Why We Hurt - by Frank T Vertosick Jr M D (Paperback)

About the Book

A top neurosurgeon and acclaimed author's unique and highly readable study explores the paradox of pain, with fascinating anecdotes on childbirth, migraines, cancer, and more.

Book Synopsis

A top neurosurgeon and acclaimed author's unique and highly readable study of the paradox of pain, with fascinating anecdotes on childbirth, migraines, cancer, and more.

Medical science has made brilliant discoveries over the last century but as any cancer patient can attest, it has yet to conquer, or even fully comprehend, pain. Beginning with his own battle against severe migraines, and citing numerous case studies of his patients, in Why We Hurt Dr. Frank Vertosick explains how pain evolved, and by highlighting the critical functions it serves, he helps us to understand its value. Well written, expertly researched, and movingly told, each chapter offers an amalgam of medicine, history, anthropology, drama, inspiration, and practical advice on a myriad of pain syndromes, from back pain to angina, arthritis to carpal tunnel syndrome. A skilled writer and compassionate physician, Vertosick believes knowledge is often the first, and best, analgesic, and in Why We Hurt, "he offers fascinating insight into the greatest mystery of all: what it means to be human" (The Seattle Times).

From the Back Cover

"Fascinating insight into the greatest mystery of all: what it means to be human." The Seattle Times
Although medical science has made brilliant progress over the last century, we have yet to conquer, or even fully comprehend, pain. And as much as we fear pain, it remains curiously indispensable. A skilled writer and a compassionate physician, Dr. Frank Vertosick explores this paradox in Why We Hurt, an expertly researched and movingly told study of pain. By sharing case studies of his patients and numerous cultural and medical anecdotes, Vertosick explains the biological nature of pain, its psychological toll, and the myriad strategies we have devised to combat it. From childbirth to angina, arthritis to carpal tunnel syndrome, he puts a human face on suffering and "transmutes the lugubrious subject of pain into a provocative and edifying treatise that tightly engages the reader" (The New York Times Book Review).
"[Vertosick] tells personal anecdotes about his own migraines and crafts stories of emergency room horrors with a deft sense of suspense and timing. [He] is writing for a wide audience, and at least in part for chronic-pain sufferers he ends with an inspirational flourish of advice." Chicago Tribune
"Fascinating . . . Falls squarely in the territory of Oliver Sacks." Newsday
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Review Quotes

"Fascinating . . . Falls squarely in the territory of Oliver Sacks."-Newsday

"[Vertosick] tells personal anecdotes about his own migraines and crafts stories of emergency room horrors with a deft sense of suspense and timing."-Chicago Tribune