Dr. Tracy Jackson presents the idea that "pain is in the brain" and explains why a pill won’t make it go away. Dr. Jackson explores the truths and consequences of how doctors and patients are getting it wrong in pain management and the way to make it right.

Dr. Tracy Jackson completed training in anesthesiology at the University of North Carolina, where she served as chief resident. She also completed a fellowship in chronic pain management at Stanford. At Vanderbilt University she created and directed their pain fellowship. She quickly learned that the epidemic that is the leading cause of accidental death in Tennessee and the USA isn’t an infectious disease – it is opioid overdose. She has co-authored guidelines for responsible opioid prescribing in conjunction with the Tennessee Department of Health and is on the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Pain Society. She is also certified in medical acupuncture and yoga, and worked closely with the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Vanderbilt to better understand “alternative” methods to deal with chronic pain. She works within Vanderbilt to develop new interdisciplinary functional rehabilitation programs. She’s also recently founded “Relief Retreats” for living beyond pain.​

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.​