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Dr. Rachel Zoffness

@drzoffness.bsky.social

6.4K followers 1.6K following 300 posts

Pain scientist. Asst Clinical prof @ UCSF, lecture @ Stanford. Psychologist. Disruptor. Author📚 The Pain Management Workbook. Neuroscience nerd 🧠 #medsky #medtwitter #SciComm #neuroskyence zoffness.com

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Dr. Rachel Zoffness @drzoffness.bsky.social · Nov 17

❌ There is no "pain center" in the brain.

🧠 Rather, pain is a diffuse neurological process involving MANY brain sites, including PFC (attention), cerebral cortex (thoughts) + limbic system, critical parts of our emotion circuitry💥

📣 Pain is *both* physical and emotional ALWAYS 👏🏼
#MedSky #psyscisky

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Dr. Rachel Zoffness @drzoffness.bsky.social · 6d

Oh my.

Dr. Rachel Zoffness @drzoffness.bsky.social · 6d

Jane Goodall was one of the reasons I decided to study animal behavior, biology & neuroscience. She was living proof that women DO and *WILL ALWAYS* belong in science. RIP Dear Dr. Goodall 🙏🏼♥️

www.latimes.com/obituaries/s...

Jane Goodall, trailblazing naturalist whose intimate observations of chimpanzees transformed our understanding of humankind, has died

Jane Goodall, the trailblazing naturalist whose intimate observations of chimpanzees in the African wild produced powerful insights that transformed basic conceptions of humankind, has died. She was 9...

www.latimes.com

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Dr. Rachel Zoffness @drzoffness.bsky.social · 12d

The secret to pain management?
👉🏼 Reduce fear, stress & anxiety.
👉🏼Engage the BRAIN & all 5 senses, including touch 🧠
👉🏼Distract.
👉🏼Help patients feel safe. Soothe.
👉🏼Lower the brain's danger alarm. 🚨

Kudos to doctors who employ strategies like therapy dogs to lower pain volume 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙌🏼

WeRateDogs @weratedogs.com · 13d

This is Annie. She is a dental therapy dog. Her job is to help patients experiencing anxiety by providing emotional support. While dentists go through years of schooling to treat patients Annie is able to lower their blood pressure and reduce anxiety just by being there. 14/10 (TT: funny.bunny9215)

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Dr. Rachel Zoffness @drzoffness.bsky.social · 14d

This made lol, thank you

Reposted by Dr. Rachel Zoffness

Kyle Swanson, MD, FAANS, FCNS @kiswanson.medsky.social · 15d

It is crazy that in America your lifetime risk of death from a firearm is higher than a car accident

Odds of Dying (2023 Data) - Injury Facts

Knowing the odds of dying is the first step in beating them. New 2023 data shows the risks from plane crashes, guns, falls and more.

injuryfacts.nsc.org

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Dr. Rachel Zoffness @drzoffness.bsky.social · 14d

totes. Still my favorite podcast of all time, shhhhhh 🤫
#dolorology

Dr. Rachel Zoffness @drzoffness.bsky.social · 16d

Hi! I appreciate the passion but that's not what the studies show AT ALL. They simply show a correlation between poor sleep & fibro, which is well established. There is nothing in these papers to suggest that SDB *causes* fibro nor that treating SDB is the cure. Sleep is only part of the problem 🙏🏼

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Dr. Rachel Zoffness @drzoffness.bsky.social · 17d

Where do these "big three" symptoms come from, are they in the DSM, from research, or is this your observation from clinical work? It tracks for me as a clinician, but I've never heard this before...!

Dr. Rachel Zoffness @drzoffness.bsky.social · 19d

Perhaps. But the points made in this book are a bit different. The author, one of the authors of the DSM, describes how we've expanded the definition of "depression" so significantly that it now encompasses NORMAL human experiences of sadness. We are literally medicating normal all the time now.

Dr. Rachel Zoffness @drzoffness.bsky.social · 19d

Saving Normal by Dr. Allen Frances is the most important book I've read in a decade, hands down. Covers the definitions of "normal" & "abnormal" mental health, & the over-medicalization/over-medicating of society.

5 stars. Recommend to everyone you know ⭐️ #medsky #psychsky #neuroskyence 🧪

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Reposted by Dr. Rachel Zoffness

Emma Mitchell @silverpebble2.bsky.social · 24d

Younger daughter and I have been working on prototypes for the small portable museums that will be in my Etsy shop soon. We’ll be making a wooden grid in each tin for the finds & a booklet about the neuroscience of how collecting & arranging your finds alleviates anxiety & lifts mood #mentalhealth

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Reposted by Dr. Rachel Zoffness

Ryan Estrada @ryanestrada.com · Sep 6

Just a reminder to check for your name in this list of books that OpenAI trained from. If your name is there, they probably owe you several thousand dollars.

