Healing the Brain, Second Edition

Pain and Chronic Pain

By: David Balog

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

In this new series on the brain for the lay reader, David Balog reviews our knowledge of the importance of brain science in everyday life. As editor at the Charles A. Dana Foundation, David created and wrote the Dana Sourcebook of Brain Science, which has been read in 52 countries by more than 50,000 readers in four editions.

Pain is a constant for too many people. A necessary sensation from a survival perspective, pain and chronic pain nevertheless negatively affect too many, diminishing lives. In this opening book of Healing the Brain, Second Edition, we look at the mechanisms of pain: what it is, how it works, and how we can treat it...physically and psychologically.

In a world suffering from Fentanyl addiction and overdoses, it has been said that Americans are just a broken leg away from an addiction to a useful but potentially deadly opioid. What other analgesics are commonly taken and how do they work. What are the effects and side effects of Aspirin, Tylenol (Acetaminophen), Ibuprofen, etc. How do opioids work and why are they helpful but potentially deadly at the same time?

David Balog brings to this project his accumulated knowledge of brain science from the Dana Foundation, where he worked with scientists and doctors, including Nobel laureates, to translate their work into language accessible to students, professionals, and lay readers. At Dana, David worked directly for William Safire, the Pullitzer Prize-winning author and language columnist for the New York Times.

David Balog is a graduate of Hamilton College. He lives in upstate New York.