Lisa Ann Hale, age 12, of New Market, Ala., for her question:

WHAT IS PAIN?

Pain is that unpleasant feeling of being hurt, It is often associated with injury.

Pain often protects a person by telling him to avoid further contact with the cause of the pain, or by limiting the extent and effect of an injury.

Nerves carry pain impulses or messages to the brain. There seems to be no special pain receptor or nerve that records all pain and transmits it to the brain. Something that happens in the brain or spinal cord seems to determine whether pain is felt or not.

Sometimes to stop or reduce pain that results from a disease or injury, a doctor may prescribe medication that reduces the sensation of pain.  Modern medicince has developed many wonderful drugs that reduce the discomfort of pain.