Maybe those who scream obscenities while in pain are onto something.
MedPage Today writes about a study showing that those who swore had an increased pain tolerance, along with an increased heart rate. This is similar to the proverbial “fight or flight” response that can help mitigate actual pain.
Researchers asked a group of undergraduate college students submerge one of their hands in freezing cold water. One group was instructed to utter a curse word while doing so, the other a control word.
Those who swore could hold their hands in the water for a longer period.
Not sure if this adds anything new, as researchers have long suspected that swearing can be helpful during pain. And besides, as one of them notes, “Many a woman in the delivery room has already figured that out.”
Related posts:
- Why we are using more pain medications
- Greeting new patients
- Migraines and the stigma of chronic pain medication use
- Treating chronic pain with narcotics and avoiding the risk of addiction
- Chronic pain and the troops
- Chronic pain
- Why primary care doctors shouldn’t be pain specialists
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I had a dislocated hip after an accident, and it gave me intense sensations unless I kept the leg in a neutral position. I found that bellowing loudly helped me tolerate it. I warned everyone around that I would be yelling from time to time. I scared them but helped me.
Maybe, just speculation here, it’s not “cursing” per se but doing something vigorous that one would normally censor, that helps one tolerate the sensations.
Correspondingly, it might seem that ornery patients presenting with complaints of physical pain who utilize numerous expletives in their communications with the physician may be an indication of their experiencing of “legitimate pain” …
Fear not – the latest research indicates that:
“If people experience the emotion of fear to a significant degree . . . their pain tolerance increases … ” …
… “a fight-or-flight response absorbs mental capacity to the point where a person doesn’t think about the pain.” …
… “pain tolerance also has a lot to do with coping mechanisms — distraction being a key example. ” …
… “If you’re screaming obscenities, you’re not thinking about your pain … “.
Thus, the following naturopathic regimen is lately becoming “all the rage” (pun) in the medical press:
Denying effective analgetics to patients presenting as being in physical agony – whether they know it or not – effectuates a measurable analgesic effect in the subject.
Physician to patient: “I’ve just activated your ‘fight-or-flight’ center in your limbic brain’s amygdala … I’ll bet that you are feeling better already! … that will be $100 … stop at the collections desk on the way out to pay, and you will, as a result, likely be feeling even better still! … Come back and see me anytime you like if you require further theraputic treatments … and, have a *wonderful* day!”
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