Pain Reprocessing Therapy
Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) is a system of psychological techniques that retrains the brain to interpret and respond to signals from the body properly, subsequently breaking the cycle of chronic pain.
Pain Reprocessing Therapy has five main components:
1) education about the brain origins and reversibility of pain
2) gathering and reinforcing personalized evidence for the brain origins and reversibility of pain
3) attending to and appraising pain sensations through a lens of safety
4) addressing other emotional threats, and
5) gravitating to positive feelings and sensations.
PRT is backed by research which has shown it to be 66%-100% effective in reducing and/or eliminating chronic pain by targeting the root cause of the pain which is the brain not the body. Here is an excellent video on the subject:
BCH Lecture: Treating Chronic Pain with Mind Body Medicine
The Way Out, by Allan Gordon is a book that outlines this therapy magnificently.
Metaabolic Health
Metabolic health has become one of the single most important aspects of overall health because of its impact on not only one’s body but also the mind. Neuroinflammation and systemic inflammation start in the gut. Your immune responses start in the gut. The more we find out about the gut microbiome and disorders such as SIBO, the more we need to diagnose and intervene appropriately. Pain, autoimmune disorders such as IBS and FMS, as well as migraines, ADHD, autism, dementia, and depression all have roots in metabolic health. Many experts have been vocal about this in recent years. Our metabolic health involves life-sustaining chemical reactions, e.g. the conversion of energy in food to run cellular processes; the converstion of food nucleic acids fo proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates; and the elimination of metabolic waste. Achieving optimal health requires understanding how our bodies work and how nutrition influences this.
The following videos are excellent resources for this:
Treating Metabolic Syndrome
Your Health, Your Life
Much has been written about our broken “healthcare” system and its focus on disease. Again, outspoken experts like Andrew Weil, Robert Lustig, and William Davis have written and spoken extensively about the need to bring back the focus on health and wellbeing and helping individuals own their health and have access to better options.
Here are two books that are easy-read examples of how to take control back of your health and healthcare:
Mind Over Meds by Andrew Weil, MD
Undoctored by William Davis, MD