Pain, Good Friend, Bad Master

The cause of your pain is not necessarily where you feel the pain. There are many treatments for pain, some expensive, some dangerous, including the risk of addiction. What you really need is a strategy to figure out the underlying cause of your specific problem in order to develop a plan that will be effective for you.

The author, a veterinarian, spins instructive tales about his encounters with pain and pain killers. He explains how to handle such drugs as Oxycontin® and Valium®. When to heed the doctor's advice, and when to do otherwise. The stories range far and wide, each containing a nugget of advice for pains we all encounter, from knee pain to love sickness to major health challenges.

We misread the message of pain at our peril.

The stories in this book will help you to:

- Decide whether to rush to your doctor or think it through.

- Choose whether to follow advice from your medical professional.

- Learn how to handle the pain of grief, as in the case of love-sickness or other loss.

- Find the actual source of your pain, which is often in a location remote from the sensation.

- Come away with a new view of pain, to appreciate its generally positive contribution to your life.

If you don't think pain is your friend, think of the ravages of leprosy. Self-inflicted damage due to the absence of pain detection.

Why does the author consider himself qualified to write this book?

Because it interests him. Because Veterinarian's receive five times more training on pain than physicians. Furthermore, as a life-long athlete, at age 75, the author has suffered some pain himself, over the years. His struggles with aortic disease provided further insights into the pains of aging. Building empathy for the painful challenges of those with serious health problems. Most importantly, because it might help people live better lives.

The author's goal is to help you interpret your pain. The correct interpretation will lead to optimal treatment choices. It may also save you from overwhelming medical bills. Especially if you lack health insurance, as many do.

- Maybe you do need pain killers. The author did once. So he could fully re-inflate his left lung after cancer surgery. To avoid risk of lung damage and infection.

- Maybe you don't need a pain-killer. The author decided not to accept an addictive drug from his well-meaning doctor. This when he suffered stress-induced TMJ (jaw joint) pain. He took a vacation instead, rather than risking a heart attack.

- Maybe you need to change your job. Pain told the author this as a young farm veterinarian in the 1960s. Severe back pain guided him to his real element. Biological research and a fascinating career as a pathologist. Pathology is the study of the nature of disease.

- Maybe you need to improve your posture, or stop guarding a damaged region of your body.

Many decisions about handling pain effectively are the subject of this book.

It will teach you how to enjoy the benefits of pain as your friend, while improving your chances of preventing avoidable addiction.

Dettagli