Dr. Z's book, links to our prior interview, audio podcast, and full transcript: zdoggmd.com/rachel-zoffness-2 and check out the description for a list of clickable timecodes and topics for this interview!
Finding your show during the pandemic is one of the positives to come from having more time on my hands. I have been a patient in multiple chronic pain programs and actually just started another today. Each one I've done, including Stanford's, has taught me something to help lower my pain or reignites the fire under my butt to do all the things that manage my chronic pain. Thank you for all the info (and comedy!) you put in your videos! I am not a doctor or professor but I would love to watch your interviews in person. I think it would be a blast! You would be an amazing host for a tv show that goes into different aspects of medicine.
Thanks for the great guest but I really do not appreciate your sexual references, bragging about your muscles, etc. Inappropriate, off-topic and beyond annoying. I will not be subscribing to your channel/podcast
The fact that she doesn't ever lose her train of thought even with all your shenanigans 😜. Seriously though - very eye opening. I think I need to get this book!
I'm a "pain psychologist" who've probably never experienced chronic pain. To suggest all pain is psychological is dangerous. Intellectual arrogance to the fifth degree but what do I know. Old nurse! I'm done here my dog is waiting at the door with his leash.
I believe that pain is technically purely psychological. The ways I have seen pain described in the literature is nociception is the physical aspect, it’s the stimulus that then brain then processes as pain. So because we define it in such a manner it is psychologically (this is why there’s debate about whether insects or crustaceans experience pain, they have nociception, but does that necessarily translate to pain?) However, then if that’s how pain is being defined then I don’t think this is as profound as they’re making it out to be. As sight or hearing is purely psychological as well. As the same deal applies, the various nerves send the brain signals of stimuli and our brain then process that as vision and hearing. So then I would my question to said doctors is, just because something is psychological does that mean we can actually have meaningful control over it? For example, in a very low light room you can probably stop “seeing” general shapes and what not. Same with hearing, you can probably not “hear” subtle audio. But do those doctors think they can stop seeing (without shutting their eyes) the scenery in a bright summer day? Or can they stop hearing a person with a bullhorn talking to them 10’ away? The answer, is no, that is not possible. Or at the very least only people with exceptional ability and training could ever hope to do so (and that I am doubtful). TLDR; the idea that something is psychological doesn’t mean we have absolute control over it. That’s like saying, stop being sad or angry. Just start being happy. It doesn’t really work that way. It’s way more complicated than that.
I have severe cervical stensosis with formidable stensosis. 8 buldging disc and 7 herniated disc with severe early disc degeneration. Pain medication in my case is a must and my brain cant overcome this pain on its own. I dont wish my pain on anyone, but sonetimes i wish these people could live in my body for a day, i dont think many could handle 2 minutes.
I didn’t get the impression that either of them are discounting biological pain such as the pain you’re experiencing. “Biological” is one of the circles in her Venn diagram. (I’m so sorry that you have that going on. I also have a bilateral stenosis at the C8 level and arthritis in many joints throughout my body which causes me pain and problems, so I can relate to some degree. Yours sounds more intense than mine though. No fun!! 😕)
C’mon z, I’m not hearing anything about upper cervical instability wreaking havoc on our bodies!! Get dr hauser on from hauser neck center in Florida and open up americas eyes on this medical BULLSH*T!!!!! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Cnmu4LW9jZ8.html
Thank you so much for this. I couldn't stop crying. I felt validation in this. I have been suffering with pain since I was 14 and diagnosed with endometriosis when I was 25. I was brushed off for so long and then became a guinea pig when it became a topic. I have had childhood trauma. I always knew it was linked. Thank you
Rachel, thank you for pushing through your anxiety! I'm an ortho and GI nurse and we use narcotics for pain all the time, but it feels like an incomplete treatment plan. This was so helpful to learn about all the other factors that can be affecting my patients' pain too. I will remember this in my nursing. Be well!
