Doctor in molecular biology Estanislao Bachrach shook the world of neuroscience with a statement that challenges traditional medicine: «The best painkillers are in the stomach.» In an interview, the specialist assured that modifying breathing patterns can calm pain and, most strikingly, make suffering disappear.
Bachrach, recognized for his research on brain plasticity, did not mince words: «I believe that the best painkillers are in the stomach, and when you change the way you breathe, the breathing patterns, it calms pain, but above all, suffering disappears.» A declaration that challenges the pharmaceutical industry and puts the focus on tools within everyone’s reach.
The scientist assured that self-knowledge is not a privilege for a few. «Anyone can access it. Many of us cannot access it alone; we need a coach, a therapist, a best friend. Sometimes, one gets enlightened by reading a book or listening to a podcast,» he explained. But he warned that it requires «discipline, time, effort, attention – what we adults say we don’t have.»
Meditation, according to Bachrach, is the key to transforming the brain. «You begin to modify the structure and, sometimes, the function of certain areas of the brain, of neurons. Especially attention, because meditating is bringing attention to a single place,» he detailed. And he was emphatic: «Here, you can’t see the brain differently, but in the MRI you do see it. It can be seen through technology and you feel it.»
But beware, it is not magic or a bed of roses. «The great challenge is to sustain it over time, because if you go to the gym to do biceps for two months and then stop going, the muscle returns to its place. The same happens with the brain. If you train with meditation for several months and then stop meditating, it goes back,» warned the biologist.
Modern science, according to Bachrach, now supports what once seemed esoteric. «For many years, thanks to the lack of technology, there wasn’t much scientific evidence of the impact this had on the body, the brain, and especially on well-being,» he noted. But now «there is a lot of scientific evidence of the impact it has on feeling better. Who doesn’t want to feel better in life? So, I always say that you don’t have to use these tools, but they are there available. They are free, they are easy to learn, but they require patience, effort, discipline, consistency… things that adults don’t have.»
The specialist, who suffers from chronic migraines, shared his own experience: «I began to realize, with the help of a cognitive-behavioral therapist, that besides hurting a lot, I suffered a lot. That’s when I started to distinguish the difference between suffering (which has more to do with the mind) and pain, which is something natural that happens to the body and always goes away. Pain appears and always goes away. Now it still hurts, but I no longer suffer.»
In a crisis, Bachrach recommended finding a personal tool: «Each person has to find their own tool or tools so that suffering becomes just pain. And seeking help, sometimes, doesn’t have to be with a doctor, nor does it have to be a therapist. It can be a person, a family member you love or who loves you, a best friend.»
In a world where anxiety and depression hit hard, Bachrach’s statements invite us to rethink the management of emotional pain. Are we ready to set aside painkillers and listen to our stomach?
Para mí esto es una joda, Bachrach es un vendido al sistema como toda la ciencia burguesa. Los analgésicos no están en el estómago, están en la lucha de clases, che. Mientras él habla de autoconocimiento, la clase obrera sufre explotación. El verdadero dolor se elimina con revolución, no con respiración. ¡Viva la lucha, carajo!
para mi bachrach es un vendehumo el dolor se cura con huevos no con respiraciones pedorras esto huele a curro de la ciencia zurda a sufrir se aprende carajo dejense de joder con las pavadas new age 🖕