MONTREAL, March 1 (UPI) -- Adults who suffer from chronic pain do not like being told "it's all in your head," but U.S. research finds pain does originates in one's brain.
However, the pain is not imagined -- recent studies on chronic back pain found pain can even cause brain tissue to shrink if the pain is prolonged, reported ABC News Tuesday.
"I think when people say pain is 'all in my head,' it suggests it's not real," said Catherine Bushnell, a researcher at McGill University's Center for Research on Pain in Montreal. "These studies don't say it's not real, they show that brain activity can create a situation that produces real pain."
Using brain imaging, Bushnell has shown being distracted can have a real impact in decreasing the intensity of pain signals in the brain.
Bushnell's colleague, Chantal Villemure, found pleasant smells eased the sensation of pain, but unpleasant odors made pain feel worse.
The studies of Bushnell and Villemure appear in the journal Pain.
