Clinical Pain in Cancer.

. Pain associated with cancer is extensive and can be associated with physical, psychological, and social realities. The reason for the extensive nature of cancer pain is due to the fact that the remainder of the life of a cancer patient can, unfortunately, be one of not only physical pain due to the condition itself but also pain arising from continuing debilitation and even disfiguration; these consequences in turn can inhibit the patient's social interaction and depress his psychological mood.

In cases of cancer, pain may be experienced not only as a function of the disease and/or social and psychological realities necessitated by the disease, but also as a function of medical treatments aimed at remediating the disease. For example, radiotherapy or chemotherapy can produce nausea and vomiting as well as feelings of extreme bodily fatigue and sensitivity. Any pain alleviation treatment would have to take these various sources of pain into account.

2) Discuss the concept of clinical pain in obstetrics.

Unlike cancer in which dysfunctional bodily processes produce high levels of pain, childbirth is a normal bodily process that can generate high pain levels. However, the fact that severity of childbirth pain varies widely from culture to culture suggests that attitude is a component of the pain experience. If one's cultural or ethnic background contribute to the perception of a low pain threshold, then one's experience of pain in conjunction with childbirth will be i

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patients are confronted with a variety of psychological and social problems; most typical is the experience of anxiety or fear. The text discussed the case of Mrs. E who was said to be anxious over the implications of her illness. Specific posthypnotic instructions such as suggestions that she would feel more relaxed and cheerful helped to elevate her mood and mental functioning. In some cases, patients are depressed because the disease has so debilitated their bodies that they are unable to function physically. In one remarkable case mentioned in the text, hypnosis was used to facilitate out-of-body experiences of a cancer patient whose illness confined her to bed. In the trance state, she left her sick body, went into the living room and watched television. It was found that these experiences greatly elevated her mood. Sometimes cancer patients withdraw from certain social interactions. For example, prior to cancer, Mrs. E was said to derive great enjoyment from interactions with friends. However, after the pain began she became increasingly withdrawn from social interaction. Hypnotic suggestion and therapeutic discussion helped to get her to renew her involvement in friendly interactions. Sometimes the disease has

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