Doctors research claims can measure pain 'objectively.'

- An exercise for conspiracy research enthusiasts -

Topic: A possible "press release" from Stanford University

Reprinted twice.

Article name: A New, Objective Way to Study Pain
Date: September 21, 2011
Source: www.theatlantic.com...
(site owned by the Atlantic Media Company)

Article name: A New Way to Study Pain
Date: September 14,. 2011
Source: www.thedoctorwillseeyounow.com...
(Site owned by: interMDnet Corporation)

I thought it would be interesting to note how this apparent press releases makes its way in the wild.

As cursory reading may leave you with the impression that doctors are trying, and succeeding to some degree, in finding a physical way to "measure" pain. Thus eliminating the already statistically accepted fact that pain bias is a significant factor in how some patients get treatment. But that is far from the whole story... although the writing invites you accept that implicitly.

It is only at the end of the report that the authors mention the still inadequate "accuracy" rating, or that the measurements were specifically about "thermal pain" (via heating elements applied tot he skin) in a total of eight test subjects. The long and short of it is that by measuring the brains activity as intense heat was applied to the skin, they could with 81% accuracy gauge how severe the pain was - in eight people.

I am skeptical of the idea; but hopeful that science will lead them in the right direction.

All in all the press release is reprinted in it's exact verbiage between the two articles; which hints to me that the University is hoping to garner interest in support for continuing research. This is what we complain about when we speak of "lazy journalism."

As more mainstream sources pick up the "story" I do believe that the owner of the Atlantic Media Company, David G. Bradley, a noted Washington insider and the founder of the renowned "Advisory Board Company" and "The Corporate Executive Board Company" will be bringing the (by then) "well published" story to local politicians who can spread some funds to Stanford. Investment time.

The AMA will love this as it will provide them the latitude to state that a person's pain was "measured" and thus their course of treatment (or lack thereof) for pain will be "evidence based". "Evidence Based Medicine" is the dogma of the industry, it is the meme by which they reinforce their monopoly on "acceptable" practices (read "Western.")

The Lawyers will love it because its application will engender the need for legal decisions to be developed based on mechanically-established human metrics.

The Government will love it because it will create political currency in the medical community, the legal monopoly, and the educational gravy train that the NIH fosters for University researchers.

People who "believe" they are in pain, but "are not by the measurements" will then be more subject to, rather than a partner of, their treatment. Goody.



Now having posted all that: Watch for the story on TV, periodicals, and the net. I bet you will see it around somewhere... mostly in the metropolitan centers and places which host industries with lots of federal funding.

Interesting study, but I believe that pain and the endurance of it is personal and subjective.

Were the participants women, men, or both?
How much physical pain have they experienced in their lives?

I, myself, have experienced much physical pain in my life. Therefore, my pain threshold is much higher than a person who has not experienced much pain in their lifetime.

In my personal opinion, pain cannot be measured on a scale. Everyone feels and handles it differently.

In theory, it should be relatively easy to do. Monitor pain centers in the brain or the activity of nerves at the pain site. Problem is finding methods and machines that can accurately and relatively non-invasively do these things.

Then there's the study regarding emotional pain:

In a recent study using neuroimaging, researchers at the University of Michigan found social rejection and other emotional situations such as breakups actually activate a part of the brain that is used to sense physical pain. These findings lead way to the reality that pain can be felt both emotionally AND physically during a break up. This study was the first to show that feelings of rejection activate the part of the brain involved in physical pain, not normally activated in neuroimaging studies of emotion.

evolvingwellness.com...

The body cannot tell the difference.

If you're a sociopath who has no emotions, you will still feel a hot iron if it's placed on your skin.

basic strategy to grab some funding, used for years by the tobacco-control industry: science by press-release.

make some wild claims to the press, embed some disclaimers within the research, cash in the money. -nobody bothers about the headlines, least of all the journalists (the wilder the better).

have a look at this guy tearing them apart.

