Michael Lovelace English 1102 Ms.

Caruso 4/9/13 Cap Memo

This letter is a representation of extensive research done on the topic of pain management and how it affects people differently. Also its an attempt to prove to the public and the author that there is no connection between age, personality, and gender when it comes to pain management. It has come to my attention that many students and professionals of all kind are always trying to narrow down and pin point the actuality of some psychological factors when in reality they just cant be explained. The real secret to the problem is the persons mood and mental state.

Psychology of pain management

Dear J Anaesth, It has come to my attention that in your article you have made some very false claims about pain management. Right now I ask you to sit and ponder on your most excruciating pain youve felt growing up as a child and adult. Now I would like you to think about how you would feel if someone told you that pain you had wasnt real and that you were lying about your pain. That would upset you right? Well thats how I feel

you are acting towards your claims of gender, age, and personality being factors of pain management without doing proper research. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins inc., an academic and medical, performed a study in 1999 showing the results of a pain based upon gender. After the study, women tended to feel more intense pain than men, along with more chronic headaches and somatic problems. However both men and women reported the same level of threat from the pain and no difference in emotional pains. Another study done by the Department of Psychology at the University of Alabama stated that sex role beliefs, pain coping strategies, mood, pain related expectancies along with intergenerational influences could also have effects on pain management in gender. Therefore this helps prove my point that gender cant be considered a factor for pain management because not every person is the same. Another myth I would like to address in todays society is that age has anything to do with pain management. It has been proven that younger kids do feel more intense pain than your average adult due to having a more robust inflammatory response and lack of a central inhibitory influence, meaning they have greater pain sensations. However, the way that the patient or child tends to deal with the pain is entirely up to them as an individual. Just as elderly and adults of all kind deal with chronic and acute pain every day, some take medications for the pain and others just deal with it and move on with their day. Its all about who you are and how you deal with the pain. Leading me to my next factor of personality, I have done tons of research and none of which can directly point a specific personality around a certain pain. Its not the pain that produces the personality or the personality that manages certain types of pain better than others. Its the fact that if you as a person have a good personality, you are well

rested, calm, relaxed, happy- go- lucky, and just are enjoying life then its easier to deal with pain or push pain away and not feel any at all. So I encourage you to sit down and perform a little more research on your topics of discussion before you jump to conclusions in your article. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Michael Lovelace I really liked your subject material and everything you touch on. You make a super valid point. Id love to see the article youre responding to, or maybe a few direct quote from it as you hit on each point they did that lacked research?

Works Cited Anaesth, J.. "Role of Psycholgy in Pain Management ." oxfordjournals.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr 2013. <http://bja.oxfordjournals.org/content/87/1/144.full>.