@@richardsydnor9978 Often, people will post links like this with no descriptions in an attempt to play off some people's distrust. There is a wonderful invention called a "search engine" that allows us to find information on the web.
@@brianwhoreadsobjectiveinfo1122 I’ve watched my wife suffer for 11 months. They tried to say she was crazy and tried admitting her in mental hospital. They’ve only checked her laying down. MRI’s ct scans transcranial Doppler etc. all negative. I found out the real deal after watching and learning she needed tested upright. So I found one of the 2 dmx’s that are in Ohio. They have no upright mri’s. The result of the DMX? She’s all jacked up from c2 to c7. Now I can take proper steps to fix her If you suffer from any chronic illness or pain I recommend you watch the webinar on upper cervical instability and the vagus nerve 👍 blessed be
I have Ptsd, fibro and other issues I cried through this whole talk. I understand myself so much better... thank you! I have hope after living with pain since I was a teenager. I plan on purchasing the workbook soon.
EXACTLY! Vitamin D supplements are my Jar of Dirt. If it’s not hurting me, and I feel 100% that it make me feel better, then that’s good enough for me.
Such a good show with this psychologist🔥🔥 So glad mental health and psychology is waaay more openly discussed now. Childhood trauma + stress + anxiety of senior year highschool + my grandpa dying x smoking weed = panic disorder/ ptsd /hospital. I was 17 and didn’t know anything about mental health so I thought I was going crazy. Fast forward, I am 30 now and realize I was just a kid experiencing huge amounts of anxiety/fear/trauma with no knowledge or help so I resorted to drugs which suppressed until I Tea Kettled… lol Almost 4 years clean today off opiates and enjoy my life clean and sober! 😇🙏🏻 #educate #talktoyourkids
Pre pandemic, I was in moderate clinical depression that would not respond to medication. Thank God, I met a psychiatrist who had studied TMS. I was as compliant as I could be. At 69. It was a life saver! Thank God, Medicare covered it. Thanks for your sharing all this info. Be blest☦️👩🏻🦳❤️🌸
No one who lives with intractable pain doesn’t use a multitude of therapies throughout their day. If you didn’t learn coping skills you would choose not to be on this earth. Patients should have the choice as to how their pain is treated. Only you know what you are feeling and dealing with in your day to day life. Sadly government has chosen that population health has greater priority over patient centered care and they are killing off the useless eaters.
Thank you!!! I have lived with chronic pain and depression for 20 years. Went to school for nursing and psychology, and never finished because I always felt so broken. When Dr Z stated that our brains are not broken I truly tea kettled. The guttural pain filled scream that tore from me startled my 2 huskies and they both howled with me. Thank you for explaining the science and validating the pain is real and not just physical or crazy pain. It seems like my doctor always tunes out when I talk about the pain and refuse his push of big pharma. Holistic doctors are hard to find particularly in the conservative mid west. Thank you again. Makes me wish I lived In California just to see Dr Z.
Having been through the chronic head pain mill, a big problem is dismissive doctors who don't understand the psychological aspect, or they just assume it's "just migraine", when it's not. So many people I know have left doctor's appointments in tears. The book is phenomenal.
Just bought the book, so I'm really glad to hear it's a worthwhile investment. My mom and I both suffer with chronic pain, and if there is a way beyond pills I can reduce my pain level, I want to try it.
In my experience what she is saying is untrue. I've had every diagnosis including fibromyalgia when I was a child. Never treated it but also it hasn't gone away in decades but always working and treating m body and life like I'm fine. It's dumb to pretend you are fine when not though I will continue to cause gotta make a living.
@myopinions46 I feel the same way. Have to work (nurse) but pain makes me feel lazy. I can't get motivated on my days off to do the things I should be doing. Ugh
Dr Z, I find you more than frequently spot on. However, your recent interview on Chronic Pain with Dr. Rachel was a bit disturbing. You might get tested for MCBS Male Chauvinist Misbehavior SYNDROME. Dr. R. was a saint at ignoring your BS about tea kettling. humor sure, but inappropriate. I'm not a goodie two shoes but your sexual inuendos were frankly not funny.
