Pain sucks. Burning, aching, stabbing. Emotional, physiological, existential. There’s all kinds to choose from, and modern medicine has innovated many clever ways to overcome it. Thing is, as much as pain is unpleasant, it’s also vital. A reminder that if we touch the fire or prod the thorn, we could injure ourselves. Pain , really, keeps us alive. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

There have been several reported case studies of people with congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP), and it’s considered to be an extremely dangerous condition. People living with CIP can’t feel pain, so they have to constantly check themselves for cuts and bruises and be very mindful of accidents. Their body won’t warn them if they’re wa

See Full Page