EP 706 In the Wake of the Opioid Crisis, Are There Better Ways to Deal with Chronic Pain?

There’s a commercial on television with a famous chef telling us that the most important tool he uses in his kitchen is his brain. And that’s the same organ needed to deal with chronic pain according to our guest, Dr. Afton Hassett, an associate professor and Director of Pain and Opioid Research at the University of Michigan.  In her new book, “Chronic Pain Reset: 30 Days of Activities, Practices, and Skills to Help You Thrive,” she takes you through a multi pronged approach including pain self-management, that allows patients to function more effectively.  Given that nearly 50 million people in the U.S. alone are affected by chronic pain and the painkillers we have been using, like Oxycontin, have had such devastating consequences for so many, other modalities such as massage, physical therapy, acupuncture, mindfulness, yoga and others deserve an opportunity to provide relief.  As more studies are done demonstrating the effectiveness of these approaches and insurance companies are beginning to pay for some of them, perhaps we can deal with chronic pain, which outdistances diabetes, hypertension, and depression, in new cases.

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