The pain antidote : the proven program to help you stop suffering from chronic pain, avoid addiction to painkillers--and reclaim your life

324 Pages·2015·11.63 MB·English

by  Pohl

Praise for The Pain Antidote “An authoritative, caring guide offering
concrete suggestions—and hope—for anyone stuck in the tenacious
grip of opioid pain medication addiction.”
—SHARON WEGSCHEIDER-CRUSE, AUTHOR AND EDUCATOR,
AND JOSEPH R. CRUSE, MD, ADDICTION MEDICINE
SPECIALIST
“Dr. Mel Pohl and Katherine Ketcham are intimately acquainted with chronic
pain and know the road to freedom. This is the roadmap for anyone who wants
their life back.”
—DEBRA JAY, AUTHOR OF IT TAKES A FAMILY AND NO MORE
LETTING GO
Praise for Mel Pohl
“Dr. Pohl’s quarter of a century as an addiction specialist, combined with his
hands-on experience with patients teaching them drug-free solutions to their
agony, and his five-year struggle to recover from his own terrible bout with pain
give this book its unique perspective and authenticity . . . A Day Without Pain
[offers] a realistic expectation of improved functioning, reduced pain, and more
enjoyment of life.”
—HEALTHNEWSDIGEST.COM
Praise for Katherine Ketcham
“In the nearly 20 years since Ketcham coauthored Under the Influence, it has
become a classic in identifying and treating alcohol addiction . . . This book
offers a plethora of timely information; a blow to old stigmas, myths and
stereotypes; and hope for a future in which many senseless tragedies can be
avoided and lives saved.”
—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ON BEYOND THE INFLUENCE
ALSO BY MEL POHL, MD
A Day Without Pain
Pain Recovery
(with Frank J. Szabo Jr., LADC, Daniel Shiode, PhD, and Robert Hunter, PhD)
Pain Recovery for Families
(with Frank J. Szabo Jr., LADC, Daniel Shiode, PhD, and Robert Hunter, PhD)
ALSO BY KATHERINE KETCHAM
Beyond the Influence
(with William F. Asbury)
Teens Under the Influence
(with Nicolas A. Pace, MD)
Under the Influence
(with James R. Milam, PhD)
The Spirituality of Imperfection
(with Ernest Kurtz)
Experiencing Spirituality
(with Ernest Kurtz)

