Alan Spanos, MD, MA

I am a British doctor who has lived in the USA since 1979. I graduated in medicine from Oxford University in 1973 after taking a Master's degree in Philosophy and also a Postgraduate Diploma in the History and Philosophy of Science. My postgraduate training, at Oxford, Duke, the University of Singapore, and at UNC, includes Internal Medicine, Infectious Disease, Anesthesiology, and Family Practice. I have trained in specific techniques for treating chronic pain: clinical hypnosis at Duke, acupuncture at UCLA and Vancouver, myofascial pain treatment from the revered Dr. Janet Travell, and spinal manipulation in London. I also learned to respect the work of alternative medical practitioners, and I enjoy collaborating with them to better help people in pain.

My work with chronic pain began in 1986, and in 1989 I opened my own clinic with this special interest. For several years, my time was divided between my clinical practice, and teaching about pain treatment. Institutions that have invited me to teach their staff include Johns Hopkins Medical Center, the Cleveland Clinic, Duke University Medical Center, UNC School of Medicine and many others around the country.This experience has enabled me to see a very wide variety of pain clinics, and to learn from them. I have brought the fruits of all that experience back to my practice in Chapel Hill.

In addition to a general interest in chronic pain, I have a special interest in two specific conditions: fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). There is a section devoted to each of these in this web site.

Since I have very wide training and interests, I don't stress any one treatment for my patients. My job is to work out what will help them best, whatever that may be. Often there is no one best approach, so I involve the patient in deciding which to use. A certain amount of trial and error may be necessary. We sometimes have to try this, try that, backtrack, and think again before the patient and I are confident that we've arrived at the best treatment. In the end, it's the patient's own experience that is the best guide to what the treatment should be.

Alan Spanos, MD, MA