Dr Deepak Ravindran, a NHS consultant in pain medicine, reveals how we need to completely rethink our views about pain.

Pain, particularly long term intractable chronic pain, can be one of the most difficult medical conditions to live with, making normal work or life almost impossible. Globally around 20% of people suffer from the condition. And getting the help they need can be incredibly difficult.

Ravindran explains how many of us totally misunderstand pain. The problem can be someone with chronic pain can have a battery of tests that all come back clear, which may lead some medical professionals to suggest that there is not actually anything wrong with these patients. But that is not the case.

For the first time in 2022, the World Health Organisation updated the International Classification of Diseases to include chronic pain as a separate medical condition.

And as Ravindran reveals, the biological mechanism of chronic pain, which can lead to an over-sensitised immune and nervous system is not the same as acute pain. That means a very different treatment is required, using not just drugs, but taking a whole body approach which includes diet, exercise, sleep and cognitive techniques. It’s a technique that has had life-changing consequences for patients, who have often suffered for years with crippling chronic pain.

In the podcast, Ravindran discusses the importance of being cautious about every drug that is given for pain management and recommends the following website:

https://thennt.com/

The Pain-Free Mindset: 7 Steps to Taking Control and Overcoming Chronic Pain by Dr Deepak Ravindran is published by Vermilion

The host of the podcast, Liz Tucker is an award winning medical journalist and former BBC producer and director.  You can follow Liz on Twitter at https://twitter.com/lizctucker and read her Substack newsletter about the podcast at https://liztucker.substack.com

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