Thank you for having her back. She is astounding! I did biofeedback years ago and can still do the hand warming thing just by looking at said hand. You must try it.
This is like the data version of the awakening videos and consciousness talks. “Ain’t nothing woo about it”. What you guys are explaining is actually what happens when clearing out the chakras from “blockage” /energy resisting, emotion and thought is energy. It’s all relevant. 😊. This is a great conversation. I would love if you two did a series and talk more in depth.
I am blown away. I started into this episode to try to understand my fibromyalgia and other chronic pain patients a little better (I am a gynecologist - emotional pain anyone? Everyone blames my organs and hormones!!!). I absolutely loved all of it and then we came to the public speaking part. Fight or flight I’m familiar with... but FREEZE struck a nerve x 100. I have to pass my oral boards this year to keep my job and I’ve failed twice. I promise I’m a good doc. I know my stuff and I’m an awesome surgeon for the things I do. But when I get to oral boards I am FROZEN. I say crazy shit and I even hear myself saying it and I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I cried so hard listening to that segment and I appreciated it all so so much. I also am a California native and raised as a female very deferent to males so that all made so so much sense. Thank you for the blinds analogy, I think I have a plan involving oral board interviews which I don’t look forward to but are probably the only way to desensitize my brain. Slash gut. I work now in a rural setting in Oregon. I love it here but there is SO MUCH socioeconomic and psychological component to every patient. Being a gyn, of course people come in and say I’m in pain/hormonal/depressed and anxious because of my hormones. There is no access to psychological care (Ltd SW available at best) and no insurance coverage. I FEEL so so deeply about the issues you raised. I have always understood the mind body life connection and it is so so difficult to try to treat patients appropriately when they don’t want to hear about anything but pills and the insurance co won’t cover anything but pills. It’s a huge system ERROR. I will order your book and send it home with patients I think need it. After I consume it of course. An hour and 40 was a big time commitment for me but that was time SOO well spent. I will watch again at least a few times and use with my patients to my best ability. Thank you for not letting fear overcome you and doing this interview. You helped at least me, and any patient I can get through to with the things I learned here. 🙏🏻
Well it sounds like you care about your patients which is more than most & something you should be proud of yourself for, I can’t imagine how overwhelmed you must get! I agree that medicine requires a mind/body approach, at the same time, we can’t discount the fact that for some patients, opiates work & if these ppl are truly suffering & not “seeking pills”, we (as a profession) need to stop treating them like garbage on the side of the street A drug seeker takes pill to get high, a chronic pain sufferer takes pills to be able to lower pain enough so that they can participate in life, work, be with their families, etc I wouldn’t wish pain on anyone...what hurts the most is knowing that ppl would never treat a dog as badly as they would a human being Hang in there
Can I ignore the pain of my Achilles tendon being stretched, shredded, and ruptured? It has happened to each one. I've had multiple partial tears of each Achilles. The tears kinds hurt. Shoulder and hip pain wake me up each night when I'm not thinking of anything. And they only time my lower back hurts is when I'm doing the dishes (a household chore I enjoy) or going for a beautifully distracting nature walk. Riddle this out for me?
Yeah, I feel like she's doing a big disservice in how she's representing it. Neuroplasticity isn't magical, you have less and less as you get older. The positive changes you can make after a certain age is so so minimal. Doesn't mean that desensitization isn't helpful and not a good option in addition to other types of pain management. Frankly, I'm surprised she didn't talk about EMDR as a way to treat chronic pain. They talk about trauma and the impact that has. But they don't talk about how huge of a feat it is to rewrite learned behavior/selftalk/disorders that come out of trauma. It's not as simple as "getting over yourself". Some conditions like RAD (I know, not a medical condition, but it is a condition caused by trauma) is essentially irreversible after a certain age. I get what they're saying to a point, but calling it "self-curing" is way overselling it. People already use this angle so often to discredit people who experience severe chronic pain. Having the little disclaimer saying 'you shouldn't just call someone crazy' isn't enough. People tell me all the time to use "positive thinking" and "mind over matter" to make my RA and Lupus go away. Too many people take the bare minimum away from complicated discussions like this and end up using it against people with chronic illness whether they mean to or not. It's great that we can manage pain and have more tools to do so that isn't just a pill. But the key word is 'manage'. With chronic pain usually there's more going on than just shooting pain receptors conditioning your brain. She sounds like she assumes everyone will understand and utilize it the exact way she does but it's very easy to take it out of context. Sorry for the essay.
