Chronic Pain Relief

Hello world.

That’s how the blog website begins.  It’s also how Tiger Woods introduced himself at the press conference when he turned pro.  My son informs me that “hello world” is the standard text used in computer programming whenever some text is needed to work with, similar to “testing 1,2,3” was used when testing a microphone before a presentation.

I guess “hello world” is appropriate for this blog.  I am introducing myself to whoever is “out there” and I have some things to say that I think are important for the health and well being of everyday people.  My name is Howard Schubiner and I’m a physician in the Detroit area.  I have done a variety of things within medicine in the past 30 years since I became a doctor, including getting board certifications in Internal Medicine, Adolescent Medicine, and Pediatrics, studying acupuncture in China, teaching and doing research at Wayne State University’s School of Medicine for 18 years, becoming a specialist in Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder, and teaching mindfulness meditation for the past 14 years. 

I would never have considered writing a blog however, if it weren’t for what I’ve learned in the past 3 years.  It started with a friend telling me a story about someone who had severe back and hip pain, which miraculously disappeared after reading a book by Dr. Sarno and investigating some issues in her life.  I then started reading about Dr. John Sarno (of whom I will speak at length in future blogs) and his views on chronic pain, particularly back and neck pain.  I got so engrossed and fascinated that I decided to devote the rest of my career in medicine (for the foreseeable future anyway) to working with people to help them alleviate their pain and other chronic symptoms. 

What I have learned over the past few years is nothing short of phenomenal.  I have learned that most of the people with chronic back and neck pain can be cured; and they can be cured by simple methods, the most important of which is a new understanding of what is causing their pain.  I have learned that the traditional biomedical approaches to many chronic conditions do not work.  And I have seen many people take control over their health and improve their lives dramatically.  In fact, the one comment that I hear over and over is “you have helped me save my life.”  Few things are sweeter than these words.

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