DocWorking: The Whole Physician Podcast
Education:How To
“One physician who learned these ideas told me at a conference that it had put the joy back into her work. So, it really can turn a practice around to learn how to do this.” -Dr. David Clarke
In episode 163, Dr. Jen Barna welcomes Dr. David Clarke to the podcast! Dr. Clarke is a gastroenterologist, President of the Psychophysiologic Disorders Association and author of They Can’t Find Anything Wrong! Psychophysiologic disorders are somatic illness symptoms induced by hidden stressors. When he began his practice as a GI doctor, Dr. Clarke noticed a large number of his patients had symptoms, some so severe they resulted in multiple hospitalizations, with no identifiable underlying cause. This observation was the beginning of his journey toward identifying these patients and connecting their physical illness with hidden stressors, and then treating them with what is known as Pain Reprocessing Therapy with tremendously successful results.
In the first half of this episode, Dr. Clarke shares the reasons that psychophysiologic disorders can be common in healthcare workers, and how they are also very common among patients. He tells us the five different types of stress he looks for in the systematic process he uses to evaluate patients, to identify the different kinds of stresses that can commonly produce physical symptoms. He also shares success stories of patients he has treated. This is a fascinating field and according to Dr. Clarke, “When you are aware of it and know to look for it, that is how you achieve the best outcomes.” This is a two-part interview, so please join us for Episode 164 on Thursday for the continuation of this conversation!
David D. Clarke, MD is President of the Psychophysiologic Disorders Association. He is also Assistant Director at the Center for Ethics and Clinical Assistant Professor of Gastroenterology Emeritus both at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon, USA. As Faculty Associate at Arizona State University and at the Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies, he teaches graduate courses on Psychophysiologic Medicine. His book for patients, They Can’t Find Anything Wrong!,(Sentient Publications, 2007) was praised by a president of the American Psychosomatic Society as “truly remarkable.” He was also the lead editor for the professional textbook Psychophysiologic Disorders (KDP Publishing, 2019) which has sixteen contributors from five countries.
He is board-certified in Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine and practiced Gastroenterology in Portland from 1984 to 2009. During that time he diagnosed and treated over 7000 patients whose symptoms were not explained by diagnostic testing.
Dr. Clarke is a graduate of Williams College (Phi Beta Kappa) and the University of Connecticut School of Medicine where he received the Mosby Award for Clinical Excellence. He completed internship and residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Gastroenterology at Harbor/UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. He has been a Visiting Professor at the Royal Children's Hospital in Brisbane, Australia and at Oxford University in England. Dr. Clarke has lectured extensively on Psychophysiologic Disorders to health care professionals and the public across North America and in Europe. He has appeared on over 100 television and radio broadcasts throughout the U.S. Websites are Stressillness.com and PPDAssociation.org.
Some additional references related to Pain Reprocessing Therapy:
A film about a radical cure for chronic pain
THIS MIGHT HURT
https://www.thismighthurtfilm.com/
How therapy, not pills, can nix chronic pain and change the brain
https://www.colorado.edu/today/2021/09/29/how-therapy-not-pills-can-nix-chronic-pain-and-change-brain
Effect of Pain Reprocessing Therapy vs Placebo and Usual Care for Patients With Chronic Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Yoni K Ashar et al. JAMA Psychiatry. 2022.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34586357/
Find full transcripts of DocWorking: The Whole Physician Podcast episodes on the DocWorking Blog
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Podcast produced by: Amanda Taran
190: Physician Entrepreneurship and the Path to Success with Dr. Jeffrey Hausfeld
189: How Intentions Can Impact Financial Independence for Physicians with Dr. Cobin Soelberg
188: Leadership in Medicine: Playing to Your Strengths to Maximize Your Potential with Dr. Rik Nemanick
187: Luxury Airbnb Investing for Busy Medical Professionals with Dr. Rachel Gainsbrugh
186: Becoming a Doctor, the Struggle Is Real with Dr. Jeep & Vanessa Naum
185: Editor’s Pick- 115: Physicians and the Power of Mentorship with Dr. Umaru Barrie
184: How to Build a Side Gig Without Giving Up Your Clinical Career with Dr. Ernesto Gutierrez
183: The Secret to Less Stress & a Calmer Mind with Dr. Ryan Niemiec
182: To the Brink and Back: Burnout to Balance with Dr. Tammie Chang
181: Leading the Way for More Black Doctors and the Importance of Mentorship with Dr. Russell Ledet MD PHD MBA
180: The Paradigm Shift To Cure Chronic Pain for You and Your Patients with Dr. Howard Schubiner
179: Pros and Cons of a Physician Career in Rural Practice with Mary Wolf
178: How the Right Recruiter Can Help You Solve Your Work-Life Balance Problem With Dr. John Mehall
177: When Physicians Benefit by Being Less Intense
176: From Student Loan Debt to Financial Success with MoneyFitMD Dr. Latifat Akintade
175: The Physician Brain, Neuroplasticity & New Horizons with Dr. Joseph Maroon
174: Keys to Flourishing for Physicians with Dr. Ryan Niemiec
173: Winning the Healthcare Staffing Battle with Bernie Frazier
172: Healthcare Burnout & PTSD with Dr. James Zender
171: What Healthcare Organizations Need To Do To Keep Their Doctors
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