I got off narcotics after 27 years and then fell July 4th 2020 and was in severe pain. The doctor I had at that time said I was drug seeking. July 28th I couldn’t cope so went to the ER and they did a CT then MRI and I had a T9 burst fracture, 7 broken ribs and a few fractures of T10and T8 spinous process fractures. I also had cord compression. I was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Vancouver Wa, and now after surgery I am off pain medication and occasionally take a mild muscle relaxer. What a year, felt labeled a drug addict, seeker. I needed pain relief when I was broken but no more.
This is one of the most amazing podcasts I've ever seen covering my daily life. Thank you so much and I'm looking forward to the next one!! Hope it's soon!! ❤❤👍🏼👌🏼
OMG! This video had me crying. As a disabled veteran who has depression, anxiety, PTSD, Fibro, back surgery and now neck surgery with 2nd C-sp fusion upcoming I just love this. I have been brushed off and told my pain is all in my head for decades now. I am so tired of doctors throwing pills at me. 😭😭😭
I hope you’re in a better state today than when you wrote. The medical field specialists need to start “talking” with each other and with the specialists of other fields. Treating a patient needs to be done with the full bio/psycho/social spectrum. Take care.
My young adult daughter has debilitating endometriosis... heartbreakingly debilitating. This information gives me hope! I just bought the workbook, so I can learn more (I'm an RN and LPC, but have never heard much of this before.) Thank you SO much for this!
Please stop your creepy harassment (referencing your perineum and insinuations of sexual activity, to 'knock her off her game". It's so inappropriate and not at all a good look for you.
If this woman has no chronic pain at all, I find this very irrelevant. She has no idea that you can do all the brain work that you want in the pain is still there. It’s videos like this that leave. Chronic pain, patients shame and guilt.
My husband and I just finished listening to this show. Thank you so much, Zubin and Rachel! This is literally a life saving message that so many need to hear! I am definitely sharing!
This whole video is so amazing and is so beautiful. The explainations are amazing. I am saving this and sharing with everyone. I used to get violently ill and have emesis evacuation ;-) the night before school started from such intense anxiety. So glad we can educate so kids can hopefully be better understood by adults and have their anxiety, etc addressed sooner.
I fell and broke my back about 30 years ago. I was grounded and I wasn’t supposed to go out. I did, but nobody knew. I ended out falling on my back at a school playground during a holiday weekend. I never told anybody that I fell. I hurt really bad for about a year. I had tried chiropractic over the years, which I think helped a little, or at least bought me time. As a result of that fall, my back got worse and worse. In 2017, I was diagnosed with spondylolisthesis and a herniated disc. I had to have a laminectomy, microdiscectomy, and a fusion at L4-S1. Since then, I’ve been told I have arthritis, degenerative disc disease, fibromyalgia, and small vessel disease. I never really believed in taking pain killers. Even after my back surgery, I stopped taking pain pills after about a week. I didn’t hurt as bad as I did prior to surgery, so I felt that I didn’t need it. To this day, I still don’t take any pain medicine. I might on occasion take a Tylenol for arthritis, but otherwise,I have no prescription medicine for pain. I have found that lots of stretching, hot baths, and walking all help. I do deal with leg swelling (still not sure exactly why), so that does make it tougher to exercise. I figure that as long as I can keep moving then I will be fine. I’ve suffered with pain for more 3/4 of my life as I was only about 10 years old when I had that fall. I have good days and bad days. I have learned to take it one day st a time. I wake up with burning pain in my legs, and there’s days I just don’t want to do anything, so I don’t. I still work full time, so I take advantage of my weekends and rest as much as possible. It’s a rough life dealing with pain. It sucks and it isn’t fun at all. People who do not have chronic pain have absolutely no idea what it feels like, although they think they do.
