People in pain are often asked to describe the intensity on a scale of one to 10.
Laurent Goldstein decided On a Scale of 1 to 10 would be the title of his documentary on chronic pain which affects one in five people in North America.
Calling chronic pain a 鈥榮ilent epidemic鈥�, Goldstein made the documentary as part of his own efforts to deal with pain.
鈥淚 saw my mother suffer from chronic pain for the last 25 years of her life,鈥� he explained. 鈥溾�hat was a big motivation for me.鈥�
It was devastating for her but also sent out ripples that impacted the entire family, he noted.
His own experience with the issue was from debilitating back pain caused by a herniated disk. He used his experience of trying to regain his health as the basis for the film. That experience includes working in the chiropractic field before becoming a documentary filmmaker.
鈥淚 saw people who lost their quality of life,鈥� Goldstein said.
His documentary will be shown as an event in Fort 91原创 on Thursday, March 28 in the Chief Sepass Theatre, 9096 Trattle St.
The doors open at 5 p.m. and runs until about 10 p.m. Goldstein said that in addition to a screening of the documentary, there will be information booths from clinics and others in health care, as well as a panel discussion with experts and an opportunity for questions from those attending.
For the film, he sought out a variety of perspectives, asking about treating chronic pain through physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual means. There are about 40 people from around the world speaking in the film. He talked to Dr. Ara Elmajian, a holistic dental practitioner; and Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt who studied pain and related factors such as orthopaedic issues, chronic infection, illness, diagnosis, non-invasive pain treatment. Bruce Lipton is a former medical school professor and research scientist who spoke on cell biology and more while Dr. Daniel Amen is an American psychiatrist specializing in brain disorders. Dr. Elizabeth Inda-Lambaer spoke as both a dentist and patient with chronic pain.
There were also nutrition experts, motivational speakers and practitioners of non-traditional therapies such as the use of sound, acupuncture, juicing, and more.
Goldstein said he wanted to approach the topic from more than the perspective of western medicine because chronic pain impacts all aspects of people鈥檚 lives. He said he鈥檚 sat with people crying because of their pain.
鈥� READ MORE: Dancing, wine, and singing out of tune secret to her longevity
鈥� READ MORE: Concern rising over number of Canadians with dementia getting lost or going missing
The March 28 event includes more than a film screening because he considers it important for people to have an opportunity to meet with various medical and other practitioners.
鈥淢y hope is that we start a conversation around chronic pain,鈥� Goldstein said.
He also wants people with chronic pain to know that they are not alone.
鈥淚t can be very lonely,鈥� he said.
Goldstein is also hoping the documentary and events like the one March 28 will get people thinking about chronic pain in new ways and maybe use it as the impetus to make changes in life.
鈥淪ometimes chronic pain is there to teach us,鈥� he noted.
Born in France, Goldstein now lives in Vancouver and runs Citrus Pie Media Group.
Tickets for Thursday鈥檚 event are $20 and available through eventbrite.ca (event number 828930031037) as well as local sponsors such as Fraser Valley Pain Clinic, Foundations Family Chiropractic, Pure Integrative Pharmacy, and Biomune Integrative Wellness.
