The Science Behind the Symptoms: Placebos and Nocebos

The Science Behind the Symptoms: PGAD/Urethral Pain

Laura tells her 4 year story of what started as urethral pain. As her many diagnoses to explain this accumulated, eventually she also developed bladder and pelvic pain.Her main symptom was an usual one and little talked about - 'persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD)'. In order to explain her symptoms however, she was given many different diagnoses including: Interstitial cystitis, endometriosis, Tarlov's cysts, pudendal neuralgia, pelvic congestion syndrome and more. We appreciate Laura sharing her story with us of her path through the medical system of many different doctors, diagnoses, medicines and treatments. Despite all of this, she continued suffering until she found the neuroplastic work and was able to heal.

The Science Behind the Symptoms: EDS and Hypermobility

Dr. Howard Schubiner and Dr. Becca Kennedy sit down with Gigi Cockell to discuss her experience living with EDS and hypermobility and the chronic symptoms she experienced. Gigi shares her journey of searching for answers and how learning about neuroplastic symptoms helped her understand the role the brain can play in generating real physical pain and other conditions. Her story offers a hopeful perspective for others with EDS and hypermobility who may feel stuck in ongoing symptoms and are looking for a new way to approach recovery.Fransiska Malfait et al., “Classic Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome,” in GeneReviews®, ed. Margaret P.Adam et al. (University of Washington, Seattle, 1993), http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1244/.Anne De Paepe and Fransiska Malfait, “The Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome, a Disorder with ManyFaces,” Clinical Genetics 82, no. 1 (2012): 1, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1399-0004.2012.01858.x.Mark Scheper et al., “The Association between Muscle Strength and Activity Limitations in Patientswith the Hypermobility Type of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: The Impact of Proprioception,”Disability and Rehabilitation 39, no. 14 (2017): 1391–97, https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2016.1196396.Cortney Gensemer et al., “Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes: Complex Phenotypes, ChallengingDiagnoses, and Poorly Understood Causes,” Developmental Dynamics: An Official Publication of theAmerican Association of Anatomists 250, no. 3 (2021): 318–44, https://doi.org/10.1002/dvdy.220;Sabeeha Malek et al., “The Beighton Score as a Measure of Generalised Joint Hypermobility,”Rheumatology International 41, no. 10 (2021): 1707–16, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-021- 04832-4.Able Lawrence, “Benign Joint Hypermobility Syndrome,” Indian Journal of Rheumatology, SoftTissue Rheumatism, vol. 9 (2014): S33–36, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.injr.2014.09.009.Gere Luder et al., “THU0622-HPR Discriminating Conditional and Functional Factors for WomenWith and Without Hypermobility—an Observational Study,” Poster Presentations, Annals of theRheumatic Diseases 74, no. Suppl. 2 (2015): Suppl 2, https://doi.org/10.1136/annrheumdis-2015- eular.1742.Peter R. Reuter and Kaylee R. Fichthorn, “Prevalence of Generalized Joint Hypermobility, MusculoskeletalInjuries, and Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain among American University Students,”PeerJ 7 (2019): e7625, https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7625.Leslie N. Russek and Deanna M. Errico, “Prevalence, Injury Rate and, Symptom Frequency inGeneralized Joint Laxity and Joint Hypermobility Syndrome in a ‘Healthy’ College Population,”Clinical Rheumatology 35, no. 4 (2016): 1029–39, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-015-2951-9.Darcisio Hortelan Antonio and Claudia Saad Magalhaes, “Survey Joint Hypermobility inUniversity Students Aged 18-25 Years Old,” Advances in Rheumatology 58, no. 1 (2018): 3,https://doi.org/10.1186/s42358- 018- 0008-x.

The Science Behind the Symptoms: Back Pain

Malissa's full recovery from years of chronic, debilitating back painIn this episode of The Science Behind the Symptoms, Howard Schubiner, MD, and Becca Kennedy, MD, discuss Malissa’s story and examine the science behind how chronic back pain, diagnosed by multiple specialists as stemming from real degenerative findings on MRI, can completely resolve without medicines, procedures, external devices or surgery.   As Malissa began searching for answers beyond what the specialists had told her and uncovered the true reasons her brain was trying to protect her, her pain began to shift.   This conversation connects the science of learned neural pathways with the courage to change relational patterns, offering evidence-based hope for anyone living with chronic pain.Sources:Brinjikji et al. MRI Findings of Disc Degeneration are More Prevalent in Adults with Low Back Pain than in Asymptomatic Controls: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2015 Dec;36(12):2394-9. doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A4498. Epub 2015 Sep 10. PMID: 26359154; PMCID: PMC7964277.Slater et al. "Sit Up Straight": Time to Re-evaluate. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2019 Aug;49(8):562-564. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2019.0610. PMID: 31366294.https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/04/13/in-a-growing-share-of-u-s-marriages-husbands-and-wives-earn-about-the-same/

The Science Behind the Symptoms: Placebos and Nocebos

In this episode, Becca Kennedy, M.D., and Howard Schubiner, M.D., examine how placebo and nocebo effects shape real health outcomes. They discuss how expectations can drive real physiological change, for better or worse, and why understanding these effects matters in medical care.

The Science Behind the Symptoms, Episode 7: POTS

In this episode, Dr. Howard Schubiner and Dr. Becca Kennedy examine POTS through the framework of neuroplastic symptoms. They explore the science behind how symptoms can develop and persist, and why approaching POTS with curiosity can create new possibilities for healing. The conversation offers clarity, hope, and insight into emerging research and neuroplastic recovery therapies for those living with POTS.