I live in chronic pain and quit pain meds after 10 years and my pain decreased after a few months.thank you for explaining that I have the power to influence my own body from with-in.You made it so easy to understand and explain to my family .I know God can and does heal but He gave us magnificient brains to heal ,too.I loved this show and both dr.s.
"What if we made money by helping people?" Amen. Discussion from this episode is encouraging in the hope of changing the paradigm of health care. Biopsychosocial concepts have been around a while, but sometimes feels like an uphill battle when trying to change models of care in organizations based around concepts that actually work versus those that pay more.
Just finished the podcast (sorry Zubin, I'm in a pretty busy clinic). Appreciated the shoutout to pain-trained PTs at the end! Cudo's to another great podcast.
As a doc that (successfully) helps patients to resolve pain and other persistent symptoms through this model - THANK YOU. Just wish there were more of us. Every article and video like this helps!
Where do we find more doctors like you? As in, taking the bio-psych-social approach? Is there a directory, or is there an actual name for specialists such as yourself. Thank you 🙏🏼
@@tdeo2141 I’m so sorry I missed this almost a year ago! In case you’re still interested… There is a physician directory on the Psychophysiologic Pain Disorder Assoociation (PPDA) website that is searchable. The docs that do this work have different board specialties, but typically phrases like neuroplastic pain, psychophysiologic pain or mind-body syndrome will be on their website or description.
I enjoy your programs, but your talks with Rachel Zoffman are the best! I learn so much from you, and Rachel explains herself at each and every step of her talk. Vinay Presad is a very close second! I feel that through your videos, I am receiving the best type of health related information. I watch you in some form each and every day! Your biggest fan!
Absolutely loved this discussion. The whole process of getting a fibromyalgia diagnosis 15 years ago felt like I was pieced & parted & each doctor looked at only one piece & I was told it was in my mind or I was depressed or has anxiety. I went through every drug put there with terrible side effects. One time I was placed on Zoloft with major side effects & when I removed myself & saw the doctor, he said I should have stayed on the medicine because I was anxious. I was Anxious because he was not listening to me. Over the past 11 years, I had to quit my job & I have listened to my own body & removed myself from all meds except a small amount of savella. I have learned to roll with the good & bad & understand I have a lot of control. Thank you for this session. It was wonderful.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things." Philippians 4
I am a successful RSD/CRPS patient. Wish I could explain how i was successful in getting into remission to others suffering. It has so much to do with mind & body healing together.
I do believe that a pain specialist SHOULD compulsorily TRY TO UNDERSTAND the CAUSE OF PAIN especially when it has to do with female pelvic dislocation. A lot pain handling techniques prescribed COULD make the situation WORSE ... much WORSE.
Yes, my crushed ankle, bone on bone knee, scoliosis and spondylosis with hemangiomas, all that pain is just in my head. I just gotta think away that’s it. Anybody believes this crap I got some beachfront property for you in Everglades.
This was aired 2 yrs ago, but tonight you both rocked my brains. Struggling with horrible pain, feel like just forgetting about ever finding hope I will find the right team… I think it’s time to trust again. Thank you for your energy.
