David Clarke David Clarke

Adverse Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events or circumstances that occur during childhood. They can have significant long-term impacts on mental and physical health into adulthood.

Many people who think about their early years do not fully recognize the magnitude of the adversity they endured. An exercise that can support more accurate understanding of your ACEs is to imagine a child of your own growing up exactly as you did. If you were observing that child, would you feel sad or angry? Would you see anything that might harm a child’s self-esteem or self-worth?

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David Clarke David Clarke

New Research on Long Covid as Neuroplastic Symptom

Once you begin looking for psychosocial causes of pain or illness (Neuroplastic Symptoms) in patients, you find it repeatedly. The same is true for research scientists.

A study from the University of Michigan looked at the electronic health records of over 2 million people in three groups: people with Covid, people with influenza, and people with no infection during a routine health appointment. They determined which of these people had a “chronic overlapping pain condition” (COPC) causing widespread pain often associated with fatigue or problems with sleep, memory, or mood. Next, they assessed whether having a COPC predicted a person’s subsequent development of Long Covid.

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David Clarke David Clarke

How Well Does Curable Work?

Mental health apps have been controversial. Do they work for chronic pain?

In a controlled trial from British Columbia, 198 subjects with chronic pain (non-cancerous) for an average of 13 years were randomly given either the app Curable (at no charge) or their usual care. Curable uses a biopsychosocial model aligned with the approach advocated by the ATNS. 

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David Clarke David Clarke

2024 West Los Angeles Veterans Administration Study

To understand the importance of a new research paper, you should know that the vertebral bones of the spine have several important functions. They must protect the spinal cord, support the head and upper body, and enable egress of nerves that carry sensation and control muscles. They also need to remain flexible enough to allow freedom of movement. To accomplish all this, the vertebra has a complex yet marvelously esthetic structure that includes two wing-like bones called facets. They connect to the main vertebra via a small joint.

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David Clarke David Clarke

A Beacon in the Swamp

Tens of millions of people are second class citizens in our healthcare system. Their pain or illness is not receiving the quality of care it deserves only because it is not caused by disease or injury. Instead, the symptoms are generated by the brain because of past or present stress. Unfortunately, when no structural cause is present, most doctors lack formal training in how to take the next step and diagnose the stresses that are responsible.

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David Clarke David Clarke

New Study on Nerve Block for Back Pain

To understand the importance of a new research paper, you should know that the vertebral bones of the spine have several important functions. They must protect the spinal cord, support the head and upper body, and enable egress of nerves that carry sensation and control muscles. They also need to remain flexible enough to allow freedom of movement. To accomplish all this, the vertebra has a complex yet marvelously esthetic structure that includes two wing-like bones called facets. They connect to the main vertebra via a small joint.

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David Clarke David Clarke

Long Covid Treated Successfully with Psychophysiologic Symptom Relief Therapy

Tens of millions of people are second class citizens in our healthcare system. Their pain or illness is not receiving the quality of care it deserves only because it is not caused by disease or injury. Instead, the symptoms are generated by the brain because of past or present stress. Unfortunately, when no structural cause is present, most doctors lack formal training in how to take the next step and diagnose the stresses that are responsible.

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David Clarke David Clarke

The Boulder Back Pain Study

Tens of millions of people are second class citizens in our healthcare system. Their pain or illness is not receiving the quality of care it deserves only because it is not caused by disease or injury. Instead, the symptoms are generated by the brain because of past or present stress. Unfortunately, when no structural cause is present, most doctors lack formal training in how to take the next step and diagnose the stresses that are responsible.

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