Anti-anxiety: anxiolytics—Valium type medications Anxiolytics work very well. They provide quick and significant relief of severe anxiety. The bad news is that they are very addicting and hard to discontinue. The addiction is not a true addiction; it is more of a dependency. In other words, you become dependent on … Read More
Anti-inflammatories: Anti-inflammatory medications can decrease pain in two different ways. The first way is by directly relieving the pain. All of us have taken them for a headache, sore back, etc. They work well. Studies have consistently shown that they are equivalent to lower potency narcotics such as Tylenol and … Read More
While I am not a great fan of taking narcotics on an ongoing basis, there is one situation where I think narcotics may be useful within the DOCC framework. The situation is when patients can’t function at the most basic activity level. In this case, taking narcotics for adequate pain … Read More
When you’re experiencing chronic back pain, your day-to-day routine is often completely upended. It may be difficult to even get out of bed and move around the house, never mind go to work. The first goal of the DOCC Project is to improve your ability to function, which is usually … Read More
Only five percent of patients have an adequate evaluation of their sleep issues by any physician. (1) This is unfortunate, because lack of sleep is such a common problem. The term commonly applied to trouble getting a good night’s sleep is insomnia, but there are over one hundred sleep disorders. … Read More
When you are under stress, your brain is on a Formula One racetrack. Being in chronic pain is one of the most miserable experiences of the human existence. There is hardly any strategy that will slow down your racing thoughts during the day, and it becomes much worse at night … Read More
Nothing can really happen in the context of the DOC Project until you are regularly getting a full night’s sleep. Exhaustion makes it impossible for anyone to concentrate long enough to engage in the program. For anyone with chronic pain, this probably sounds impossible. You may think, how can I … Read More
Sleep hygiene is a term that’s used to describe a group of strategies that will improve your ability to get a restful night’s sleep. In the context of chronic pain, these strategies often need to be supplemented with medications, but they are nonetheless important. It’s your first priority … Read More
Patients often wonder how soft tissues can be so painful. It’s because they have a high density of pain receptors arranged in a spider web type pattern. These irritated soft tissues give rise to some of the most painful conditions such as plantar fasciitis, tennis elbow, muscular tension headaches, chondromalacia … Read More
Hoffman is a seven-day residential personal growth experience where you are able to become aware of your family patterns of behavior that are playing out in your own life. You’ll learn techniques to calm down and reprogram your nervous system. You are also not allowed to discuss your past but … Read More