Episode 16: Taming Pain with Dr. Michael Ray

Send us Fan MailDM Us! We love chatting with our audience, please feel free to do so on Instagram and say what's up!Joe GambinoJoe LaVaccaWant to work with us? Apply here!Watch on YouTube here.SummaryIn this episode of the Beyond Pain podcast, host Joe LaVacca interviews Dr. Michael Ray, a chiropractor and clinical scientist specializing in pain. They discuss various topics related to pain, including their love for coffee, what they are currently reading, watching, and listening to, and their personal experiences with pain. Dr. Ray shares his journey from experiencing chronic neck pain to becoming a clinician and researcher in the field of pain. He emphasizes the importance of helping individuals make sense of their pain narratives and the limitations of the biomedical model in understanding and managing chronic pain. In this conversation, Michael Ray discusses the challenges of studying interventions for pain management and the impact of narratives on pain experiences. He also shares the findings of his study on chronic pain and mortality, highlighting the need to address social determinants of health and provide equitable access to healthcare. Michael emphasizes the importance of understanding that individuals with chronic pain are not broken and that there are ways to cope and improve responses to pain.Takeaways:Dr. Michael Ray shares his personal experiences with chronic neck pain and how it influenced his journey to becoming a clinician and researcher in the field of pain.He emphasizes the importance of helping individuals make sense of their pain narratives and expanding the understanding of pain beyond the biomedical model. Dr. Ray discusses the limitations of the biomedical model in explaining and managing chronic pain and the need for a more comprehensive approach.He highlights the role of open-ended questions and collaboration in understanding and addressing individuals' pain experiences. Studying interventions for pain management is challenging due to the complexity of pain experiences and the inability to isolate active ingredients like in drug trials.Narratives and language used in healthcare can have a significant impact on pain experiences and individuals' ability to cope with and respond to pain.A study on chronic pain and mortality found that individuals with chronic pain and high impact chronic pain had elevated mortality rates compared to the general population.Addressing social determinants of health and providing equitable access to healthcare are crucial in improving outcomes for individuals with chronic pain.It is important to understand that individuals with chronic pain are not broken and that there are ways to cope and improve responses to pain.