I just hope they discover some tool that can tell me what food I like, and if I am in love, and if I am happy..that would be peachy

Peace

geez i wish someone would give this device to my doctor, i recently have become hypo-thyroid from hyper-thyroid. and im in so much pain every part of my body hurts. and i dont see him for another 2 months. i feel wrong for asking for pain meds.

He gave me some vicoden but on 1-10 pain scale my pain on somedays hits easily a 9 and the vicoden he did give me did hardly nothing.

with all this pain meds crap i just feel wrong for asking for something stronger. i done with my rant, i just wished their was some way to visually so him how much pain im in.

reply to post by InshaAllah


I feel your pain (no pun intended).
I've found that drinking ginger tea on a regular basis helps.

reply to post by Afterthought


Thanks it just sucks cause im one of those guys wearing dickies and tee shirts ya know. and here i am all in pain and feel wrong for asking for something stonger. ive done it in the past but all i get is that weird dead pan face and he just kinda blows off the fact i cant walk 6 blocks cause im in so much pain.

it makes me so mad, that people abuse this stuff and when folks actually need it, they get blown off. oh well

reply to post by Maxmars


Just out of curiousity... Why do they want to measure pain, accurately or otherwise?

I don't really see how validating or invalidating patients' subjective experience does anything much for the patient. Is this about prescribing pain meds? Justifying insurance claims? What?


Good catch. S&F&

Yea and I suppose this lie detector of pain measurement will show most people are lying about the pain they feel.

= less money spent on treating the little people, more money for the war industry and corporate welfare.

reply to post by InshaAllah


I know it. It truly disgusts me the way the system is run.
This guy here truly ticks me off: blogs.ajc.com...
I suffer from a lot more than an injured funny bone and I can't get any assistance! I hope this guy never truly finds out what pain and disability truly mean.

Anyways, sorry for the rant, but sometimes it just has to be said.
I really hope the ginger tea helps you. It helps me and I have a whole host of body aches since my surgeries are over thirty years old (and I'm only 33).

Best wishes to you!

Edit to Add: You may want to ask for Tramadol. It's non narcotic. If you're like me and have trouble getting cmfortable enough to fall asleep, it makes you drowsy, too.

I suffer from Trigeminal Neuraglia and have tried to get on benefits since I am unable to work. I can't even look at this screen for too long or I get intense pains and feel physically ill. Anyway, I spoke to a guy who works for the Job Centre people that do medicals here in England, he said they were bringing something "more technical" in to stop the cheats and such. Which is great but people like me who suffer from Neurological pains are treated as liars and made to feel small. Apparently the UK Gov. is sick to death with spongers and the like so they are getting ready to nuke the benefit system.

This sums it up, the guy next door to mine has back pains yet he can run around in the snow, play football and such he walked his medical. This is my second appeal.

I don't mean to mislead the thread OP with my ramblings lol. S&F anyways!!

reply to post by R3N3G4D3


Hang in there. I've been denied 9 times. I think. I'm losing count.
Both of my ankles were reconstructed when I was 6 months old and my spine was fused when I was one year old. Then, the whole list of problems that go along with such things. I was lucky to have had great doctors and I'm much better than many others who were born with what I have, so I know I'm lucky. It's just that the last 5 years, I've felt as though I've aged 20 years. I hate to say it, but the fact that I'm pretty and I look strong makes me appear to be healthier than I am. It just so happens that the judge I had doesn't look at x-rays or pictures, so he's just going on outward appearances and written reports. Plus, I'm under 50 and educated -- that's two huge strikes.

Then, there's my druggie cousin who's one year older than me who gets disability on her first try. So, if you're addicted to drugs and are now bipolar because of them, you can get disability right away. Screw the people who are injured/disabled by no fault of their own.

reply to post by Afterthought


The judges are ******'s I left the room while they decided and heard one laugh and say "denied". I walk in wearing a hooded top and tracksuit bottoms HOODY THUG DENIED LEAVE US BE!!! I swear they are scum.

