Everyday pain management ideas

 USA Today January 15,2014: FDA warns against high-dose prescription acetaminophen The Food and Drug Administration is asking doctors to stop prescribing combination medications that contain more than 325 mg. of acetaminophen per dose, because of long-standing concerns about liver damage.   The risks of liver toxicity from acetaminophen have been well known in medical practice for as long as I can remember. This post is just a friendly reminder in case you did not see this recent news in USA Today, or any other news outlet.  It is very important, and it cannot be stressed enough. Back in December I  posted " Ten things you should know about acetaminophen."   You can re-read the post by clicking the link in the title.  Many people do not realize that they might be ingesting more acetaminophen then they thought possible because it's an ingredient in so many products. My best advice: Read the label.   If you are caring for someone who takes multiple me

Newswise — Mindfulness meditation programs may help reduce anxiety, depression and pain in some individuals, according to a review of medical literature by Madhav Goyal, M.D., M.P.H., of The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, and colleagues. Many people meditate to cope with stress and promote good health. To counsel patients, clinicians need to know more about meditation programs and how they might affect health outcomes, according to the study background. ...story continues here      Source: Newswise

Not unlike rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)  is an autoimmune disease. The basic problem is that antibodies that attack the body are formed; they circulate in the blood stream and attack normal human tissue as if it were a foreign invader.  The result: inflammation, damage and pain in various parts of the body. Lupus has numerous signs and symptoms, but perhaps the most well-known is a butterfly shaped rash on the face, across the bridge of the nose and cheeks. Other symptoms include fatigue, swelling, joint pain, clotting disorders and anemia.  SLE is a difficult disease to diagnose because the symptoms mimic those of other disease states. There is no specific drug treatment for lupus, so treatment is based on symptoms that are present. Over a person's lifetime these symptoms can change..so the treatment changes as well.  Finding a good rheumatologist is essential for SLE patients. As with many other chronic pain issues, many of the non drug

  Today's post focuses on a little different chronic pain issue..interstitial cystitis.  I wrote this piece a few years ago when we had a patient in our hospital who suffered from this condition, and questions arose about appropriate medication therapy for the condition.  This document is mostly about the medical treatment, as the patient was an inpatient at the time.  Years later, I have been wondering about her current situation.  I am hoping that she is aware of the many non drug pain management therapies available, and if she has tried any of them.  While modern medicine is truly miraculous, a healthy lifestyle can go a long way to enhance the effectiveness of treatment.     Multi modal Therapy for Interstitial Cystitis Marietta Ledonne, RPH Interstitial cystitis is a poorly understood medical condition of uncertain etiology. Patients with this diagnosis experience a range of symptoms, including urgency, frequency, and pelvic pain. It is proposed that symptoms

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In this episode of TalkZone.com, you can listen to Dr. Scott Fishman, a leading management specialist speak on This Week in America with Rick Bratton: "Help for Chronic Pain". I listened to this before posting; nothing here that has not been addressed in this blog before--but I hope listening to Dr. Fishman will help someone out there! Dr. Fishman is an anesthesiologist/pain medicine physician who is affiliated with UC Davis. He is an author/contributor of several books about pain management.

   For some chronic pain conditions, there are few or no medications to help treat the condition.  For other conditions, there are medications..but the pain persists on one level or another.  Adding complementary pain management techniques can help you to get the fullest relief possible.  Seek to control pain on three levels: mind,body and soul! This is a story about Summer Suleiman, a blogger and contributing writer for CNN…(based on the source below…) Years of dreaded episodes of fatigue, nausea and dizziness had come and gone. They would last for days at a time, haunting as a ghost, then disappearing without a trace. This began at age 5. At 24, she was still battling the debilitating symptoms that wreaked havoc on her body. And no one knew why. Finally, two years ago, a doctor provided the answer. The diagnosis: a rare genetic disorder called Familial Mediterranean Fever, a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by frequent attacks of fever, stomach and chest pain, a