Everyday pain management ideas

Everyone has a "to do list"; seems perpetual sometimes, doesn't it? Today, I am paraphrasing an article I read about the "don't" list for people with fibromyalgia and/or chronic fatigue syndrome.  It all seems like good advice to me for most anyone, so I am passing it along! You can read the article in entirety here. 1) Don't overdo it. 2) Don't blame yourself. 3) Don't be self critical. 4) Don't have unrealistic positive expectations. 5) Don't have unrealistic negative expectations 6) Don't believe others' negative opinions. 7) Don't give up too soon. 8) Don't put yourself last. 9) Don't ask why this happened to you. 10) Don't let stress overwhelm your life. Sources: About.com; wikimedia

In the first study of its kind, researchers have found something that sets people with fibromyalgia apart from others.  The study leads its authors to believe that  circulating micro RNAs are abnormal in those with fibromyalgia.. What is RNA? RNA is an abbreviation for ribonucleic acid, a substance that is present in all living cells in the body. It serves as a messenger--carrying signals from DNA (genetic material) to the protein making portions of a living cell.   micro RNA is a fragment of RNA that serves to target specific portions of the RNA molecule, impairing their function.  This impairment can cause deficiencies or abnormalities in protein production micro RNA and Fibromyalgia The study mentioned about looked at 374 micro RNAs in women with fibromyalgia and healthy subjects.  Eight microRNAs were different in the fibromyalgia group.  It is believed that this abnormality may be responsible for some aspects of this condition, specifically: Pain Pain threshold

For this post, I am sharing some information that I gathered from a fibromyalgia post on About.com--along with my own perspective about exercise and fibromyalgia. So, according to author Adrienne Dellwo, there have been three recent studies that indicate consistently that exercise is beneficial to patients with fibromyalgia. The first study looked at using a variety of exercise types. Most studies up till now have tended to focus on single types.  The newer study focuses on using a combination of self awareness, stretching, strength training, spine flexibility, and aerobic exercises.  According to its authors, this exercise format was well-tolerated and and patients still felt its benefits six months into the program. A second study mentioned in this article investigated the effect of strengthening exercises on the autonomic nervous system(ANS) which regulates temperature, heart rate, hormone levels, etc. Apparently exercise did not really effect these things too much on

Here's an insightful article written by a massage therapist about a developing trend in nursing home care.  The addition of massage therapy to a nursing home's spectrum of care is a safe, practical modality for patients who are confined to such a facility.  Note that this is not a curative treatment.. it's a it is a compassionate non-pharmacological means for a nursing home to help those who are have chronic pain, dementia,anxiety, etc. Sources: MassageToday, livelighter.org

Have you ever heard of the Framingham Heart Study?  It is an ongoing study,authored by  he National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute  beginning in 1948.  As per the study's website, the objective of the study was to identify the common characteristics of cardiovascular disease. This study has followed many people over the course of their lifetimes to give more insight to heart disease and what can be done to prevent heart attacks and strokes. Recent news from this study shows that cardiovascular events overall, including congestive heart disease and atherothrombotic brain infarcts occur more often in patients radio graphic or symptomatic osteoarthritis of the hands (18 per 1,000 person-years) than in those who without OA (8 per 1,000). Some suggest that this is possibly due to higher use of NSAID drugs (ibuprofen, naproxen, etc.) in this population, but the jury is still out as to the exact relationship of the two health conditions. You can read an article about this find

Have you ever heard of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation? It is a new form of therapy being studied for various medical conditions, including,Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's Disease, MS, Stroke, and Bipolar Disorder.  During a treatment session, a device is placed against a patients head, allowing magnetic impulses to pass into the brain. The procedure is believed to alter activity levels in relevant parts of the patients brain and may actually restructure neural pathways. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (source: Wikipedia) In early 2014, a French study revealed some promising results for patients with fibromyalgia. Repetitive TMS  (rTMS) was studied as a treatment for an 11 week period.  The researchers measured mental and physical quality of life, pain mood, and anxiety over the course of the study. At conclusion, they reported that there was some improvement of condition in the study subjects, mainly in the emotional and social aspects. It is still too early

Have you ever heard of...or knew someone who had Bell's Palsy?  According to Web MD, Bell's Palsy is defined as a paralysis or weakness of the muscles on one side of the face. The lack of muscle control causes the affected side of the face to droop. The nerves on that side of the face are damaged by inflammation; this may affect the ability to make tears or saliva, and numbness can occur. Look at this picture (courtesy Wikipedia) of a person who has Bell's Palsy. You can see that something is wrong; the poor man can hardly smile or raise an eyebrow! To date, the cause of this condition has been somewhat of a mystery...I had heard (unofficially) sometime in the past that it might be associated with a recent viral illness, such as a cold, or perhaps an ear infection.  But some new findings reported in Neurology suggest that migraine headache sufferers have a two-fold risk of developing Bell's Palsy.  The researchers believe that the two conditions have a common