Pain Management

It bothers-and sometimes debilitates-an estimated 80 percent of Americans at some time during their adult lives. And low back pain shows no sign of going away, despite current research into its causes and potential cures. This program examines the ongoing health issue through case studies, interviews with medical experts, and animated graphics showing spinal anatomy, movement, and conditions. Highlighting the major factors that contribute to low back pain, the program discusses the different levels of the disorder-acute, recurrent, and chronic-and a variety of treatments, including physical therapy, epidural steroid injections, and both compression and fusion surgery. (28 minutes)

Pain, a frequent part of recovery from illness and injury, is actually controllable in the vast majority of cases. This program from The Doctor Is In illustrates approaches to pain control for patients healing after surgery, dealing with cancer, and coping with chronic back and nerve conditions. Experts profiled include Dr. Margaret Caudill, developer of an innovative mind-body therapy; Johns Hopkins University's Dr. Richard North, who specializes in electrical stimulation; Dr. Ronald Melzack, creator of the Gate Control theory of pain; and Dr. Carol Warfield, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center's Division of Pain Medicine. A Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center production. (30 minutes)

High-dose pain management therapy involving narcotics has placed doctors and patients under scrutiny by federal regulators. Is the Drug Enforcement Administration simply cracking down on criminal overprescription and prescription forgery, or is it unfairly targeting doctors for merely doing their jobs, and punishing people with chronic pain? This ABC News program weighs in on the question through interviews with DEA Administrator Karen Tandy, a doctor convicted of overprescribing, and a patient serving a 25-year prison sentence for possessing too much pain medication. (22 minutes)

Pain is often the body's sole method of communicating with the mind; it alerts the brain to malfunctions and protects the body from further harm. This concise three-part series explores the management, psychology, and physiology of pain to provide an in-depth overview of its role in our physical, and mental, lives. 3-part series, 17-25 minutes each.

The human body manufactures its own painkillers to ensure survival when injured. This program shows how opium and its derivatives, heroin and morphine, hijack that natural pain-numbing ability. Illustrating the brain's ability to alter its own chemistry when attacked by drugs, the program depicts the process by which brain receptors become desensitized and thus addicted. Tranquilizers-and the potentially lifelong physical dependency and psychological problems they can cause-are also studied. The findings of Brigitte Kieffer, Marc Valleur, Martine Cador, Emiliana Borelli, Alain Ehrenberg, and the Strasbourg Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics are featured. (51 minutes)

Currently, three-quarters of all U.S. healthcare dollars are spent on 100 million people with chronic illnesses and conditions. Will a cost-conscious healthcare system, increasingly driven by the market and oriented toward acute care, give them the proper care? This program examines how the chronically ill are faring today in seeking the high-quality, long-term care they need. Special reports focus on cases of patients with cancer, victims of stroke and heart disease, and children with congenital illnesses, comparing their treatment by commercial HMOs with the diagnoses and recommendations of independent experts. The program also documents the burdens on families providing home care. (48 minutes)

Before anesthetics, surgeons relied on speed, brandy, and brutality. This program reveals how a fairground dentist named Horace Wells made an essential breakthrough in pain mitigation by ingesting nitrous oxide and pulling out one of his own teeth. Recounting Wells' foray into other surgical procedures with the help of a colleague, William Morton, the program explores the subsequent split between the two researchers, with Morton favoring ether while Wells gravitated toward chloroform. The program offers a concise history of anesthetics by featuring other self-experimenters like Humphry Davy and Sigmund Freud, as well as a present-day version of Dr. Fred Prescott's curare self-test. A BBCW Production. (51 minutes)

Pain can be totally debilitating to those who suffer. But painkillers, although they merely mask physical discomfort, can make life livable again. This program looks at the three primary types of painkillers, their origins, and their actions. Alternative treatments, such as massage, acupuncture, and relaxation, are also presented as viable alternatives to traditional medications. (25 minutes)

Wracked by emotions, the mind will often increase pain, while control of feelings such as fear, loneliness, and stress will generally reduce pain. This program presents the psychology of pain, along with ways to manage physical discomfort through therapy, various relaxation techniques, and coming to terms with physical limitations. (18 minutes)