You’ve been lied to about pain—here’s the truth - podcast episode cover

You’ve been lied to about pain—here’s the truth

Mar 27, 202623 min
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Summary

Dr. Rachel Zoffness, a pain scientist, explains why pain is fundamentally misunderstood, often viewed as purely a body problem rather than a biopsychosocial phenomenon constructed by the brain. She discusses how neuroplasticity contributes to chronic pain, critiques Western medicine's approach, and shares practical, holistic strategies from her book, "Tell Me Where It Hurts," to effectively manage and reduce pain.

Episode description

In this episode of Science Quickly, pain scientist Rachel Zoffness reveals why pain isn’t just a body problem but also a brain‑driven warning system that we’ve been misunderstanding for decades. She and host Kendra Pierre‑Louis unpack wild examples, hidden factors that dial pain up or down and simple, science‑backed practical strategies from Zoffness’s new book Tell Me Where It Hurts that can help you feel better.


Recommended Reading:

Tell Me Where It Hurts. Rachel Zoffness. Grand Central Publishing, 2026


E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!

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Science Quickly is produced by Kendra Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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