Full Description
The most common medical problem in America today, chronic pain is more prevalent than cancer, heart disease, and diabetes combined. Yet tens of millions of people struggle with pain because they can't find someone who understands how much pain affects their lives--and because they live in a culture where pain is dismissed.
Internationally recognized pain specialist Dr. Lynn Webster validates the debilitating nature of pain, offers practical answers, and helps you become a catalyst for changing the way pain is viewed in society. Drawing on his years of experience and the inspirational stories of others, he explores:
- What a difference it makes to be heard
- Why pain is much more than a symptom of disease
- The benefits and risks of opioid prescriptions
- How cultural attitudes toward pain affect us
- The role of a caregiver in the journey of pain and recovery
- How, even in the worst pain situations, you can have a fulfilling life
The Painful Truth offers a path toward awareness, hope, and healing.
Contents
Introduction
Part 1. Hope for Healing
1. It's Personal
Pain as a human experience
2. More than a Survivor
The resilience of Pain
3. Caught in a Web
The complexity of pain
4. Friendly Fire
Rejecting stigma
5. The New Scarlet Letter
Addiction and recovery
6. Soul Mates
Love amid pain
7. The God Prescription
Spirituality and pain
8. Everyday Saints and Unsung Heroes
Caregiving and care receiving
9. Coming of Age
Self-advocacy
Part 2. Everybody's Problem
10. The Chilling Effect
Opioids and law enforcement
11. A Human Right
Toward curing
Acknowledgments
Notes
