Chronic pain is a memory of the pain in the brain
Researchers at Northwestern University have been studying the brain-chronic pain connection for well over a decade. Based on their multiple studies "we argue that the state of the brain’s emotional and…
Altered Brain Connections in Chronic Back Pain
I've posted before about how we see stronger one-way brain signals from the amygdala to the pre-frontal cortex in anxiety and how this is one-way signaling can cause the amygdala to hijack someone into…
Scaling Up Cortical Control Inhibits Pain
What this fMRI brain study and many others are showing is a loss of whats called cortical control over the pain system. This is where the prefrontal cortex loses its power (strength) and firing rates with…
The Nocebo Effect Produces Physical Symptoms
This 2020 study in the New England Journal of Medicine from Harvard Medical School looked at people taking statin medications for high cholesterol. It really highlights the power of the brain in producing…
Central Sensitization in many chronic pain conditions
Central sensitization is something I see in a lot of people with chronic health ailments and something we need to address for healing. According to the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP)…
What contributes most to pain with lumbar disc herniation?
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Radiating leg pain from a lumbar disc herniation is often attributed to either mechanical compression of the nerve root by the herniated disc, and/or local inflammation. This study of 53 subjects…
The Intersection of Anger, Chronic Pain & the Brain
How we deal with and handle anger can have an influence on our pain levels. This recent 2022 research review article highlights that either overt anger expression like blowing up or anger suppression like…
Depression Showing as Physical Symptoms
Two of the biggest mental health issues out there are depression and anxiety. It is important to screen for both these emotional conditions as they can both manifest physically in the body with symptoms.…
‘Worried Sick’- How Anxiety Causes Symptoms
I see a lot of people with what is being called 'Worried Sick'. It's where health anxiety (fear) is the driving force behind symptoms. Excessive worry, hypervigilance, combined with being an empathatic…
The Importance of Interoception to your Health
Interoception is not a word that many are familiar with but it can have a big impact on your health. Interoception is the ability to 'tune in' to your body signals and notice what's arising in your body…