Copyright © 2015 by Mel Pohl, MD, and Katherine Ketcham Illustrations by Eduardo Vazquez All rights
reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior
written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. For information, address Da
Capo Press, 44 Farnsworth Street, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02210.
Designed by Trish Wilkinson Set in 11-point Goudy Oldstyle STD by the Perseus Books Group Library of
Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Pohl, Mel.
The pain antidote : the proven program to help you stop suffering from chronic pain, avoid addiction to
painkillers—and reclaim your life / by Mel Pohl, MD, and Katherine Ketcham.
pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7382-1804-5 (e-book) 1. Pain—Treatment—Popular works. 2. Chronic pain—Treatment—
Popular works. 3. Pain medicine—Popular works. I. Ketcham, Katherine, 1949– II. Title.
RB127.P644 2015
616'.0472—dc23 2014049017
First Da Capo Press edition 2015
Published by Da Capo Press A Member of the Perseus Books Group www.dacapopress.com
Note: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. This book is intended
only as an informative guide for those wishing to know more about health issues. In no way is this book
intended to replace, countermand, or conflict with the advice given to you by your own physician. The
ultimate decision concerning care should be made between you and your doctor. We strongly recommend
you follow his or her advice. Information in this book is general and is offered with no guarantees on the
part of the authors or Da Capo Press. The authors and publisher disclaim all liability in connection with the
use of this book. Some names and identifying details of people associated with events described in this
book have been changed; in such instances, similarity to actual persons is coincidental. Other names have
been used with permission.
Da Capo Press books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the U.S. by corporations,
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at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call (800) 810-
4145, ext. 5000, or e-mail [e-mail].
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
How to Use This Book
PART 1
UNDERSTANDING
ONE All Pain Is Real
Everything You Wish You Never Needed to Know About Chronic Pain
TWO Brain Matters
How Chronic Pain Changes the Brain
THREE Emotions Drive Pain
Painful Experiences Are Emotional Experiences
FOUR Am I Addicted?
Understanding the Difference Between Dependence and Addiction
PART 2
OVERCOMING
FIVE Discovering the Power of the Mind
Challenging Assumptions and Achieving Realistic Expectations
SIX Restoring Physical Balance
Creating a Safe Pathway Between Extremes
SEVEN Regaining Emotional Equilibrium
Balancing Your Emotions with Mindfulness
EIGHT Reviving the Spirit
Finding Meaning and Purpose in Your Life
PART 3
MOVING FORWARD
NINE The Jump Start Plan
Keeping It Simple
TEN Eating Right to Reduce Your Pain
Foods That Hurt and Foods That Heal
ELEVEN Final Words
Awareness, Courage, Diligence, Hope, Faith, Joy, Compassion, and
Wonder
Appendix: Delicious and Nutritious Pain-Reducing Recipes
RECIPES
Beverages and Breakfast
Banana-Blueberry-Cranberry Smoothie
Creamy Coconut Oatmeal
Homemade Almond Creamer (for coffee)
Lots-of-Energy Crackers
No-Fail Popovers
Oatmeal Pancake à la Markus
Sausage, Hash Browns, and Egg Casserole
Slow Cooker Ginger Tea
Slow Cooker Granola Bars
Slow Cooker Omelet
Vegetarian Soups and Meals
Asparagus and Spinach Risotto
Billy’s Black Bean Stew
Curried Butternut Squash Soup
Hearty Split Pea Soup
Rustic Roasted Tomato Soup
Sweet Potato Lentil Soup
Meat-and Fish-Based Meals
Baked Shrimp Scampi
Buttery Turkey Breast
Chicken Piccata
Cook-Ahead Chicken for Quick Meals
Garlic and Lime Fish Fillets Baked in Foil
Roast Chicken with Artichokes
Homemade Chicken Broth
Salmon with Creamy Avocado-Mint Sauce
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Turkey and Brown Rice Chili
Salads and Sides
Broiled Tomatoes with Parmesan
Buttery Carrots and Red Potatoes
Cauliflower “Mashed Potatoes”
Green Salad with Walnuts, Feta, and Pears
Lemon-Garlic Green Beans
Sweet, Sweet Potato Fries
Zucchini with Butter and Parmesan
Desserts
Cranberry-Peach-Apple Crumble
Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
Resources
Acknowledgments
Index
How to Use This Book
WHO IS THIS BOOK FOR?
In short, The Pain Antidote is for anyone with chronic pain. When Kathy and I
started to conceptualize this book a few years ago, our compelling intention was
to reach out to a broad audience of people suffering with chronic pain.
Some of our readers will be using opioid drugs to relieve their pain. You
may take them infrequently. “At most I take one or two Vicodin a day, exactly
as my doctor prescribed for me, and in five years, I haven’t increased the dosage
—is this book for me?”
Perhaps you are taking high doses of multiple drugs. Your drug use may be
causing problems for you, and you may know that you are dependent on the
drugs for relieving your pain. “I need the drugs to relieve my pain, but am I
addicted? How can this book help me?”
Or perhaps you do not take any opioid drugs at all. “Well, I took OxyContin
when my doctor prescribed it, but I stopped years ago. Yet I still have pain. Why
should I read this book?”
We wrote this book for all such readers—for anyone who lives with chronic
pain. We also wrote this book for family members who seek to understand the
nature of chronic pain and how to help their loved ones.
We wrote this book for physicians and other health-care professionals as
well. Many doctors anticipate poor outcomes for their patients living with
chronic pain and for their addicted patients. And yet for most physicians, these
patients constitute a large percentage of their practices. Understanding how
opioid drugs affect the brain and body helps dismantle many of the myths and
misconceptions and clarifies the rationale for treatment methods and setting
realistic goals. Reading the dozens of case histories in the pages that follow will
help doctors and other health-care practitioners understand the devastating
personal cost of chronic pain as well as the courage and determination required
to learn how to live and thrive drug-free.
I have treated hundreds of people with chronic pain and watched them
transform themselves from drugged, disabled, and depressed to alert, awake, and
truly joyful for the first time in years. This is the closest thing to miracle work
I’ve ever done in my thirty-eight years as a physician. I travel and lecture all
around the country about this topic and after being away from the treatment
center for three or four days, I can see the astonishing changes that take place in
men and women, some in their teens and others in their eighties, who were once
severely debilitated by physical and emotional pain. I’m greeted with smiles,
laughter, hugs, and stories detailing their progress—and my heart swells.
WHAT WILL I LEARN?
You will learn that you can live a rich and full life with chronic pain. In these
pages I share stories about the successes I have witnessed and offer details about
the techniques and strategies that have proven most effective for people living
with chronic pain. The program set forth in these pages is eminently practical
and easily adapted to your individual lifestyle. Most important of all, these
methods work. They can work miracles, if you do the work.
“Why do I have pain and why won’t it go away? What’s going on inside
me?” you may be wondering. These questions are often expressed with a sense
of hopelessness and despair. Being well informed about the nature of chronic
pain will help you break through your confusion and fear. Thus, Part 1 focuses
on the physiology of pain, the powerful role emotions play in chronic pain, and
provides clear answers to questions about drug dependence and addiction.
In Part 2 you will find the most effective techniques and strategies, all of
which you can learn and practice on your own, in your own home, to help you
live and thrive with chronic pain. You will also find information and advice
about professional therapies, such as acupuncture and physical therapy, with
details about the basic philosophy and techniques to help you understand why
these methods work for so many people in chronic pain.
The Jump Start plans detailed in Part 3 are packed full with practical and
useful suggestions, and we devote an entire chapter to the connection between
food and pain, again with practical, detailed information (and an appendix filled
with dozens of healthy recipes). If you find yourself in a rut, this information
will help you choose between the many options available to you to create week-
by-week recovery and meal plans that you can proceed with at your own pace.