Selected Messages , Book 2, p. 297. Relatives and friends can influence pain. If the patient is kindly and tenderly regarded by members of the family, if special efforts are put forth to make everything comfortable that can be comfortable, even the painful part will seem to give less pain. If family members are unsympathetic or indifferent to the needs of the patient, the parts of the brain that sense discomfort will go into high gear, and pain may become unbearable. Everyone should plan thoughtful little remembrances for the patient.
Pain always carries an associated ministry, both to and from people who have it.
Those who are in pain must learn to be patient and kind even when the mind is distracted and the energies have been depleted by long-continued discomfort. There is never an excuse for irritability or harshness. The patient can make nursing duties more pleasant by making a thoughtful effort to consider the feelings of those who perform the duties. We have become known as the chemical society. Many of our prominent diseases are intimately associated, often in a way that we do not realize, with our exposure to chemicals of various kinds from kitchen detergents and exhaust fumes to powerful drugs like cortisone.