Dr Rachel, how do you KNOW that pain is created in the brain?! What if its also created in the nerve itself? What if an injury, say, that causes amputation of a limb, sends such a hard shock into a nerve or nerve bundle that it, say, even slightly damages some of the cells that make up the nerve for that area, much like, say, an EXPLOSION might damage a nearby building, and other buildings along the street? Even if the damage is very temporary, and not visible on a scan, it happened, so it actually (possibly) creates a memory, conscious or subconscious, of the event as it was occurring. Thus, the brain, which seems to store memory when its not being used and until it needs re-experienced for an educational or emotional event, may well send along the nerve bundle what it experienced when the event occurred, in order to utilize itself somehow... Much like your legs, knees, and feet, hips and torso did in order to enable you to learn to walk as a baby... What if the brain therefore doesnt create pain, but merely records it to play back when that nerve bundle is triggered somehow?
I wish I would have known this or found a Dr. with this knowledge 10 years ago, I would have never accepted a pain medication... I wouldn't have lost so much of my life... but here I am one year on the other side.. I hacked my own brain and figured out the pain medications were causing me more pain... and my brain could overpower the pain and the withdrawls from weaning off these meds... it's pretty amazing what our brains can do. I still have chronic pain but my 🧠 is getting better.
I muddled my way through, too, addressing BPS without knowing it was a thing. Wish I had this info 20 years ago. Had to figure out my own diagnosis, too. Migraine wasn't it and the triptans were so awful. My job, some friends, travel ops...all gone, but I'm better, and Dr. Zoffness' book is still an incredible resource.
While the mind can modify the experience of a sense, once a sense gets to a certain “volume” the ability for the mind to modify it is diminished or even prevented. For example, sight is the same as pain. It’s a stimuli that your eyes collect (like pain receptors) and sends to your brain. Your brain then processes that stimulus into the sense of vision (or pain). However, can you stop seeing during a bright summer day? No.
This is great I will say chiropractic philosophy has been talking about this idea of thoughts, trauma, and toxins (chemical stress), the role or the autonomic nervous system, what placebo truly means, self healing, etc etc for over 100 years. Great podcast and makes me frustrated that suddenly western medicine is jumping on this wagon “of the mind. Body connection” after ridiculing it for so long.
Omg absolutely cring! He is like a 14 year old boy trying to be funny, his over the top uncomfortable flirting is the sign of a man that has no idea how to properly communicate with a woman! This should be a podcast on what not to do with a woman u like! Hahah
Dr.Z2; Your performance anxiety facilitates your empathy for others’ suffering which lends to your veracity ( to my thinking) when talking to us. I’m so glad you shared verbally. I could tell by your mannerisms when speaking and knew you were braving it out. Amazing!!! Thank you!!
having to hide the issues at work and leave early or switch jobs often and support yourself, and disability system doesn't support you to get restrictions. they would rather put you out there in danger
I want the class! The class that you haven't done yet - about training people to explore the emotions, thoughts and beliefs below their physical symptoms. I want that!
My stepdaughter gets occasional migraine type headaches and we're taking a 'wait and see' approach rather than running to a neurologist or prescribing more than tylenol and a nap with gentle reassurance. Both myself and her primary feel like we should not emphasize or make a big deal out of the pain and so far it seems to have been successful because they remain extremely rare events. Stomach aches are another issue. As a former failure to thrive child she has been learning what 'full' feels like and, unfortunately, there was a lot of trauma related to food for her in the past, so I'm not surprised that she feels like she has a stomach ache when she is full. I gently remind her that she just ate and is feeling full and the feeling eventually passes. I have also noticed that just about every adult will immediately ask a child if their stomach hurts if they show the slightest sign of distress.
My daughter had them and her's were brought on by foods. She had to quit eating certain foods. No chocolate, no peanut, no processed food. Nitrates and such. Sometimes it could be related to hormones.
what's your take on CBD? if it helps with pain, depression, and other things, can this also help with the mental/physical aspect of pain? I know the endocannabinoid system is new and understudied, so interested in hearing your opinion.
