Episode 595

What is Your Body Trying to Tell You? The Top Causes of Chronic Pain and How to Tackle Pain Head On

With Dr. Andrea Furlan
& Dr. Howard Schubiner

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Chronic pain affects millions of people, yet traditional approaches often focus only on managing symptoms, without addressing the root cause. Today’s guests share a groundbreaking perspective: that pain is created by the brain as a signal of an underlying emotional issue that needs attention. By identifying and addressing these emotional triggers, lasting relief can be achieved by rewiring the brain.

Today on The Dhru Purohit Show, we’re bringing you a special compilation episode featuring Dhru’s conversations with leading experts on getting to the root cause of chronic pain.

Dr. Andrea Furlan breaks down the drivers of chronic pain and debunks common myths around treatment. She also highlights the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle in worsening pain and shares her unique, integrative approach to healing.

Next, Dr. Howard Schubiner explains why chronic pain is becoming more prevalent and how it’s closely connected to the brain. He outlines why the current model of pain management falls short and introduces Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy—an evidence-based approach that has been shown to be more effective than traditional treatments. Dr. Schubiner also discusses how adverse childhood experiences can manifest as chronic pain later in life, and how we can retrain our brains to change our perception and experience of pain.

Also mentioned:

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I hope you enjoyed this conversation as much as I did.
Wishing you health and happiness.
Dhru Purohit

In this Episode, you will learn

  1. Top myths in treating chronic pain
    (1:05)
  2. Tier ranking of the top drivers of chronic pain
    (6:40)
  3. Corrective exercises for addressing lower back pain
    (12:36)
  4. Solutions, answers, and advice for lower back pain
    (15:33)
  5. Evidence-based alternative approaches for chronic lower back and shoulder pain
    (19:26)
  6. Do's and don'ts to prevent abuse of the body
    (22:51)
  7. Why back pain has doubled in the last twenty years
    (29:20)
  8. What pain in the body actually signals
    (32:28)
  9. Why the current approach to pain and pain management is broken
    (35:43)
  10. The Symptom Perception Model and its effectiveness
    (43:00)
  11. Incentives that contribute to systemic failure
    (44:32)
  12. Why MRIs don’t provide a complete picture
    (49:11)
  13. Adverse childhood experiences and their relationship to pain
    (54:45)
  14. Understanding how the brain generates pain
    (59:58)
  15. Final thoughts
    (1:07:43)

Guest

 
Dhru Purohit

Dhru is the host of the Dhru Purohit Show, a top 30 health podcast with over 30 million downloads. His interviews focus on the inner workings of the brain and the body and feature the brightest minds in wellness, medicine, and mindset.

Dhru Purohit is also a serial entrepreneur and investor in the health and wellness industry.

 
Dr. Andrea Furlan

Dr. Andrea Furlan is a scientist at the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) and physician and senior scientist at the KITE Research Institute, Toronto Rehab, University Health Network(UHN).  She is a professor in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the University of Toronto. She is chair of ECHO Ontario Chronic Pain and Opioid Stewardship at UHN and co-chair of ECHO Occupational and Environmental Medicine and ECHO for Return to Work of Public Safety Personnel at IWH. She is a physician in the pain clinic at Toronto Rehab and the author of the book 8 STEPS to Conquer Chronic Pain. A Doctor’s Guide to Lifelong Relief

 
Dr. Howard Schubiner

Dr. Howard Schubiner is an internist, pediatrician, and the Mind-Body Medicine Center director at Ascension Providence Hospital in Southfield, Michigan. He is a clinical professor at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and has authored more than 100 publications in scientific journals and books, including three books, Unlearn Your Pain.

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