Tools to Reduce & Manage Pain | Dr. Sean Mackey

In this episode, my guest is Dr. Sean Mackey, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Division of Pain Medicine and Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine and Neurology at Stanford University School of Medicine. His clinical and research efforts focus on using advanced neurosciences, patient outcomes, biomarkers and informatics to treat pain. We discuss what pain is at the level of the body and mind, pain thresholds, and the various causes of pain. We also discuss effective protocols for controlling and reducing pain, including the use of heat and cold, acupuncture, chiropractic, physical therapy, nutrition, and supplementation. We also discuss how pain is influenced by our emotions, stress and memories, and practical tools to control one’s psychological perception of pain. And we discuss pain medications, including the controversial use of opioids and the opioid crisis. This episode will help people understand, manage, and control their pain as well as the pain of others. Read the episode show notes: https://go.hubermanlab.com/ZrPX7fZ *Thank you to our sponsors* AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman AeroPress: https://aeropress.com/huberman Levels: https://levels.link/huberman BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/huberman InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman *Dr. Sean Mackey* Stanford academic profile: https://stanford.io/48TgiBz Website: https://drseanmackey.com Publications: https://stanford.io/3U1OiHY Lab website: https://stan.md/3vKrrWY Stanford Division of Pain Medicine: https://stan.md/47zT9Dh X: https://twitter.com/DrSeanMackey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seancmackey *Timestamps* 00:00:00 Dr. Sean Mackey 00:02:11 Sponsors: AeroPress, Levels & BetterHelp 00:06:13 Pain, Unique Experiences, Chronic Pain 00:13:05 Pain & the Brain 00:16:15 Treating Pain, Medications: NSAIDs & Analgesics 00:22:46 Inflammation, Pain & Recovery; Ibuprofen, Naprosyn & Aspirin 00:28:51 Sponsor: AG1 00:30:19 Caffeine, NSAIDs, Tylenol 00:32:34 Pain & Touch, Gate Control Theory 00:38:56 Pain Threshold, Gender 00:44:53 Pain in Children, Pain Modulation (Pain Inhibits Pain) 00:53:20 Tool: Heat, Cold & Pain; Changing Pain Threshold 00:59:53 Sponsor: InsideTracker 01:00:54 Tools: Psychology, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Catastrophizing 01:08:29 Tool: Hurt vs. Harmed?, Chronic Pain 01:12:38 Emotional Pain, Anger, Medication 01:20:43 Tool: Nutrition & Pain; Food Sensitization & Elimination Diets 01:28:45 Visceral Pain; Back, Chest & Abdominal Pain 01:34:02 Referenced Pain, Neuropathic Pain; Stress, Memory & Psychological Pain 01:40:23 Romantic Love & Pain, Addiction 01:48:57 Endogenous & Exogenous Opioids, Morphine 01:53:17 Opioid Crisis, Prescribing Physicians 02:02:21 Opioids & Fentanyl; Morphine, Oxycontin, Methadone 02:07:44 Kratom, Cannabis, CBD & Pain; Drug Schedules 02:18:12 Pain Management Therapies, Acupuncture 02:22:19 Finding Reliable Physicians, Acupuncturist 02:26:36 Chiropractic & Pain Treatment; Chronic Pain & Activity 02:31:35 Physical Therapy & Chronic Pain; Tool: Pacing 02:36:35 Supplements: Acetyl-L-Carnitine, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Vitamin C, Creatine 02:42:25 Pain Management, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Biofeedback 02:48:32 National Pain Strategy, National Pain Care Act 02:54:05 Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, YouTube Feedback, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Disclaimer & Disclosures: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer

Andrew HubermanhostDr. Sean Mackeyguest

Jan 15, 20242h 56mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: January 15, 2024
Duration: 2h 56m
Channel: Huberman Lab
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

