Pain Awareness Month Highlights Chronic Pain and Brain-Based Relief Approaches

September marks the start of Pain Awareness Month, shining a spotlight on the more than 51 million Americans living with chronic pain. For decades, many turned to opioid prescriptions as a quick solution, but that approach also fueled widespread misuse and addiction. Experts are now emphasizing new ways to understand and manage pain.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains that all pain is processed in the brain, which means our perception of pain can be influenced by both physical and psychological factors. “If your brain doesn’t decide you have pain, then you don’t have pain,” Gupta notes. This explains conditions such as phantom limb pain, where individuals feel discomfort in a part of the body that no longer exists.

Experts stress that chronic pain is not just a physical issue but also a biopsychosocial one, often intertwined with depression, anxiety, poor sleep, or loneliness. Recognizing these connections, doctors encourage patients to view pain through a broader lens.

Gupta suggests that managing pain may involve lifestyle changes such as adopting an anti-inflammatory diet, using movement as medicine, practicing meditation, and improving sleep quality. Research increasingly shows that poor sleep, for instance, can worsen pain, while better rest can reduce it.

Pain Awareness Month serves as a reminder of the complexity of chronic pain and the importance of exploring both medical and holistic approaches to improve quality of life.

Credit: CNN Newsource

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