Word: bonica
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...John Bonica, 67, onetime professional wrestler and a prime mover in establishing the study of pain as a science: "If I wasn't as busy as I am, I would be a completely disabled...
...combining the skills of doctors in many disciplines to deal with pain was pioneered by Bonica at the University of Washington Medical Center's Clinical Pain Service in Seattle (see box). Treatment at a pain clinic begins with a thorough workup, including physical, psychological, neurologic, orthopedic, radiologic and laboratory examinations. If a physical problem is detected-a tumor pressing on a nerve, a slipped disc-surgery or some other appropriate treatment will be recommended...
Hypnosis, biofeedback and TENS stimulation, once considered "fringe" methods of treatment, have earned respectable places in the pain clinic arsenal. Acupuncture, which tends to give only temporary analgesia, has a smaller following. According to Bonica, TENS provides significant short-term relief for 65% to 80% of patients and long-term relief for 30% to 35%. The electrical stimulating devices are widely available at costs ranging from $60 to $400. Biofeedback...
...Bonica's grizzled features and no-nonsense bedside manner belie the depth of his feeling for the suffering. Recently, when talking of treating a woman in Saudi Arabia whose face had literally been eaten away by cancer, his eyes began welling with tears...
Those millions of Americans who suffer from chronic pain have cause to be thankful for Bonica's tenacity. He has helped make much of the medical profession aware of both the compassion and the specialized approach needed to deal with the agony of pain. Twenty-three years ago he helped found the University of Washington Medical Center's Clinical Pain Service, in Seattle, which has be come a model for similar clinics across the country. Here, sufferers from chronic pain can be examined by medical specialists in a variety of fields, from orthopedics to psychiatry, in an attempt...