Pain and dualism: Which dualism?

Area of Science:

• Medical Philosophy
• Pain Medicine
• Healthcare Studies

Background:

• The pervasive influence of Cartesian dualism in medical approaches is widely acknowledged.
• However, biomedicine incorporates multiple dualisms beyond the mind-body dichotomy.
• These dualisms significantly affect the understanding and treatment of complex pain conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically examine the multifaceted dualisms embedded within the biomedical approach to disease.
• To investigate how epistemological dualism, prioritizing physician knowledge over patient experience, impacts pain management.
• To explore the role of dualism in the delegitimization of chronic pain patients, particularly those with fibromyalgic syndrome.

Main Methods:

• Philosophical analysis of dualistic frameworks in medical literature.
• Examination of epistemological hierarchies in clinical encounters.
• Case study analysis focusing on fibromyalgic syndrome and chronic pain experiences.

Main Results:

• Multiple dualisms, including epistemological ones, shape biomedical disease conceptualization.
• The primacy of physician-derived knowledge over patient suffering leads to inadequate care for complex pain.
• Dualistic assumptions reinforce the marginalization and disbelief directed towards chronic pain patients.

Conclusions:

• The biomedical model's reliance on multiple dualisms hinders effective treatment of complex pain.
• Re-evaluating the epistemological authority in healthcare is crucial.
• Solutions necessitate a restructuring of healthcare services to better integrate and validate patient experiences of suffering.