Please do not let this happen to you, your family, or friends. The downside of failed spine surgery can be catastrophic, and it is impossible for you, as a patient, to comprehend how bad it can be. Complications happen with every surgeon, including me. That is not the issue. The … Read More
Objectives: Although there is no question about the dedication of physicians to providing excellent care, the rigors of training, the demands of practice, and the business of medicine have made it increasingly difficult to treat you – a person. A major factor is doctors are not allowed the time it … Read More
About three years ago, my staff noticed that our surgical patients who participated in The DOC Journey principles were doing much better. The outcomes were more consistent, and we were seeing fewer failures. The postoperative pain was more easily controlled. Patients were moving forward quickly with rehab while re-entering a … Read More
Deciding whether to undergo spine surgery is one of the most important choices you will ever make. Currently, failed spine surgery is so common there is even a separate diagnosis for it – “Failed Back Surgery Syndrome.” You do not want to become one of these people, as it usually … Read More
There is a deadly diagnosis that has evolved and become increasingly embedded in chronic pain terminology – Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS). (1) It means that you are suffering from symptoms, but we physicians don’t know the cause. Therefore, the solution is unclear, and you will have to do the best … Read More
Objectives The “C”quence of healing is connection, confidence, and creativity. You must first become aware of and connect with all aspects of your past to move forward. Confidence originates from being deeply connected to it. It is the antithesis of pursuing self-esteem, where your efforts are spent trying to outrun … Read More
I am sharing an email I recently received from someone I have gotten to know over about a year. I wasn’t aware of her whole story. She illustrates several aspects of self-induced deep healing. The healing process is self-directed. This is also documented in the literature, assuming control is at … Read More
Watching others suffer is a powerful way to alleviate one’s pain (schadenfreude). So is altruism – giving back with no expectations of a return. Why don’t we gravitate to Schadenfreude? Because your neocortex (thinking brain) has to come back online In 2019, Dr. Wang conducted extensive research, documenting that altruism … Read More
I first met Mark at our 2017 three-day “Rewiring Your Brain” workshop at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY. He had flown in from the Netherlands. His main problem was chronic low back pain that he had experienced for over 15 years that The workshop was based on Awareness, Hope, … Read More
When I began my surgical practice in 1986, I was convinced that spine surgery was a definitive solution for pain, and I aggressively offered many patients surgery. I eventually learned much better ways to solve pain; usually without surgery. I never dreamed that even surgical patients could have their pain … Read More