That Smarts
According to Slate and links it provides to the Washington Post and the New York Times, pain is mostly in the mind and simple attitude adjustments can eliminate it or reduce it.
The studies cited used actual induced pain such as exposing the skin to heat and asking the participants questions about how much it hurt.
Yes, we all know that sometimes an injury won't hurt until later, and that pain tolerance varies between individuals. But chronic pain is there most of the time with very few breaks. There are plenty of things that afford distraction, but it's still there wearing you down. My perception of living with pain is that it causes fatigue, which limits participation in all kinds of everyday activities. It causes stress, and we hear all of the time that stress leads to other health problems.
I've had a few people tell me that they are "allergic" to the anesthetics used in dentistry, so they always have fillings done without any. Obviously that has to hurt, but it's over quickly. Maybe this research will help people who hate to get shots, but I don't think it applies to ongoing conditions.
The studies cited used actual induced pain such as exposing the skin to heat and asking the participants questions about how much it hurt.
Yes, we all know that sometimes an injury won't hurt until later, and that pain tolerance varies between individuals. But chronic pain is there most of the time with very few breaks. There are plenty of things that afford distraction, but it's still there wearing you down. My perception of living with pain is that it causes fatigue, which limits participation in all kinds of everyday activities. It causes stress, and we hear all of the time that stress leads to other health problems.
I've had a few people tell me that they are "allergic" to the anesthetics used in dentistry, so they always have fillings done without any. Obviously that has to hurt, but it's over quickly. Maybe this research will help people who hate to get shots, but I don't think it applies to ongoing conditions.