When did the term painkilling drugs that I grew up with morph into pain relievers? 

Not that that’s a bad thing. It seems more accurate, according to a pain expert I heard address a conference some years ago. He was a neurologist, and although not against using pain-relieving drugs, he shared research showing that the vast majority relieve less than half of the pain less than half of the time. So, their effect is far less than the complete removal of pain.

Anyone who has experienced pain knows the heartfelt yearning to be free of it—and we yearn for others to be free of pain, too. But if drugs aren’t the answer, what can we do? Interestingly, the same clinician said that most of the pain he saw in his practice resulted from mental rather than physical factors and that addressing thought is a treatment option well worth exploring. Some others in the medical field are looking even deeper, investigating the value of spirituality in patient care.