AFFILIATIONS
Managing chronic pain is one of the great challenges of modern medicine, and arguably one of its great failures.
Despite decades of progress mapping the pain receptors in our body and our minds, as well as the physiology of phantom pain and other idiopathic issues, we seem permanently unable to relieve the suffering of millions through any but the crudest of measures, including opioids such as oxytocin.
At least one clinic is starting back at square one, intentionally forgetting the conventional wisdom of pain management and revisiting some of the discarded approaches which fell out of favor a generation or more ago:
For patients with common types of acute pain — migraines, kidney stones, sciatica, fractures — doctors first try alternative regimens that include non narcotic infusions and injections, ultrasound guided nerve blocks, laughing gas, even “energy healing” and a wandering harpist.
In its fearless energy and courage to try new things, St. Joseph’s is helping to galvanize a field that has ossified around a few choices, none of them good. It’s a great reminder that doctors don’t know everything, and that often the things we think we do know are colored by many years of inertia.
For outstanding pain management here in San Diego, please contact AOSM for a full diagnostic workup and conversation.
