Kids with chronic stomach pain got relief when treatment changed one crucial lesson about their bodies

Chronic abdominal pain affects an estimated 10%–15% of children and is a leading cause of school absence and daily disruption for families. For many children, the experience does more than hurt—it teaches them something potentially harmful: that their bodies cannot be trusted. A new study by researchers at Duke University challenges that assumption, suggesting that how children learn to relate to their bodies may be just as important as how their symptoms are treated.