When Unexpected Illness Prompts Career Changes

Justin Balch has lived many lives, having been derailed several times by chronic pain and health issues. While studying as a saxophone performer he developed a mystery pain that forced him to put down his instrument permanently. He adjusted course and became a professional audio engineer, until a barotrauma caused Read more…

Rolling with a Mystery Disability

Like millions of other Americans, Mya suffers from a disabling undiagnosed disease. She experiences constant pain, brain fog, and requires a wheelchair to be mobile. But she is also a viral TikTok sensation, known for her joyous attitude, dance moves and social activism on behalf of the disabled community. In Read more…

Living with Charcot-Marie-Tooth Muscular Dystrophy

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) is a rare form of muscular dystrophy that causes damage to peripheral nerves. It manifests in a variety of ways depending on the individual, but generally causes degenerative muscle weakness and atrophy in the arms and legs. For Brandon Sullivan, it has manifested in having to walk painfully Read more…

Yael

Living with Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Like millions of others in the US, Yael lives with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). As is often the case, Yael experienced the effects of this disorder from an early age, her reality being that of constant worry and intruding thoughts of disaster. It was not until receiving her GAD diagnosis Read more…

Living in Recovery from Drug Addiction and Alcoholism

Kenny Alhadeff is the chairman of Elttaes Enterprises, the Alhadeff Family Charitable Fund and a Broadway producer. He is also a drug addict and alcoholic, who has been successfully living in recovery for 36 years. In this episode of the Major Pain podcast, Kenny shares the story of learning to Read more…

What Is Chiropractic Care, and Can It Help My Pain?

As a child, Derek Strachan became interested in the workings of the human body after a doctor’s misdiagnosis almost cost him his leg. That passion to understand health and wellness led him to become a chiropractor, a practice in which trained specialists use their hands or special tools to adjust Read more…

Living with Seasonal Affective Disorder

Like many living in the Pacific Northwest, pediatric nurse Cara Pierson suffers from seasonal affective disorder, a type of seasonal depression that coincides with the winter months each year. As the science around mental health continues to evolve, it becomes increasingly clear just how much we don’t understand about the Read more…

Living with Chronic Eczema and Topical Steroid Withdrawal

Lauren Du Pree is a performer, singer and filmmaker, who has been living through intensely painful, widespread eczema flareups for most of her life. Eczema is a skin condition which causes patches of skin to become inflamed, itchy, cracked and discolored. While eczema affects more than 10% of the population, Read more…

Living with a Chronic Mystery Illness

Jesse Mercury has been experiencing bizarre health symptoms on and off for most of his life. His symptoms include cognitive impairment, inability to control his arms and legs, difficulty speaking, muscle spasms, extreme fatigue and chronic pain. Throughout his life these symptoms have become increasingly severe, to the point where Read more…