Behavioral Techniques in the Control of Pain: A Case for Health Maintenance vs. Disease Treatment

Abstract

In a country which spends millions of dollars each year on drugs, medical care and hospitalization, isn’t it ironic that so little attention is paid to PREVENTION? One cannot deny that disease treatment has made great strides in many areas over the years; in fact, the need for many disease treatments has been virtually wiped out by that very effective preventive tool, vaccination. Communicable disease control could make even more dramatic strides, however, were society in general and medical practitioners in particular HEALTH ORIENTED rather than disease-centered. Traditional medical care, including needless hospitalization, often results in little improvement in the patient’s condition; in fact, exposure to an unfamiliar environment and other factors may trigger infections, drug reactions and other complications which worsen the patient’s situation.