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Those suffering from chronic pain often find the costs of care extensive. This condition, based purely on patient perception, poses challenges to patients that range from dealing with insurance companies, financing regular visits to multiple doctors, and deciding which medications will most be most effective. Armed with the right tools, chronic pain patients can manage their care in a more cost-effective way. Finding a primary care doctor who can develop a comprehensive treatment plan can save patients unnecessary visits to different specialists. In order to maximize therapy sessions that are covered by insurance, Dennis Turk, a professor of anesthesiology and pain [...]

Despite being young and active, Melanie Thernstrom, writer for New York Times Magazine, began suffering from chronic pain many years ago.  Her struggle inspired her to write the book, "The Pain Chronicles: Cures, Myths, Mysteries, Prayers, Diaries, Brain Scans, Healing, and the Science of Suffering."  To research the topic, Thernstrom shadowed doctors and talked with patients about their experiences with pain.  The result is an interdisciplinary account of pain that explores the phenomenon through science, history, philosophy, and memoir.  Hers is a solid attempt to make sense of something that many of us experience, but very few understand. For full article [...]