A Medical Revolution in the Making

Pain Free for Life
by Scott Brady, M.D., William Proctor

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But actually, this heavy emphasis by physicians on treating the body-to the virtual exclusion of the mind and spirit-is relatively recent.* Healers among the Greeks, Hebrews, and Chinese have always assumed that the operations of the mind, body, and spirit were inseparable. Also, the ancients often linked negative emotions to physical pain. Consequently, the mind and spirit, both of which possess nonphysical dimensions, were always considered by ancient healers in the diagnosis and treatment of pain.

More recently, we have encountered a resurgence of this ancient mind-body emphasis in the research of Oliver Wendell Holmes, dean of the Harvard Medical School in the mid-nineteenth century. This work continued with a line of other Harvard researchers, including William James, who explored the impact of psychology and religious faith on mental and physical distress; Dr. Walter Cannon, who discovered the stress-producing, pain-intensifying fightor- flight response; and Dr. Herbert Benson, who identified the relaxation response, which operates as a direct counter to pain and discomfort.

Clinical pain specialists, such as Dr. John E. Sarno, professor emeritus at the Rusk Institute in Manhattan, have developed treatment strategies focusing on neutralizing powerful negative emotions that lie at the root of much chronic pain. At the same time, the scientific underpinnings of mind-body interactions have become clearer with the creative research of Dr. Candace Pert of the Georgetown Medical School, who is a pioneer in the biomolecular foundations of emotions. Finally, scientists such as Professor Harold G. Koenig of the Duke University Medical Center are completing the mind-body-spirit linkage as they examine the relationships among disease, pain, and spiritual health.

My own effort in treating pain at the Brady Institute for Health builds upon the research of these medical pioneers. In my work with patients-as well as in my own personal experience with pain-I have concluded unequivocally that body medicine, though wonderful in many ways, often falls short. As a result, in my practice at the Brady Institute, I've developed a comprehensive mind-body- spirit strategy for evaluating and treating painful conditions associated with the Autonomic Overload Syndrome-the 6-week Pain- Free for Life Program.

Your Path to Freedom from Pain

Your path to a pain-free life involves a process culminating in a 6-week treatment plan that anyone can follow. As you proceed from this chapter to those that follow, you'll most likely find yourself moving through these stages of preparation, understanding, and freedom:

• Evaluate. All of my patients are first evaluated thoroughly by a board-certified physician like me. That way, they can be confident that their pain has not been caused by infection, cancer, aneurysm, bone fragments, or life-threatening conditions that may be cured by surgery or medication.

• Educate. Then you'll educate yourself. Patients must understand the true cause of their pain before they can hope for a cure through a mind-body-spirit approach. By reading this book, you'll learn about Autonomic Overload Syndrome-what it is, how it works, and what symptoms it causes. You'll also learn about mind- body-spirit interactions and how they can be employed to cure AOS. The Pain-Free for Life material has been designed to promote education along with a detailed description of practical strategies from the Brady Institute's AOS recovery program. In addition to this book, I offer the Freedom from Pain video series for the audiovisual learner at www.bradyinstitute.com.

• Experience. Next, you'll most likely experience an "aha moment." As you read this book, you'll probably have one of two responses. You'll experience an insight that says: Aha-that's me- he's describing me. Or you'll have the opposite reaction: It doesn't make sense-that's not me at all. It's my hope that you will in fact find yourself in the patient descriptions in this book. If you do, you'll see more clearly the path you can take to find pain relief. And by the way, when my patients experience that aha-that's me moment, a significant percentage of them become pain-free within several weeks.

• Engage. Then, you'll engage in the 5-step treatment program. This involves making a firm commitment to embark on our 6-week Pain-Free for Life Program, a series of easy-to-follow, thirty-minute daily applications of the mind-body-spirit strategies discussed in subsequent chapters. As you monitor the steady decrease in your pain-and understand more fully the Autonomic Overload Syndrome behind it-your confidence in achieving a pain-free future will increase each day.

• Enjoy. Finally, you'll enjoy your life again as your pain goes away. You'll also enjoy all the insights you've learned about your personality, your emotions, and your spiritual health. After finishing the 6-week program, my patients typically feel that they are starting to get their life back-their pain-free life.

In short, this pain-free paradigm is firmly rooted in the twofold belief that:

• Mind-body-spirit techniques can succeed where narrower, structural diagnoses and conventional treatments have failed.

• Mind-body-spirit strategies can help you keep pain-free- for life.

Now, to get a better idea about how our Pain-Free for Life Program came about-and how it can help you in a variety of practical ways-let me introduce you to the specific ways that it has worked in changing the life of perhaps the most challenging case study that we have encountered so far: Dr. Scott C. Brady.

Copyright © 2006 by Scott Brady, MD

About the Author

Scott Brady, M.D., has spent the last decade developing his holistic, noninvasive treatments for chronic or recurrent pain. In 1998, he founded the Brady Institute for Health at Florida Hospital, where his powerful techniques have helped hundreds of patients overcome debilitating pain that routine therapies have failed to heal. Dr. Brady and his family live in Orlando, Florida.