Pain is the number one reason people schedule medical appointments. Yet many people do not receive adequate relief, especially for chronic pain. Pain: The Culture and Science of Pain describes the multiple factors that contribute to the ongoing problem of unrelieved pain. There are both cultural and scientific reasons. The book discusses how various cultures and religions throughout history have downplayed the importance of relieving pain. Such biases persist today. Moreover, the medical science of pain is highly complex, including both objective and subjective components. The author discusses current medical understanding of pain, using language accessible to the non-specialist. Since opioid abuse continues to be a major problem, the book discusses the controversies around use of opioids to relieve pain as well as ways to manage opioid addiction. In addition, the book describes several recent research efforts aimed at identifying novel drugs with the pain-relieving effectiveness of opioids but lacking abuse potential. One chapter discusses alternative and complementary methods to relieve pain, including emerging scientific understanding of why these other approaches may relieve pain for some people. Pain: the Culture and Science of Pain presents a concise, compelling account of the both the history and the continuing problem of unrelieved pain, along with current medical understanding of how to relieve pain.