The relationship btw physical and emotional pain

Fascinating article, which, among other things, revisits a 2010 study about how acetaminophen works to relieve emotional as well as physical pain: https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/08/mental-emotional-pain-tylenol-acetaminophen-relief/671226 (A Shortcut for Feeling Just a Little Happier)

The article is primarily about emotional pain, and it suggests that reaching for the acetaminophen should not be the first line of defense, and certainly not a long-term solution, so it's worth reading for that reason alone.

There's also a link to another article with the intriguing title "Mindfulness hurts. That's why it works" but sadly the Atlantic says that I've read my "last free article" for the month. Have to go find another IP address or fire up a VPN I guess...

edit: the intro to the mindfulness article was posted here, enough to get the general idea: Mindfulness Hurts. That’s Why It Works. – Association for Psychological Science – APS

 

This should be interesting. I will read it momentarily. I have heard of that concept before.
I remember when I used to take a lot of Advil for female monthly pain, it would also get rid of any anxiety. Like A LOT. I thought that it was because I didn't need to be anxious about suddenly getting painful cramps or sickness but it was more than that. The first time I read that pain relievers have been shown to relieve mental pain it all kind of clicked.

 

Very interesting.

Years ago, when I was having pain and anxiety attacks and was so frightened, I would take acetaminophen for the pain and start to feel better pretty quickly. And here I thought it was only a placebo effect!