Back in Control with David Hanscom, MD

Chronic pain takes a terrible toll on families. People in pain often have forgotten what it’s like to have fun. They tend to become socially isolated and withdrawn, even within their own home. Much of the conversation centers around pain and medical care. It becomes tedious and frustrating because there is little that can be done to solve the problem. Additionally, it’s common for patients to lash...

Every human being has anxiety as a necessary survival trait. Every cell in the human body has evolved to survive – not to have a great time. Unfortunately humans become anxious in the face of perceived threats in addition to real ones. The result is that the hormones adrenaline and cortisol are secreted much more often than needed. These are the chemicals that create the “flight or fight response....

In this episode. Dr. David Hanscom talks about how his surgical decision-making became clearer when he noticed that many patients with significant structural anatomic problems improved or resolved their symptoms without surgery after engaging in a self-directed, structured care approach. He discovered that as a patient's anxiety resolves it is common for pain to abate. Crippling anxiety is a solva...

Many patients have been told that they have “arthritis, bulging discs, herniated discs, bone on bone, ruptured discs or degenerated discs”. They are terrified that they will become increasingly disabled and need to be especially protective of their spines. Their lifestyle may become quite limited. We know that if you view any body part as “damaged”, you’ll tend to focus on it and the sensations fr...

If you suffer from chronic pain, you can learn a new language, a language called “an enjoyable life.” Since anxiety and anger are basic survival responses, that’s where your brain is programmed to go as the default mode. These automatic responses become stronger with age and repetition. To train your brain differently requires a deliberate long-term focused effort. The first step in any new endeav...

Extensive research shows that expressive writing is effective for improving both your mental and physical health. It appears that expressing thoughts and emotions works. Why is it so effective? One theory is that it switches your thinking into a slower, more rational mode, unlike automatic fast thinking. Expressive writing is a tool that helps to calm and re-route the nervous system, and in the pr...

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an extreme form of anxiety. It is characterized by a relentless assault of unwelcome intrusive thoughts. You cannot control your thoughts or emotions without paying a significant price. It all sounds dismal and the general feeling about anxiety disorders, especially OCD, is that you can manage the symptoms but not generally solve these disorders. Once you und...

Have you noticed that when your spouse or partner is having a great day that your day is better? Conversely when he or she is having a bad day, then it takes yours down a couple of notches. It is because a similar part of your brain is being triggered. Almost uniformly, the family members or friends of my patients will roll their eyes when that question is asked. It is not that easy living with so...

How do you break the cycle of pain behavior, criticism from your partner, and more pain? You have the choice whether to engage in pain behavior or not. At some level you must know that your partner is going to react negatively to it, but you do it anyway. When you feel the hostility and criticism from your partner, your pain increases. This is expected, since we know that stress chemicals increase...

When you are trapped in pain you have a difficult time reaching out. Others do not necessarily want to interact with angry people. The problem becomes greatly magnified in that it has been shown that social rejection shares the same neurological circuits in the brain as chronic physical pain. In this episode, spine surgeon Dr. David Hanscom explores the issues of social isolation that often accomp...

Pain pathways are permanent and part of the unconscious part of your brain. There is nothing you can do to “fix” them. Any attention paid to them simply reinforces them. That includes trying not to pay attention to them. For example, one strategy to avoid reinforcing pain pathways is not talking about your pain with others, especially family members. When someone has chronic pain, it can have a la...

Your unconscious brain processes 40 million bits of sensory input every second. Each sensation, sound, touch, taste, smell, vision has to be interpreted by your brain as pleasant, neutral or unpleasant. It continuously interprets the sum total of this input and directs your organs to secrete hormones that are relaxing and enjoyable, or signal danger. Anger occurs when you have lost control such as...