Pain Part 1: The Invisible Disease

Carry the One Radio: The Science Podcast

Ever stepped on a Lego? Taken a fall during a sports match? Had an awful headache? Yeah, we have, too. Why are they all such awful experiences? Well, simply put, they all cause pain. But… what exactly is pain?
In the first episode of our two-part mini-series on pain, we will hear from experts in the field of pain research: Dr. Allan Basbaum, Professor and Chair of the Department of Anatomy at UCSF, as well as Dr. Ishmail Abdus-Saboor, Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Pennsylvania.
They will help us to define pain, figure out what factors contribute to how we feel pain, and classify it in various ways. We will also hear personal stories from a friend who has been dealing with chronic pain for many years now. As we’ll learn, pain can really affect the way a person lives their life, and can be a disease in and of itself. Once we understand pain a little better, we can start to treat it! So, stay tuned for the second episode in the mini-series where we’ll learn what our experts are doing to further understand and combat pain.
This episode was written and produced by Nancy Cai, Cindy Liu, Ryan Morrie, and Marilyn Steyert. Music in this episode is by Blue Dot Sessions. Episode art by Ryan Morrie.