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The Song of Our Scars: The Untold Story of Pain

Brigham author: Haider Warraich

This book explores how the epidemic of chronic pain results from a misunderstanding and lack of appropriate methods to treat pain. Haider Warraich, MD, of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, describes how the flawed idea that pain is solely a physical ailment rather than a multi-layered phenomenon has contributed to the rise in chronic pain.

Today, tens of millions of people in the U.S. and many more around the world are afflicted by pain. As a result, Warraich notes that corporate officials have seized the opportunity to promote the overmedication of pain, resulting in opioid addiction crises. Warraich details how pain is often overlooked by clinicians and how chronic pain typically affects vulnerable populations such as women, people of color and those who are under resourced. In his book, Warraich draws on his extensive clinical experience, as well as his personal struggles with chronic back pain, to provide a uniquely grounded and intimate perspective on pain.