Download The Brain-Body Connection in Chronic Disease (and Health!)

The Brain-Body Connection in Chronic Disease
(and Health!)
The following is information regarding the neurologic, physiologic, and psychologic connections to your
various symptoms. The websites and info therein will help to inform you about the science and research
behind this idea, and ultimately will aid in identifying and helping you to treat the various unconscious,
neurobehavioral traumas that may be worsening any/all of your symptoms. If nothing else, they'll give you
greater insight into your conditions and, in the end, may help you on your journey towards more physical,
emotional, and mental (even spiritual) wholeness - what we're all after anyhow.
The following links are two fairly clever YouTube videos of the science behind chronic pain and how ANY
chronic type pain will have some brain (not "mind" or imagination) factors involved. The 2nd of the two is
from a program called "Zero Pain Now"- I cannot vouch for this program (or its cost) but the principle holds
true and it's a good presentation, so just take in the info and ignore the advertising. [For simplicity, if you go to
www.youtube.com and type the bolded titles above into the search window, the videos should come up.]
> Understanding Pain in Less Than 5 Minutes
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b8oB757DKc
> End Your Back Pain and Body Pain in Less Than 5 Minutes
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9f0rnwjUc4
For some of the interesting neurologic connections to how/why the brain is involved, try this:
> TEDxAdelaide - Lorimer Moseley - Why Things Hurt
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwd-wLdIHjs
Hopefully you’re seeing this is a real phenomenon…for everyone (including me!)…and that it’s a NORMAL
connection for NORMAL humans. The next links build on this and get into the nuts and bolts of how this
plays out symptomatically, and in various body systems – more than just pain!!
> Dr. John E Sarno - 20/20 Segment
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsR4wydiIBI
> “All The Rage” – 4 min Trailer to Documentary on John Sarno and his work
- http://aliciabatsonmd.com/news-events/
The first physician to bring these issues to the forefront of modern medicine was the above John Sarno, MD.
He is a well-known doc in the specialty of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R or "Physiatry") and
noticed many of his patients w/ chronic conditions made no improvement until he did the groundbreaking
work of uncovering the deep neurological, physiological, and psychological connections I’ve described. For
a more complete description of this, in Sarno’s own words, type in the link this YouTube link:
> The Divided Mind - The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders [5-part audio series]
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDyI59gkMhE
My personal intro to this occurred after I stumbled into the whole field after much frustration and many
failed attempts to help patients like you w/ the same conventional, and even a few “alternative”, means that
had already proven unhelpful. Discouraged, I then met Dr. Howard Schubiner, himself a patient that had
been helped by Dr. Sarno’s program, who then went on to further develop the program. His website is an
outstanding resource and further details the approach – truly a “rewiring” of the brain.
> Unlearn Your Pain - Dr. Howard Schubiner, MD
- http://UnlearnYourPain.com
Turn over for more
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The Brain-Body Connection in Chronic Disease
(and Health!)
Please take some time to look through the different tabs on the Dr. Schbuiner’s website. Under tab #2, there
is a 7-8min video that explains neurophysiological processes at work to set up what he calls MindBody
Syndrome (MBS). Under tab #1 he has links to an hour-long video lecture that's broken into four ~15min
sections - it's fascinating and further describes the theory and provides the research behind all this. Also look
into the patient testimonials and, if you’re interested, follow this w/ the worksheet found under tab #3 to help
identify your own possible mindbody links more in depth.
Patients all over the country and the world have been helped, even cured, of issues they thought they would
have to permanently endure after receiving only marginal help from the medical establishment. These
patients had chronic conditions like fibromyalgia, chronic joint pain (low back,whiplash,etc), IBS, migraine
& tension HA, chronic fatigue, IC/painful bladder, GERD, carpal tunnel Sx, TMJ, chemical sensitivities,
CRPS, and insomnia, to name a few. Sound familiar? After this work helped them get their lives back, a
number of these patients set up an enormous database based on the treatment of the above condition that Dr.
Sarno lumped together under the name: Tension Myositis (now Myoneural) Syndrome, or “TMS.”
> Dr. Sarno’s wikipedia resource
- www.TMSwiki.org
Among a number of things you will find on the website (including programs to “rewire” the brain, an
international practitioner directory, blog, etc) is a video/lecture archive. One interview, w/ Dr. Schubiner in
fact, is another excellent overview of the entire theory and scope of diagnosing & treating MBS or TMS.
> Dr. Schubiner interview (~50 mins, audio only)
- www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/the-best-interview-with-dr-schubiner-regarding-pelvic-pain.7091/
There’s an incredible amount of new information here, so please let me know if you're having trouble
understanding this at our next visit. I don't mean to overwhelm you with it, so take your time, but please
TAKE SOME! It's likely the most powerful tool I can give you to both empower you and improve your
health. We're in this together, but I cannot "fix" you. Without you taking control and doing your part, you
might stay stuck. If you're serious about getting better and even taking back the parts of your life which it's
have been lost or limited, please invest your time in this - and in yourself.
Here's to your health!
Dr. Matt McClanahan
------------------------------------------------------------------Some further study, or “extra credit”: 
>Dr. David Hanscom – a surgeon trying to STOP doing so much SURGERY! - www.DrDavidHanscom.com
- Outstanding article, criticizes over-surgery: www.drdavidhanscom.com/2015/05/are-you-kidding-me/
> Pain, Is it all in your mind?: Silje Endersen Reme at TEDxNHH
- www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiwmVTScusg
> NPR stories (Google “NPR” and then the following titles)
- “Can Family Secrets Make You Sick”
- “Pain Really Is All In the Head and Emotion Controls the Intensity”
> Mindfulness => Work w/ the Emotions, Attention, and Nervous System - Part of the solution:
- http://amysmartgirls.com/short-film-just-breathe-helps-kids-deal-with-emotions/
> Psychophysiologic Disorders (PPD – synonymous w/ TMS, MBS) – www.PPDassociation.org
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