Understanding Pain

In Understanding Pain, Fernando Cervero explores the mechanisms and the meaning of pain. You touch something hot and your brain triggers a reflex action that causes you to withdraw your hand, protecting you from injury. That kind of pain, Cervero explains, is actually good for us. But, Cervero tells us, not all pain is good for you. There is another kind of pain that is more like a curse: chronic pain that is not related to injury. Cervero describes current research into the mysteries of chronic pain and efforts to develop more effective treatments. He reminds us that pain is the most common reason for people to seek medical attention, but that it remains a biological enigma. There is no way to measure it objectively, no test that comes back positive for pain. The idea of pain as a test of character or a punishment to be borne is changing; prevention and treatment of pain are increasingly important to researchers, clinicians, and patients. Cerveros account brings us closer to understanding the meaning of pain.