress or trauma reactions are real but they are protective in…

Wanted to touch on somatization again here as it's something that is a focus point of the work I do with people with chronic somatic symptoms. According to this research paper, "more than one-third of…

What is Somatization? Creating a sense of safety and security within ourselves is important for our brain and nervous system to settle and relax, which helps to reduce somatic symptoms in the body. Research…

A study at University of Michigan found that 'physical pain and intense feelings of social rejection “hurt” in the same way'. Social psychologist Ethan Kross states: "We found that powerfully inducing…

A recent study this month February 2024 found 'Pain catastrophizing appears to be an independent risk factor for progression to chronic widespread pain among patients with chronic low back pain. These…

Forgiveness can be an important piece in the process for chronic symptom recovery. Forgiveness is first about releasing and expressing and offloading our anger and resentment. Holding onto anger creates…

A recent 2023 study authored by Dr. Howard Schubiner in the Journal of Pain  assessed 222 chronic low back and neck pain patients in a primary care clinic. A physician was trained to diagnose for structural…

The role of mental and emotional stress in medicine has been by and large neglected and un-diagnosed as a primary cause of somatic symptoms and health illness in the body. Most primary health practitioners…

There's been more and more research emerging on the role of what's called alexithymia and it's role in health complaints in the body. Alexithymia literally means “lack of words for emotions” or is…

There is a bi-directional relationship between anxiety, worry, and functional somatic symptoms (FSS). This 2021 study  concluded that: Previous studies have shown that anxiety and FSS are associated…

The worldwide prevalence of back and neck pain is may be higher than you think- It has been found that upwards of 80 percent of all people experience back pain at some point in their lives and almost 25…

I posted a few weeks back the prevalence rates of somatization or what's called somatoform disorders is much higher than most know- upwards of 40% seen in general practice. Somatoform disorders comprise…

I’m excited to offer and to invite you to a limited time free screening of the documentary feature film This Might Hurt! The screening will be followed by a live Q&A with Jim and film producer Kent…

I get a fair amount of people asking me if stress can cause or contribute to autoimmune conditions. The  short answer is yes. This study completed in 2018 found 'that exposure to a stress-related disorder…