From my understanding, the endocannabinoid receptors bind with opioids so the CBD can be used as effectively as opioids. It's all dependent on the strength and titration of CBD for maximum effect. I was a critical care RN for over 20 years and just recently talked with my pain management Dr. I have been using just Dilaudid orally for pain (rheumatoid arthritis, Feltys Syndrome, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, bulging discs in lower back and neck, bone spurs, arthritic spine, past fx vertebrae, scoliosis, etc).
@@contentedspirit9022 "From my understanding" is an opinion. Yes, receptors bind, blah, blah, scientific sounding words, blah. But to scientifically know that it is "as effective as opioids" required double blind studies, not someone's "understanding". As a nurse, I would hope you already know that. But while nurses are amazing and I sure would not want to do without, most are not the best at science. That really isn't their thing and it really isn't necessary for them to do amazing work as a nurse. Also, anecdotal evidence is no substitute for scientific rigor. So as I already said, I'm looking for science based information.
So all of these alternative methods (CBT, biofeedback, talk therapy,PT, imagine/visualize therapy, reiki, massage therapy, biorthotomy, or whatever etc.) cost A LOT OF MONEY and are JUST NOT COVERED by insurance, and if some are the copayments are onerous in treatment that will never end and you are existing on disability and part time work. Now what?
Some can be done at home (specifically cbt, acceptance therapy, mindfulness). The others? Go to your pcp and inquire if there are any government programs available? It’s a long shot, but worth a try.
Such an amazing and enlightening talk! You two actually look like you could be brother and sister. I love Dr. Rachael's views on pain. Truly a compassionate woman! There is a monk named Gelong Thubten who encourages people to "make friends with and have compassion for your pain" during meditation instead of trying to push it away. It has worked for me in reducing my pain. Thanks to both of you!
Great podcast and so informative! Also wanted to add that I never would have guessed DT Rachael suffered from anxiety around doing this so good for her for overcoming that to help better inform us all!! I’m an introvert who can absolutely relate to the same struggle, although my message is not as important as yours!!
Oh my goodness! Ive been saying the same thing, Dr. Zoffness, for years. Doctors must change the way they think and treat the whole body instead of just parts.
The biggest problem I’ve had with healthcare providers is that they want to categorize you as either chronic pain patient or not. Once they put a person into the “chronic pain” column, they treat differently. But no chronic pain patient I’ve ever talked to had the same pain at the same intensity every day. Some people have pain free days. Some have pain every day but have episodes of severe pain. But let me sum up her little speech: The mind and body are connected. Did doctors not already know this?
Gotta say the new DSM explanation of somatization just causes more problems. Using how anxious a patient is while in pain to decide what column to put them in makes no sense. It is not so easy to determine what the normal amount of anxious a person should be while in pain and not knowing the cause.
I believe some docs have thought I was over sensitive to pain. But, during procedures that are painful, they remark how well I responded to it. One time I had a procedure and the doctor said, “this is going to hurt.” I said “ok”. He said, “no. You need to understand. This is really going to hurt.” It did hurt. But it was entirely manageable. He looked at me and said, “you are tough. Don’t let anyone ever tell you that you aren’t tough because you are one tough woman.” So I don’t. I think years of pain has made me de sensitized to pain. It’s also made me less empathetic to other people’s pain because I’m like, “please. That’s nothing.”
When I went to nursing school 15 years ago the mantra was pain is always physical, the treatment must always be narcotics, and the pain is always exactly what the pain to end says it is. It felt intuitively wrong as it was taught to me but that’s how we treated it. Ooops we got all kinds of people addicted to narcotics and didn’t actually treat their pain well.
@@rebeccashields9626 however now the pendulum has swung too far the other way. More and more providers refuse to give opioid pain medications and opioid related deaths have skyrocketed. I know correlation doesn’t mean causation, but when many of us were warning that this exact thing would happen, it seems like maybe we should’ve been heard. The sad thing is no one is tracking these patients. They are forced to go from provider to provider and no one is tracking whether they live or die.
This all makes sense! As someone who has suffered from chronic pain for 18 years, the best thing I ever did was expand my pain management beyond just meds. I now do yoga and meditate for my body and mind. It all works together to keep my pain in check.
