I am part of a documentary titled “Who is Luigi Mangione?” It will air this coming Monday evening, February 17th, at 8 pm ET on HBO Max. Many of you have heard about the shooting of Brian Thompson, the CEO of United Healthcare. The shooter was Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old … Read More
Holding your hand over a hot burner triggers an immediate threat response (anxiety) and prompts action to address that threat. This sequence is part of the protective pain response known as the nociceptive pain system. Numerous danger cues activate this response. As your nervous system memorizes dangerous situations, this system … Read More
Humanity Won’t Survive Without Engaging its Thinking Brain No Action in a Reaction The Human Survival Paradox Consider a time long ago when survival required outrunning predators or gathering enough food to last through the day. For our early ancestors, every rustle in the grass could signal a threat, and … Read More
A friend of mine asked me for an opinion a couple of years ago about his back. I was giving him advice as a friend, not as a surgeon. He was having some pain and numbness down the side of his leg. It was down the distribution of his 5th … Read More
This article was written by my close friend, DR Clawson. He is a physician specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation, with whom I have collaborated for over 30 years. He is an exceptionally thorough and thoughtful colleague and has been a fantastic resource for my patients. We began working together … Read More
Hope is healing An important aspect of healing is regaining hope and optimism. When you are trapped without any hint of a solution, the darkness you feel is impossible to put it into words. It is inevitable that you will begin to despair and remain justifiably angry. In turn, you … Read More
Dr. Doug Garland writes this post with some contributions by me. He is an orthopedic surgeon who was one of my mentors during my second year of orthopedic residency. Although I trained in Honolulu, HI, one of my rotations was at Rancho Las Amigos in Downey, Southern California. It is … Read More
There was a front-page story in the NY Times about the shooting of the CEO of United Healthcare. The suspect came from privilege and had a bright future. Unfortunately, he suffered from chronic LBP and did not improve with a surgical fusion of his lower back for a purported spondylolisthesis. … Read More
Luigi Mangione’s transformation from a promising academic star to an alleged murderer encapsulates the interplay of evolutionary instincts, physical struggles, and societal pressures. His story is cautionary, revealing the deeper mechanisms of stress and anger rooted in human survival instincts and their misalignment with modern life. The Evolutionary Roots of … Read More
Many people suffering from chronic pain are socially isolated. When you are trapped in pain you have a difficult time reaching out. Others do not necessarily want to interact with angry people. The problem becomes greatly magnified in that it has been shown that social rejection shares the same neurological … Read More