A pain specialist practitioner and advocate for careful pain control describes opioid use within the larger context of pain management modalities. This solid introduction is written in lay-person's terms, couched in a self help-style book, detailing alternative pain relief options.

Library Journal

This groundbreaking book is a comprehensive guide to understanding and managing chronic pain. Chronic pain is a complex condition, but Akhtar Purvez offers a multi-dimensional approach to treatment so that doctors and patients can find the right combination of modalities in order to preserve quality of life as much as is possible. The book is written in an easy-to-understand, conversational style, so it is not just for medical professionals. It is essential reading for anyone whose life is touched by chronic pain—from sufferers themselves, to the doctors who treat them, to those who care for them.

Toni Bernhard, author of How to Be Sick: A Buddhist-Inspired Guide for the Chronically Ill and Their Caregivers (2nd edition, 2018) and How to Live Well with Chronic Pain and Illness: A Mindful Guide (2015)

Perhaps the two most important qualities in a pain doctor are knowledge and compassion. Akhtar Purvez has written a book that is very rich in both. I recommend this book to anyone living with pain, or professionals who work with others in pain. It is an important book at this crucial time where new methods for managing pain are urgently needed if we are to overcome the opioid addiction crisis besetting many of our health care systems.

Vidyamala Burch, co-author of You are Not Your Pain and founder of Breathworks