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I described a program that is in wide use across the country to treat chronic pain. It bears repeating here that treating pain is not medically sound. Pain is a symptom, like fever. It has been elevated to the status of a separate disorder on the hypothesis that certain psychological factors cause the patient to exaggerate the pain. As stated before, this theory requires that one acknowledge the continuing presence of a structural reason for the painβwhich is then exaggerated. In
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John E. Sarno (Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection)