Changing How We Respond To Pain
By Gabrielle Pullen, LMT
Why is it that what is extremely painful for one person is no big deal for another? Why do people perceive pain differently? New research shows that there is a reason for the dramatic disparity between the way two individuals perceive the same level of discomfort. For one thing, in chronic pain such as arthritis, various types of nerve responses become confused by nerve damage. Pain is reported to the brain via pain receptors, touch by touch receptors, temperature by temperature receptors and so on. Chronic conditions can irritate the nerve to the point of getting it’s signals mixed so that, as in the case of shingles, even the slightest touch can be perceived as painful. The high pain threshold becomes indistinguishable from the low pain threshold to the receptors.
Additional findings, according to Dr. Scott Fishman of U.C. Davis, show evidence that pain is far more complex than the mere stimulus response model that has been taught in schools for years. As those that experience it know, pain is more like a symphony of responses. Research now shows that this is caused by a variety of receptors, emotions, hormones and even memories. This is a far cry from early research that consecutively uncovered various single substances as ‘the’ pain response. Coincidentally, some of the same substances produced by the brain as a response to pain are produced by the glands in response to perceived danger. For example, stimulation of pain receptors has been found to release peptide substance P, endorphins, and norepinephrine, which are all found in the body in response to stress. This chemical overlap may well be the missing link between mind and body.
It has long been known that although we live in a different world from our predecessors, we still respond to perceived threats with the same biological response as real physical danger. This is known as the stress response. Even if the threat is only indirectly related to survival, such as the possibility of being laid off because of back pain, the body responds by hiking up cortisol levels. Great response in a pinch, but if it continues over time, it causes strain to the heart and above normal tonus in the muscles. It’s sort of like having your average commuter vehicle tuned as if it were a ferrari. Not very practical and rather expensive for daily use.
The good news is that, according to Dr. Catherine Bushnell of McGill University in Montreal, your psychological state can alter the way pain you perceive pain. Her findings show that when distracted from pain, there is a change in brain scans showing less activity even though the severity of the stimulus hasn’t changed. It would seem that this is probably why things like bio-feedback, and massage seem to help, because they change the psychological response. When the psychological response becomes less intense, the hormonal response calms down.
Additional news in pain research is that women and men have different responses to pain, primarily related to hormones. Women, for example, who are in the part of their cycle when estrogen is high, find pain more bearable than otherwise. Apparently, there is also a genetic component to pain. Variations in the levels of a gene known as ‘COMT’ regulate the quantity of pain suppressant neurotransmitters, so that some people experience pain more acutely than others. Ironically, there is also a gene known as ‘DREAM’ that when genetically engineered to be absent in mice was found to reduce their susceptibility to pain. At any time in the near future, genetic engineering is not an option for altering human pain responses, however it is possible that some day pain medication may be prescribed according to gender and genetic makeup.
