Chronic pain is a challenging condition to live with on its own – unfortunately, many people living with pain also face mental health challenges. On this episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by Tristen Wybou, Pain BC’s Coaching for Health lead, who has lived and professional experience facing chronic pain and mental health concerns.  He shares with us the correlation between pain and mental health as well as steps those who are living with both can take to better understand their conditions. Listener discretion is advised.  ..read more

What does the future of pain care look like in Canada? This National Pain Awareness Week, we’re joined by Natasha Trehan of Take a Pain Check, a podcast, non-profit organization and virtual community for youth and young adults living with rheumatic diseases. She tells us about the inspiration for Take a Pain Check, her work with Pain Canada, and the importance of raising awareness of chronic pain during weeks like NPAW. To learn more about Take a Pain Check, visit: takeapaincheck.com ..read more

Eight million people in Canada live with pain, an experience that can be isolating. One of the goals of the brand new Putting the Pieces Together conference – designed by people living with pain, for people living with pain – is to create new connections and community. This month on the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by Jenny Lorca, a somatic therapist, Pain BC volunteer, and a member of the steering committee for Putting the Pieces together. To learn more about Putting the Pieces Together, running from November 7-10, 2022, visit: paincanada.ca/events/putting-the-pieces-together ..read more

As many as twenty percent of British Columbians live with pain from a condition known as IBS – irritable bowel syndrome. While heavily stigmatized, raising awareness of IBS and similar conditions can help increase funding for more research and future treatments. This month on the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by Gail Attara, the president of the GI society, who talks to us about what IBS is, resources for living with it and supporting loved ones. We hope no one’s sensitive to poop talk ..read more

Providing appropriate care for chronic pain, mental health and substance use can be challenging to health care providers. That’s where programs like the BC Adaptive Mentorship Network come in, pairing experienced health care Mentors with Mentees in order to build their capacity to better support British Columbians with complex health concerns. On this month’s episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by Sean Ebert and Brenda Poulton, the co-directors of this new initiative ..read more

On January 1st of 2022, the World Health Organization unveiled their new classification standards for diseases. For the first time ever, they have recognized chronic pain as a condition. In this month’s episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by Maria Hudspith, the co-chair of the Canadian Pain Task Force, and Rolf Detlef-Treede, who lead the work on the WHO recognition of chronic pain. They explain what the ICD-11 is and how it could improve care for those living with chronic pain ..read more

From cold weather to social stress, winter and the holidays often present challenges for people living with pain. Are there tips and tricks to make it easier? In this month’s episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by Danielle Harrison, a registered social worker and the Pain Support Line lead at Pain BC. She talks to us about how to stay connected to loved ones, set boundaries with friends and family, and gives advice on how to avoid seasonal depression ..read more

Research into chronic pain is, relatively speaking, quite young – there’s a lot science still doesn’t understand. Could there be a connection between where you are on the globe, circadian rhythms, and pain? In this month’s episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by Dr. Nader Ghasemlou, the principle investigator for the upcoming national Circa Pain study, as well as Hailey Gowdy, the graduate student leading this work. They talk to us about what we already know about pain and circadian rhythms, what they still hope to learn, and how people with lived experience can improve researchers ..read more

An important part of pain research is patient partnership, where researchers work with people with lived experience to understand their perspectives. While patient partners are invaluable to research projects, some feel tokenized -- like their voices are included but largely ignored. How can we change this? In this month’s episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by Dr. Dawn Richards, a researcher, patient partner, and patient engagement expert. She talks to us about a recent blog post she co-authored on the topic of Tokenism in Patient Engagement and offers advice on how to overcome i ..read more

The Canadian Pain Task Force (CPTF) is an external advisory body that has been helping the Government of Canada better understand and address the needs of people living with chronic pain since its inception in March of 2019. The final report from the Task Force, An Action Plan for Pain in Canada, was released to the public on May 5, 2021. The plan lays out recommendations for targeted actions necessary to improve outcomes for the nearly eight million Canadians living with chronic pain and to reduce pain’s impact on families, communities, and society. In this month’s episode of the Pain Waves ..read more