Yeah I mean I’ve followed a lot of the research and what you’re saying makes some sense but also is obviously a bit of a simplification right — theories about migraines talk about signals misprocessed as pain, or over-sensitization, but also mitochondrial dysfunction or even things as simple as TMJ causing tension which triggers a migraine after a tension headache… it seems like it’s a complicated picture since some people respond to certain therapies but not others…

I also wonder how much you’ve researched about dopamine imbalances. One thing I’ve wondered is how much pain or anxiety could have to do with compulsive, addictive behavior that is often used to get a rush when one is feeling down. I’ve read theories that things like anxiety or migraines are sometimes linked to dopamine issues. Maybe if someone is frying those receptors by constantly stimulating them, whether it’s hardcore porn or just their favorite video game for 8 hours a day, could they be impacting how their brain processes other info?

And in that case, maybe for some people it’s as simple as “stop doing those things and let your brain readjust to a lower level of dopamine”. And in this case, I’d think difficulty actually stopping could be indicative of finding a source of a problem right? If someone is experiencing chronic pain for example, and tries to stop doing certain behaviors because they think it may be a causative factor, but despite their brutal pain they’re unable to stop (I know someone like this) it makes me think — okay that’s truly addictive behavior. If you are literally disabled by your pain and the prospect of being pain free isn’t enough to prevent you from seeking that high, you’re hardcore addicted.

There’s a shocking dearth of research on addictive behaviors, their correlations with chronic pain conditions, and the association between cessation of the behaviors with reduction in pain levels. I can’t find a single study that, for example, took a group of pain sufferers, compared their internet surfing behaviors with a control group of pain free people, then attempted an intervention of stopping the surfing, and measuring the effects of that.

Just food for thought. I’d personally like to think pain levels are something we can modulate with behavior, and someone with pain isn’t simply doomed to always be overly sensitive. I’d like to think we can make lifestyle choices, even things as simple as getting good sleep, that will lower that threshold