The Why and How of Happiness (and pain reduction)
While visiting family in Louisiana recently I got into a conversation with my brother-in-law, Dr. Monroe Laborde, about chronic pain. As an orthopaedic specialist and surgeon, he is of course an advocate of staying physically in motion despite pain (unless your doctor has said otherwise), and taking physical therapy to stretch and strengthen problem areas. But these things and even surgery don’t always solve the pain. When this is the case, Monroe recommends a variety of books as well as cognitive behavioral therapy, which he says can help people accept and lessen chronic pain, as well as to better cope with the stress, anxiety and depression it can cause. He is also a firm believer that happiness can reduce pain and stress.
As we spoke, Monroe described his efforts over the years to help his patients whose spine pain (especially lower back pain) wasn’t improving, even after repeat surgeries. Monroe decided to take courses in cognitive behavioral therapy and began leading group workshop sessions for his chronic pain patients. During this time Monroe found books that deal with relaxation and meditation which can benefit pain sufferers. He also found books about the therapeutic and far-reaching benefits of happiness. Monroe says that his workshop and book recommendations proved beneficial for patients, and for Monroe as well, in his own personal pursuit for lessening work and life stress.
Monroe has written a fascinating article on pain, stress and happiness that is published on a professional website called The White Coat Investor. His article The Why and How of Happiness includes links to several books he finds useful. Perhaps his insights and suggestions can be helpful for you, or those you care about who are dealing with chronic pain.
In any case, we know that happiness is one of the few things we can’t get too much of in life – so seeking ways to create more of it sounds like a good idea for both physical and mental health.
(In the future I’ll interview Dr. Laborde about his expertise in developing a successful treatment for diabetic foot problems, which could potentially prevent 1 million amputations a year, worldwide.)
(Photo in this article provided by Dr. Monroe Laborde)
For our readers: If you have read any of the books Dr. Laborde mentions in his online article and would like to share the ways in which they might have helped you manage chronic pain, feel free to comment in the section below this article.
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About Dr. Laborde
Dr J. Monroe Laborde practices Orthopaedic Surgery at Touro infirmary in New Orleans and is director of foot surgery at LSUHSC. He received the national United Cerebral Palsy Outstanding Community Service Award in 2000, UCPGNO Outstanding Community Service Award 2004 and was elected president of the American Diabetes Association New Orleans leadership Council in 2005. Selected as an innovator of the year by City Business in 2008, he was elected to the honorary American Orthopaedic Association in 2010. He was listed in Leading Physicians of the World, International Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 2013-17. Dr Laborde was recognized as Outstanding Tulane Biomedical Engineering Alumnus in 2017 and Marquis Who’s Who Lifetime Achievement Award 2017-9. He was nominated for America’s Best Physicians by the National Consumer Advisory Board 2017-23. Dr Laborde is on the Board of the Academy of Ambulatory Foot & Ankle Surgery, Department of Biomedical Engineering at Tulane University, University of Holy Cross, Bahamas Podiatric Medical Association and the Almar Foundation.
In 1969 he obtained a bachelor’s degree with honors in engineering from Tulane University & is a registered engineer in La. In 1973 he received an M.D. from Tulane University. In 1975 he spent a year doing orthopaedic research on the spine and received a Masters of Biomedical Engineering at Case Institute of Technology. He was an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Orthopaedic Surgery at Vanderbilt University and in 1981 became chief of Orthopaedics at the Nashville Veterans Administration Medical Center. He received several research grants for research on the spine. Since July 1981 he has been practicing Orthopaedic Surgery at Touro Infirmary in New Orleans. He a has had teaching appointments in the Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and Biomedical Engineering at Tulane & Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at LSUHSC. He was chairman of Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery at Touro Infirmary, January 1990 to January 1993. He has reviewed submitted articles prior to publication for journals Foot & Ankle International, Orthopedics, Foot & Ankle Orthopedics & AS Orthopaedics. He is on the Editorial Boards of World Journal of Orthopaedics since 2010, Austin Orthopedics, since 2015, JSM Foot & Ankle and Podiatric surgery: Clinics in Surgery since 2016, the J. of Orthopedics since 2018, AS Orthopaedics since 2019 & Orthopedics & Rehab J. since 2020. He has lectured as invited faculty at multiple national & international medical meetings.
He is board certified in Orthopaedic Surgery and Forensic Medicine. He was medical director of Soboloff Center for Children and chairman of the Medical Advisory Board of United Cerebral Palsy of Greater New Orleans. He has over 50 publications on arthritis, spinal problems, biomechanics, chronic pain, happiness and foot problems, which have been cited by other authors over 500 times. He has a book chapter on diabetic foot problem treatment & eight of his publications were the first publications about various aspects of treatment. He helped developed successful tendon balancing treatments for diabetic foot problems which could potentially prevent up to 1 million amputations a year worldwide.