So far, this series has been looking at pain through the lens of the western medical model. Today the lens is being widened to let more light in on the subject. Notwithstanding its contributions, the drawbacks of the traditional medical model are significant: side effects, potential drug dependency and lethal interactions, not to mention the risks associated with surgery. In the western model, the body is seen as something to fix. Pain is something to manage, and imbalance or disease something to conquer through external means. Pain has... Read More

In this series, I will be sharing information about the current models for dealing with pain and the costs they wrest from individuals, families, and society as a whole. Twice in the same week, I have happened across radio stories of the current epidemic of drug addiction in the U.S. Neither was about the stereotypical heroin addict seen in TV dramas and movies. The subject was pain and the conversation revolved around prescription opioid addiction. On June 5, 2017, just 14 months after the original post of this blog,the matter is... Read More