Pain: The Science of the Feeling Brain

by Abdul-Ghaaliq Lalkhen

'Combines a career's worth of expertise with a long history of pain treatment.For anyone concerned with pain treatment, or anyone who has struggled to manage pain of any kind, it's an important read.' GQPain is a universal human experience, but we understand very little about the mechanics behind it. We hurt ourselves, we feel pain, we seek help from a professional or learn to avoid certain behaviours that cause pain. But the story of what goes on in our body is far from simple. Even medical practitioners themselves often fail to grasp the complexities between our minds and bodies and how they interact when dealing with pain stimulus.Common conception still equates pain with tissue damage but that is only a very small part of the story - the organ which produces pain is the brain. Case studies show that a woman who has undergone a caesarean reports dramatically less pain than a patient who has had a comparably invasive operation. The soldier who drags themselves to safety after being shot deals with pain in a remarkably different way from someone suffering a similar injury on a street. The truth is that pain is a complex mix of nerve endings, psychological state, social preconceptions and situational awareness.Using case studies and medical history, Dr Lalkhen guides us through all aspects of pain, from chronic to acute, and thecurrent landscape of pain treatments - from medication (including opioids) to electrical nerve stimulation. Whether it's a mild ache or severe discomfort, we all encounter pain in our lives and this important and illuminating book enables us to understand and cope with an experience that for so many can become all-consuming.

Genres: Audiobook, Science, Nonfiction

276 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 14, 2021

Reviews

[Mehtap exotiquetv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schmerz. Wo entsteht es und warum ist es so schwierig chronische Schmerzen zu behandeln.
Der Anästhesist und Schmerz Therapeut Lalkhen erichtet über Schwierigkeiten in der Behandlung von Schmerzen und auch der Gefahr, dass schmerzlindernde Medikamente Suchtverhalten auslösen und bei Vermeidung von Belastung sogar noch mehr Schmerzen.

Ein interessantes Buch. Allerdings hätte ich es auch spannend gefunden mehr über Schmerz an sich zu lernen. Woher kommt es, warum ist es so wichtig, welche Formen von Schmerzen gibt es in unterschiedlichen Arealen des Körpers.

Das Buch war mehr aus der Perspektive eines behandelnden Arztes als ein wissenschaftlicher Anspruch.

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite interesting and rather informative. Certainly gave me some food for thought with respect to my experience of chronic pain.

There was some medical moralising, which didn't really gel with some of the very worthwhile reflections on medical hubris. Posturing oneself as if you simply cannot understand why people like alcohol or sugar and preaching about rationality is just a way for Lalkhen to make himself feel better with respect to his very overt concerns with medicine.

[Flynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Genuinely really interesting and engagingly narrated.

[max momot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Врач-алголог написавший книгу молодец, он делает хорошее дело и помогает научиться жить людям постоянно испытывающим хроническую неизлечимую боль. Оказывается есть на этом мире бедолаги с поврежденными нервами, сильной болью и невозможностью ее отключить. Интересно описана история появления и использования популярных нынче наркотических веществ. Есть описания хирургического решения хронической боли и проблем возникающих с этим.

Однако, большая часть книги это реклама клиники занимающейся проблемами хронической боли. Тут повсюду реклама его клиники и его же услуг. Книга даже начинается с этой рекламы. К середине книги ты устаешь от этого и уже не хочешь читать продолжение, потому что на середине книги впихнули еще больше рекламы. Яркий пример того, как не нужно писать книги.

[goldencritic · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,75

[Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not convinced this lived up to it’s subtitle. I don’t think it taught me much science about pain. It more talked about the author’s experience as a pain specialist in Manchester and specific patients. It felt like a call for doctors to specialise in his specialism and generally for people to eat healthily. Which, fair enough, that’s valid but not always relevant as pain can be hereditary or caused by violence as he mentions himself. Plus actually eating healthily for the people with chronic pain that he’s treating is especially hard because the pain they’re in is disabling, so cooking may not be possible.
I enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook (except when he put on accents - why are you doing that 😮‍💨😂)

[Agnieszka Kloc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tiring. Not sure who's the target of this book, because the language is quite difficult, seems more suited for an academic than an average reader. The lack of any references is always a minus for me. And indeed the first part is more informative and interesting while the second part is quite repetitive and seems to progress into a memoir of a doctor's work (but not a good one).

[Deirdre E Siegel · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a holder of Cauda Equina Syndrome label, this is an interesting book, the chapters pertinent to CES speak and exudes the comfort of personal experience, not some boffin who thinks they know what our body’s are capable of whether healthy or damaged.
Thank you for your words of erudition Abdul-Ghaaliq Lalkhen and Russell Bentley your eloquence was superb, very much appreciated Gentlemen :-)

[Kieran Nurmi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's insightful for the first half then it shifts into plugging specific treatment plans and the authors personal opinions.

[frytkasso · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,25/5

[Tobias · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating insight into the world of pain management. It has certainly given me pause for thought, and will help me, I'm sure, if pain ever becomes an issue.

[kranzfafka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Największe rozczarowanie tego roku; książka sama w sobie nie jest zła, ale uświadomiła mi bardzo dobitnie, jak żałośnie mało medycyna wie o bólu, i jak mało w tej kwestii ma do powiedzenia.

[Anna Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning was interesting, I enjoyed learning about the science of pain. However, I did lose interest towards the end. I work in the medical field, I don't know how useful this book would be to someone who suffers from chronic pain.