Neuroscientist: 'The best painkillers are in the stomach' and found in breathing changes

Neuroscientist Estanislao Bachrach proposes a new approach to personal fulfillment, suggesting that "the best painkillers are in the stomach." In an interview with LA NACION, the doctor in molecular biology explained that emotional stability can be attained by changing breathing patterns, which calms pain and eliminates suffering.

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I believe that anyone can access it. Many of us cannot access it alone; we need a coach, a therapist, a best friend. Sometimes, one is enlightened by reading a book or listening to a podcast. It requires discipline, time, effort, attention – what we adults say we don't have – but I believe anyone can access it.

Bachrach believes self-knowledge is within everyone's reach, though he acknowledges that external guidance from coaches, therapists, or even friends can be necessary. "Many of us cannot access it alone," he stated, adding that reading a book or listening to a podcast can also be illuminating. However, he stressed that achieving this requires discipline, time, effort, and attention – qualities often lacking in adults.

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I believe the best painkillers are in the stomach, and when you change the way you breathe, the breathing patterns, it calms the pain, but above all, suffering disappears.

The expert highlighted the impact of consistent meditation on the brain, explaining that it modifies the structure and function of certain areas, particularly attention. "Meditating is bringing attention to one place," he said. While technology can visualize these changes, Bachrach warned that the challenge lies in maintaining the practice. "If you train with meditation for several months and then stop, it goes backward," he cautioned, drawing a parallel to physical muscles losing their tone.

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The structure, and sometimes the function, of certain areas of the brain, of neurons, begins to change. Especially attention, because meditating is bringing attention to one place.

Modern science now validates the profound effects of meditation, which were once difficult to prove without advanced technology. "Today there is already a lot of scientific evidence of the impact it has on feeling better," Bachrach noted. He described these tools as free and easy to learn but requiring patience, effort, discipline, and consistency – traits he finds rare in adults. Bachrach also distinguished between physical pain, a natural and temporary response, and mental suffering, which can be overcome through practices like cognitive-behavioral therapy, a method he used to manage his own chronic migraines.

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The great challenge is to sustain it over time, because if you go to the gym to do biceps for two months and then you stop going, the muscle returns to its place. The same happens with the brain. If you train with meditation for several months and then stop meditating, it goes backward.