OpenAI cried that if everyone eligible author files, the company will go bankrupt, so I'm alerting every author I have ever spoken to.

Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI

Millions of books and scientific papers are captured in the collection’s current iteration.

www.theatlantic.com

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Reposted by Dr. Rachel Zoffness

Stephani Sutherland @sutherlandphd.bsky.social · Aug 21

I’ve resurrected my monthly newsletter, Notes on Pain eepurl.com/jh0VaM

Notes on Pain Aug 2025

eepurl.com

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Dr. Rachel Zoffness @drzoffness.bsky.social · Aug 25

I didn't even know you had this! So excited, will share.

Dr. Rachel Zoffness @drzoffness.bsky.social · Aug 21

What a great example of the connection between brain and body!! 👶🏻🍼😁

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Reposted by Dr. Rachel Zoffness

Nick Ng @nickngjournalist.bsky.social · Aug 17

3 chronic #lowbackpain treatments have promising long-term results based on curent body of research:

🤾 Exercise
👩‍⚕️ Psychological treatments (e.g. CBT, ACT)
🤝 Self-management programs

A highlight of myths and what mostly works for cLBP.

#painscience #pain

massagefitnessmag.com/massage/chro...

Chronic low back pain: What sciences supports vs. what it doesn’t - Massage & Fitness Magazine

Key takeaways Chronic low back pain stems from multiple causes, including biological, psychological, societal, and environmental factors. The current body of research points out that a multidisciplin...

massagefitnessmag.com

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Reposted by Dr. Rachel Zoffness

Danielle Beckman @daniellebeckman.bsky.social · Aug 13

Yesterday marked 11 years since we lost #RobinWilliams to suicide. A reminder that the brightest smiles can sometimes hide the deepest struggles. He was misdiagnosed with Parkinson's when he had Lewy body dementia (confirmed on autopsy). Check your friends 🖤 #MentalHealthMatters

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Reposted by Dr. Rachel Zoffness

Josh Trebach, MD @jtrebach.bsky.social · Aug 7

👋 medical toxicologist here and I am begging people to not take this gas station “wellness” drink

want to know why?? 🧵

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Reposted by Dr. Rachel Zoffness

Science Friday @scifri.bsky.social · Aug 5

📚Calling all science book lovers!

Join the SciFri Book Club, an online community to connect with fellow readers, dive into science books, and attend events like author talks. This month, we’re reading “Our Moon” by Rebecca Boyle.

buff.ly/TMeMqL8

Cover of Our Moon book cover on the background there is a library

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Reposted by Dr. Rachel Zoffness

ME/CFS research @cfsresearch.bsky.social · Jan 26

The mind/body revolution: how the division between ‘mental’ and ‘physical’ illness fails us all www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

The mind/body revolution: how the division between ‘mental’ and ‘physical’ illness fails us all

New research shows western medicine’s traditional split between brain and body is, in fact, far from clear cut – and could provide a breakthrough for many complex conditions

www.theguardian.com

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Dr. Rachel Zoffness @drzoffness.bsky.social · Aug 1

A good reminder that THE BRAIN 👏🏼 IS CONNECTED 👏🏼 TO THE BODY 👏🏼 100% OF THE TIME 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

(please repeat loudly for the people in the back)
#medsky #neuroskyence 🧠🧪

American College of Gastroenterology @amcollegegastro.bsky.social · Jul 31

Early Improvement of Mental Health is Associated with Long-term Disease Remission in Ulcerative Colitis
Zheng & Huang, et al.

📕 doi.org/10.14309/ajg.0000000000003638

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Dr. Rachel Zoffness @drzoffness.bsky.social · Jul 27

It's just so good. And latkes in Dec!! 👏🏼👏🏼

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Dr. Rachel Zoffness @drzoffness.bsky.social · Jul 14

Truly? This is a rare condition, one that fascinates me. You're right, not feeling pain is DEFINITELY worse than feeling it. Ultimately, pain's job is to save our lives.

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Dr. Rachel Zoffness @drzoffness.bsky.social · Jul 14

Totally. The gospel needs to be spread!! 👏🏼👏🏼

Dr. Rachel Zoffness @drzoffness.bsky.social · Jul 14

WOW. So sorry to hear this. Kudos to you for figuring out your Pain recipe and getting on top of it... so many never do. Keep fighting!! 💪🏼🙏🏼