Yet as you say the people with addictions get on in an instant even when it is SELF INFLICTED!! I hope you feel better. If you ever feel down and need a good laugh just think of them judges faces when I key their car next time lol. screw them they don't care anyway. I'm gonna bust in like Alex Jones next time YOU GLOBALIST SCUM!!!

reply to post by R3N3G4D3


I know how you feel! I just fired my attorney because he won't tell me what was said between him and the judge while I was out of the court room. He actually told me they were talking about the weather. Then, he said he couldn't remember what they talked about. I asked to see the transcript and he said their conversation was off the record. I wrote a really nice dismissal letter to my attorney, but I wrote it so it was addressing him in the third person. In it, I stated exactly why I was firing him and recommended that he and the judge be investigated for having questionable ethics. I then sent the dismissal letter to the Social Security office in my state as well as the bar.
Maybe social security will see it and consider me to be unstable. What can I say? Chronic pain can do that to a person. Just like constant drug use.

Thanks for wishing that I feel better. I hope so, too. Maybe one day. I hope you do, too.

reply to post by Afterthought


haha!! touche!! I'm not even attempting to get someone to represent me tbh. I didn't last time but everyone is like Awww no you have to you'll win that way. Really? Seeing as though most cases of neuro pain get denied anyway I doubt this. I'll just keep appealing I mean when they kick you off ESA you can just get back on it since it takes 6 months to get the appeal date. Most ridiculous system EVER.

The amount of times that attorney and that judge meet each other might be quite high too. Now if the judge says I'll bung you some money which I get paid for denying this person don't investigate it. Next time I'm going to pretend to faint or something and stay in there until they call an ambulance... the things you have to do it unbelievable. I'll say I couldn't even join the riots because of the pains.

reply to post by R3N3G4D3


I represented myself the first time around, then got the attorney and wish I hadn't. He's now holding me hostage. I have spoken with another attorney who would like to represent me and says that she wants to take my case to the federal level, but since my previous attorney says that he's going to submit a fee schedule to the judge when (if) I'm approved, nobody else can represent me. He says I broke my contract with him. I told him that I'm sure I could find places in the contract that he breached, too. He didn't like that too well since he knows I'm right. Besides, I have documented proof that he has ignored questions I've had more than once. That's not ethical when you're someone's CONSULTANT.

If you do choose to get an attorney, make sure you have them state in writing that if you choose to represent yourself or find new representation (at any time), that he or she will write you a letter stating that you don't owe them anything. This is the best advice I can give. It's too bad that I had to learn this the hard way.

checking back in and im sorry to read everyone's story here. It seems as though people are sick all over and no one seems to really care.

Heres the kicker my girlfriend has a prescription through a valid doctor for a monthly supply of percocet.

WHAT???? believe me she hurts, but im talking about i hurt everyday now. I dont desire pain control i just need to see the doc so i can get the meds im supposed to be taking so im not so sore.

reply to post by soficrow



So when someone walks into the pharmacy and says doc gimme some good painkillers im dying here - they can hook something up to them to confirm that the person is indeed in pain, and i the level of pain warrants them to give out the stronger pain meds.


I've been lucky with my requests, think i only have 3 requests on record total for the strong stuff - all 3 accounts were legit too, so they took my word that i was in pain and checked on how many times ive asked for them to ensure im not an addict.


If i need them again - and they decide no - ive asked them too many times - im screwd.

The times ive needed the stronger pain pills the doc pretty much refuzed to give me a single fill perscription (ie one box of 20 pills - same as what i got from asking the pharmacist directly) - even tho i know the wanker knew i was in genuine pain as he reduced me to a crying mess when trying to locate the exact source of the problem (neck/jaw - its more than likely a bone infection in my jaw, but when it first started the pain was my whole entire neck, i couldent even sit on the couch and watch TV for more than 30 seconds before i had to get up and even just walk around in circles - i culdent sit still, it hurt that much)


So yeah, in this case, i say bring on giving a pharmacist a machine they can hook me up too that shows im genuinly in pain and need assistance with stronger meds.


The people who genuinly need it and are declined are the ones that suffer, both thru the pain, and the risk of causing themselves even further harm by overdosing on regular pain medications in an effort to find some relief from pain that can realy feel like someone is slamming a sledgehammer into your'e neck every two seconds.