Addressing gaps in pain research from an integrated whole person perspective.

While our understanding of pain is rapidly growing, some areas of pain research are lagging behind. This article discusses two current and inter-related gaps in knowledge that are in need of addressing: first, the connections between "brain" and "body" components of pain; and second, the process of endogenous pain resolution. Historical reasons for these research gaps are discussed and solutions are outlined based on an integrative, whole person research approach.

Health and Well-Being: Distinct and Intertwined Concepts.

The concepts of health and well-being are deeply intertwined and interdependent. Situating both health and well-being within a unified framework is important to ensure their inclusion in the full spectrum of health research and to achieve the crucial task of building a body of basic, translational, and clinical studies to guide the implementation of whole-person health care. This commentary proposes such a framework where an individual's own assessment of their physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being complements objective measures of their physical and psychological function and where social, environmental, economic, educational, and vocational well-being are located within positive determinants of health.

Making a Case for Whole Person Health.

Our conventional approach to health care tends to separate patients' health by body system, treating each independently and "efficiently"-e.g., minimal time with a provider, reliance on medications, and little investment to support behavioral and lifestyle improvements.

Unmet Need: Mechanistic and Translational Studies of Sickle Cell Disease Pain as a Whole-Person Health Challenge.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a lifelong monogenic, autosomal-recessive blood disease that predominantly affects individuals of African descent and those who self-identify as Black or Hispanic. Common SCD pathophysiological processes include adhesion, hemolysis, hypoxia, ischemia, oxidative stress, and vaso-occlusion, which often lead to substantial comorbidities and complications. Pain is one of the most common and significant clinical complications for individuals with SCD.