In this episode, my guest is Dr. Sean Mackey, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Division of Pain Medicine and Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine and Neurology at Stanford University School of Medicine. His clinical and research efforts focus on using advanced neurosciences, patient outcomes, biomarkers and informatics to treat pain. We discuss what pain is at the level of the body and mind, pain thresholds, and the various causes of pain. We also discuss effective protocols for controlling and reducing pain, including the use of heat and cold, acupuncture, chiropractic, physical therapy, nutrition, and supplementation. We also discuss how pain is influenced by our emotions, stress and memories, and practical tools to control one’s psychological perception of pain. And we discuss pain medications, including the controversial use of opioids and the opioid crisis. This episode will help people understand, manage, and control their pain as well as the pain of others. Read the episode show notes: https://go.hubermanlab.com/ZrPX7fZ *Thank you to our sponsors* AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman AeroPress: https://aeropress.com/huberman Levels: https://levels.link/huberman BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/huberman InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman *Dr. Sean Mackey* Stanford academic profile: https://stanford.io/48TgiBz Website: https://drseanmackey.com Publications: https://stanford.io/3U1OiHY Lab website: https://stan.md/3vKrrWY Stanford Division of Pain Medicine: https://stan.md/47zT9Dh X: https://twitter.com/DrSeanMackey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seancmackey *Timestamps* 00:00:00 Dr. Sean Mackey 00:02:11 Sponsors: AeroPress, Levels & BetterHelp 00:06:13 Pain, Unique Experiences, Chronic Pain 00:13:05 Pain & the Brain 00:16:15 Treating Pain, Medications: NSAIDs & Analgesics 00:22:46 Inflammation, Pain & Recovery; Ibuprofen, Naprosyn & Aspirin 00:28:51 Sponsor: AG1 00:30:19 Caffeine, NSAIDs, Tylenol 00:32:34 Pain & Touch, Gate Control Theory 00:38:56 Pain Threshold, Gender 00:44:53 Pain in Children, Pain Modulation (Pain Inhibits Pain) 00:53:20 Tool: Heat, Cold & Pain; Changing Pain Threshold 00:59:53 Sponsor: InsideTracker 01:00:54 Tools: Psychology, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Catastrophizing 01:08:29 Tool: Hurt vs. Harmed?, Chronic Pain 01:12:38 Emotional Pain, Anger, Medication 01:20:43 Tool: Nutrition & Pain; Food Sensitization & Elimination Diets 01:28:45 Visceral Pain; Back, Chest & Abdominal Pain 01:34:02 Referenced Pain, Neuropathic Pain; Stress, Memory & Psychological Pain 01:40:23 Romantic Love & Pain, Addiction 01:48:57 Endogenous & Exogenous Opioids, Morphine 01:53:17 Opioid Crisis, Prescribing Physicians 02:02:21 Opioids & Fentanyl; Morphine, Oxycontin, Methadone 02:07:44 Kratom, Cannabis, CBD & Pain; Drug Schedules 02:18:12 Pain Management Therapies, Acupuncture 02:22:19 Finding Reliable Physicians, Acupuncturist 02:26:36 Chiropractic & Pain Treatment; Chronic Pain & Activity 02:31:35 Physical Therapy & Chronic Pain; Tool: Pacing 02:36:35 Supplements: Acetyl-L-Carnitine, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Vitamin C, Creatine 02:42:25 Pain Management, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Biofeedback 02:48:32 National Pain Strategy, National Pain Care Act 02:54:05 Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, YouTube Feedback, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Disclaimer & Disclosures: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer

SPEAKERS

Andrew Huberman
host
Dr. Sean Mackey
guest

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Huberman Lab, featuring Andrew Huberman and Dr. Sean Mackey, Tools to Reduce & Manage Pain | Dr. Sean Mackey explores science-Backed Strategies To Understand, Reduce, And Reframe Physical Pain Neurobiologist Andrew Huberman interviews Stanford pain specialist Dr. Sean Mackey about what pain is, how it arises in the nervous system, and why it is always both sensory and emotional. They distinguish nociception (raw danger signals from the body) from the brain’s constructed experience of pain, explaining why pain is so individual and context-dependent. The conversation covers acute versus chronic pain, hurt versus harm, and how factors like emotions, beliefs, early life experiences, and relationships amplify or reduce pain. They review evidence-based tools—from NSAIDs, opioids, and supplements to heat/cold, movement, mindfulness, cognitive therapy, acupuncture, and digital health—to help people manage and in some cases significantly reduce chronic pain.

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