@@patriciajoyner9871 Family used to say "you're too young to be in so much pain" to me and it just made me feel so sad. Like I'm a freak to have pain so young....like something is wrong with me. I know they meant well, but it did hurt. I think I would have rather had them say "I'm sorry you're going through this, I love you." and just leave it at that. That would make me feel cared about. Not criticizing your reaction to someone else's pain, just offering my perspective as someone who lived with it.
@@dogdonut3 i understand, I always try to give tylenol or over the counter meds for her.she refuses. R.A. runs in our family so always in the back of my mind. She is a tough cookie with other issues
Consider that not only does your anxiety affect your gut, but the opposite also occurs. I would know when I was going to suffer an "attack" by noticing I was becoming anxious for no reason.
Thank you for posting this. I think it's my favourite video thus far, it really got me thinking. I had suffered with IBS since I was a young girl and as an adult it got to it's all time worse. I was barely leaving my house and living on Immodium. Out of desperation I went online to see if I could find an alternative therapy to help me. I came across a guided meditation/visualization program specifically targeted for this problem. I figured it was worth a try. I did the program and saw small improvements. I repeated it three times over in the course of a year and it's remarkable how much things have changed. This was around 15yrs ago. I'm happy to say I no longer live on antidiarrheals, i can eat out once again, and take long walks. ..I'm a firm believer the mind is a powerful thing, we just have to learn to program it the way we want. It changed my life!
This was an amazing interview/conversation. Her book is the perfect tool to introduce people to. I’m a clinical massage therapist and the BPS model has completely changed how I run my office and how I explain pain to the people who come see me. This book explains SO MUCH. Pain doesn’t have to be your master. You can learn how to work with it, change it, and learn how to live better. Again great interview!
Dude i try explaining chronic pain to my friends and it's connection to emotions and trauma and they dont beleive it. I love it when big drs explaij it and push this idea. Literally my pain, gi issues asthma flares etc etc all started happening at once when i was in college for engineering. My doc couldn't find anything wrong. I would watch heart attacks on tv and devlop left arm pain and chest pain shortly after, nada. Nothing was wrong. It devloped to even walking a bit would trigger it. Then i took the leap and said it was anxiety and took prozac and worked out and bow im relativley pain free and gi issues are gone.
Yeah but when it's not primarily psychological, good luck in finding a doctor who will actually try to figure it out without accusing you of having psychological issues so big that no psychological treatment makes a dent... It's enough to make you believe that doctors aren't very helpful or useful and that psychology is a lot of quack, dangerous even because when you're undergoing hoops and loops whilst getting sicker. Yeah of course there's a psychological aspect to our entire lives, as mammals. Pushing the psychological agenda is pure Scientology and it's not healthy. It's an element of bedside manners.
This interview was SO HELPFUL to me! I have been dealing with severe chronic pain and have been so frustrated, trying to understand the whole picture! Love Dr. Rachel! So glad she pushed past her performance anxiety because this has been phenomenal! I'm getting the workbook!
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I have chronic pelvic pain with interstitial cystitis (irritable bladder). I can tell you that stress is directly tied to pain in IC because cortisol really irritates the bladder.
I CANNOT seem to find an effective prescription combination for my depression, anxiety and insomnia. Is it far fetched to think that I can come off of everything and just deal with however I feel? I’ll find one medication that works well but causes unbearable side effect , so then I’ll need to take a medication to help with the side effect of the first medication and the cycle continues . It’s so tiring . I’m so tired of it all. What do I do ? I’ve switched psychiatrists, I’ve weaned off of ones that are detrimental (long term) , switched to less dangerous ones and still have either debilitating gastro intestinal issues, crippling anxiety or stubborn depression that renders me useless. Not to mention my inability to focus. Ive tried just about every medication I AM SO TIRED OF IT ALL Feel so hopeless . Wish I never put a pill in my mouth. EVER. It has ruined my mind
