The Science Behind the Symptoms with Howard Schubiner, MD & Rebecca Kennedy, MD

Malissa's full recovery from years of chronic, debilitating back painIn this episode of The Science Behind the Symptoms, Howard Schubiner, MD, and Becca Kennedy, MD, discuss Malissa’s story and examine the science behind how chronic back pain, diagnosed by multiple specialists as stemming from real degenerative findings on MRI, can completely resolve without medicines, procedures, external devices or surgery.   As Malissa began searching for answers beyond what the specialists had told her and uncovered the true reasons her brain was trying to protect her, her pain began to shift.   This conversation connects the science of learned neural pathways with the courage to change relational patterns, offering evidence-based hope for anyone living with chronic pain.Sources:Brinjikji et al. MRI Findings of Disc Degeneration are More Prevalent in Adults with Low Back Pain than in Asymptomatic Controls: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2015 Dec;36(12):2394-9. doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A4498. Epub 2015 Sep 10. PMID: 26359154; PMCID: PMC7964277.Slater et al. "Sit Up Straight": Time to Re-evaluate. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2019 Aug;49(8):562-564. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2019.0610. PMID: 31366294.https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/04/13/in-a-growing-share-of-u-s-marriages-husbands-and-wives-earn-about-the-same/

In this episode, Becca Kennedy, M.D., and Howard Schubiner, M.D., examine how placebo and nocebo effects shape real health outcomes. They discuss how expectations can drive real physiological change, for better or worse, and why understanding these effects matters in medical care.

In this episode, Dr. Howard Schubiner and Dr. Becca Kennedy examine POTS through the framework of neuroplastic symptoms. They explore the science behind how symptoms can develop and persist, and why approaching POTS with curiosity can create new possibilities for healing. The conversation offers clarity, hope, and insight into emerging research and neuroplastic recovery therapies for those living with POTS.

In this episode, Dr. Howard Schubiner and Dr. Becca Kennedy unpack the science behind Rebecca Tolin’s recovery from 13 years of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalitis. Although she was told that Epstein–Barr virus (among many other diagnoses) was the reason for her CFS/ME, she actually recovered through neuroplastic recovery therapies. Dr. Schubiner and Dr. Kennedy describe the scientific studies that break down why EBV is not a valid explanation for persistent symptoms. Together, they illustrate how Rebecca fully healed by addressing the learned patterns in her brain—and what her story reveals about the true mechanisms behind many chronic symptoms.🛜 Visit our website www.symptomatic.me🧑‍💻 Experiencing chronic pain or illness?Learn more from the 12-Question Self Assessment. https://www.symptomatic.me/quiz🧠 Knowledge becomes healingExplore common conditions: https://www.symptomatic.me/commonconditions📚 Start your recoveryFree public resources: https://www.symptomatic.me/treatment-plan🧑‍⚕️ For practitioners and studentsClinical tools and guidance: https://www.symptomatic.me/learningprogram🎤 Share your storyBe featured on the podcast: https://form.jotform.com/243224080632043👩🏻‍🏫 Advantages of Membership in theATNS Community: https://www.symptomatic.me/membership💵 Support the missionDonate to expand awareness: https://givebutter.com/XJtTyC💡About ATNSThe Association for the Treatment of Neuroplastic Symptoms is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advancing the science of chronic pain and illness. Led by volunteer clinicians, researchers, and advocates, ATNS provides education, tools, and support for the diagnosis and treatment of neuroplastic conditions. We bridge research with real-world care—helping people reclaim their lives.

This episode breaks down the emerging noninvasive therapies that move people beyond coping and into full resolution of neuroplastic symptoms. Dr. Schubiner and Dr. Kennedy explain how these methods work, why they outperform standard management approaches, and what current research reveals about lasting recovery.🛜 Visit our website www.symptomatic.me🧑‍💻 Experiencing chronic pain or illness?Learn more from the 12-Question Self Assessment. https://www.symptomatic.me/quiz🧠 Knowledge becomes healingExplore common conditions: https://www.symptomatic.me/commonconditions📚 Start your recoveryFree public resources: https://www.symptomatic.me/treatment-plan🧑‍⚕️ For practitioners and studentsClinical tools and guidance: https://www.symptomatic.me/learningprogram🎤 Share your storyBe featured on the podcast: https://form.jotform.com/243224080632043👩🏻‍🏫 Advantages of Membership in theATNS Community: https://www.symptomatic.me/membership💵 Support the missionDonate to expand awareness: https://givebutter.com/XJtTyC💡About ATNSThe Association for the Treatment of Neuroplastic Symptoms is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advancing the science of chronic pain and illness. Led by volunteer clinicians, researchers, and advocates, ATNS provides education, tools, and support for the diagnosis and treatment of neuroplastic conditions. We bridge research with real-world care—helping people reclaim their lives.

Isabelle suffered numerous symptoms for well over 30 years. Then she found the insights that changed everything.🛜 Visit our website www.symptomatic.me🧑‍💻 Experiencing chronic pain or illness?Learn more from the 12-Question Self Assessment. https://www.symptomatic.me/quiz🧠 Knowledge becomes healingExplore common conditions: https://www.symptomatic.me/commonconditions📚 Start your recoveryFree public resources: https://www.symptomatic.me/treatment-plan🧑‍⚕️ For practitioners and studentsClinical tools and guidance: https://www.symptomatic.me/learningprogram🎤 Share your storyBe featured on the podcast: https://form.jotform.com/243224080632043👩🏻‍🏫 Advantages of Membership in theATNS Community: https://www.symptomatic.me/membership💵 Support the missionDonate to expand awareness: https://givebutter.com/XJtTyC💡About ATNSThe Association for the Treatment of Neuroplastic Symptoms is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advancing the science of chronic pain and illness. Led by volunteer clinicians, researchers, and advocates, ATNS provides education, tools, and support for the diagnosis and treatment of neuroplastic conditions. We bridge research with real-world care—helping people reclaim their lives.

