I’m sharing a story submitted through my website about an unsuccessful spine surgery, which is, sadly, all too common. This issue even has a name: “failed back surgery syndrome” (FBSS). Most of these surgeries start with operating on normally aging spines that don’t actually cause pain. The data shows this … Read More
I received this short email after I posted my blog on stories of surgical despair. Hi David, I’m grateful you’re collecting these stories. My dad passed away on January 27 due to his last cervical fusion. It’s tragic, and I’m devastated. I asked him to reconsider before the surgery last … Read More
I quit my surgical spine practice in 2019 because I was seeing so much surgery performed on normally aging spines. They were causing severe damage to people’s spines and destroying their lives. Frequently, the impact was catastrophic. At the same time, I was witnessing hundreds of patients having their pain … Read More
For many years, I thought that for many patients there was a point of no return because the sheer magnitude of both physical and emotional trauma. I particularly felt this way with people who had undergone many failed surgeries. I was wrong and continue to hear stories of healing in … Read More
The Federal government has spent billions of dollars on combating the opioid epidemic. In 2022, 1.5 billion dollars was allocated to enforcement and treatment. Yet the death toll climbed 85,000 deaths a year in 2022 to 110,000 in 2023. The estimated cost to the US economy was over 1.5 trillion … Read More
Objectives The root cause of suicide is feeling trapped and mental and physical pain are problematic.significant reasons to feel this way. Since mental and physical pain share similar brain circuits, they both create a lot of misery. Modern medicine largely assumes illnesses and symptoms are caused by identifiable structural problems. … Read More
You must understand the nature of a problem before you can solve it. It is well-publicized that over 100 million people suffer from varying degrees of chronic pain in the US alone. As I talk to colleagues around the world, it is clear that it an international problem. So whatever … Read More
DOC beginning The DOC (Direct your Own Care) program evolved after I discovered that, through a systematic approach that addressed all aspects of a chronic mental or physical problem, I could almost always help patients become more functional. What surprised me most was that not only would they improve, but … Read More
Remember the first time you fell in love? Maybe you had a crush on a classmate in sixth grade. What about your first true love and being head over heels to the point you felt you couldn’t live without them? Your mind was full of racing thoughts and intense emotions. … Read More
It has become increasingly apparent to me that chronic pain is a family issue. Your deepest human interactions happen at home and members trigger each other. These powerful reactions have severe consequences. Partners and parents often end up acting in ways that they would not tolerate in their children. How … Read More