In this episode, Becca Kennedy, MD, and Howard Schubiner, MD, discuss how belief can trigger real physiological changes via the placebo effect. They unpack the neuroscience of expectation, the brain’s role in symptoms, and how this understanding can transform the way we think about pain, chronic illness, and the healing process.🛜 Visit our website www.symptomatic.me🧑‍💻 Experiencing chronic pain or illness?Learn more from the 12-Question Self Assessment. https://www.symptomatic.me/quiz🧠 Knowledge becomes healingExplore common conditions: https://www.symptomatic.me/commonconditions📚 Start your recoveryFree public resources: https://www.symptomatic.me/treatment-plan🧑‍⚕️ For practitioners and studentsClinical tools and guidance: https://www.symptomatic.me/learningprogram🎤 Share your storyBe featured on the podcast: https://form.jotform.com/243224080632043👩🏻‍🏫 Advantages of Membership in theATNS Community: https://www.symptomatic.me/membership💵 Support the missionDonate to expand awareness: https://givebutter.com/XJtTyC💡About ATNSThe Association for the Treatment of Neuroplastic Symptoms is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advancing the science of chronic pain and illness. Led by volunteer clinicians, researchers, and advocates, ATNS provides education, tools, and support for the diagnosis and treatment of neuroplastic conditions. We bridge research with real-world care—helping people reclaim their lives.

🛜 Visit our website www.symptomatic.me🧑‍💻 Experiencing chronic pain or illness?Learn more from the 12-Question Self Assessment. https://www.symptomatic.me/quiz🧠 Knowledge becomes healingExplore common conditions: https://www.symptomatic.me/commonconditions📚 Start your recoveryFree public resources: https://www.symptomatic.me/treatment-plan🧑‍⚕️ For practitioners and studentsClinical tools and guidance: https://www.symptomatic.me/learningprogram🎤 Share your storyBe featured on the podcast: https://form.jotform.com/243224080632043👩🏻‍🏫 Advantages of Membership in theATNS Community: https://www.symptomatic.me/membership💵 Support the missionDonate to expand awareness: https://givebutter.com/XJtTyC💡About ATNSThe Association for the Treatment of Neuroplastic Symptoms is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advancing the science of chronic pain and illness. Led by volunteer clinicians, researchers, and advocates, ATNS provides education, tools, and support for the diagnosis and treatment of neuroplastic conditions. We bridge research with real-world care—helping people reclaim their lives.

Becca Kennedy MD and Howard Schubiner MD discuss the role that the brain can play in our everyday life. Do we see with our eyes or with our brain? Do we hear with our ears? Can pain be caused by the brain in the absence of tissue injury? Find these answers in The Science Behind the Symptoms.Books and Articles:Barrett, Lisa Feldman. How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain. Mariner Books, 2017.Barrett, Lisa Feldman. “Why Your Brain Creates Trauma”. Big Think, YouTube, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ewfP4BC7RA.Barrett, Lisa Feldman, and W. Kyle Simmons. “Interoceptive Predictions in the Brain.” Nature Reviews Neuroscience 16, no. 7 (2015): 7. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3950.Botvinick, Matthew, and Jonathan Cohen. “Rubber Hands ‘feel’ Touch That Eyes See.” Nature 391, no. 6669 (1998): 756. https://doi.org/10.1038/35784.Clark, Andy. The Experience Machine: How Our Minds Predict and Shape Reality. Pantheon, 2023.Eagleman, David. Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain. Pantheon, 2020.Robson, David. The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Change Your World. Reprint edition. Holt Paperbacks, 2023.Van den Bergh, Omer, Michael Witthöft, Sibylle Petersen, and Richard J. Brown. “Symptoms and the Body: Taking the Inferential Leap.” Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 74 (2017): 185–203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.01.015.Willman, Justin. Magic for Humans: The Rubber Hand Illusion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdxlT68ygt8🛜 Visit our website www.symptomatic.me🧑‍💻 Experiencing chronic pain or illness?Learn more from the 12-Question Self Assessment. https://www.symptomatic.me/quiz🧠 Knowledge becomes healingExplore common conditions: https://www.symptomatic.me/commonconditions📚 Start your recoveryFree public resources: https://www.symptomatic.me/treatment-plan🧑‍⚕️ For practitioners and studentsClinical tools and guidance: https://www.symptomatic.me/learningprogram🎤 Share your storyBe featured on the podcast: https://form.jotform.com/243224080632043👩🏻‍🏫 Advantages of Membership in theATNS Community: https://www.symptomatic.me/membership💵 Support the missionDonate to expand awareness: https://givebutter.com/XJtTyC💡About ATNSThe Association for the Treatment of Neuroplastic Symptoms is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advancing the science of chronic pain and illness. Led by volunteer clinicians, researchers, and advocates, ATNS provides education, tools, and support for the diagnosis and treatment of neuroplastic conditions. We bridge research with real-world care—helping people reclaim their lives.