Everyday pain management ideas

By now, you may well be familiar with virtual reality games due to the popularity of some science fiction movies, video game systems such as X Box and PlayStation,  3 D TV, IMAX® movies, and Google glass.  This technology allows users to feel like they are in another place and time even though they haven't gone anywhere. I came across this story in a British newspaper and thought it would be interesting to share on this post.  We've explored the idea of distraction technique in past posts. If you would like to read this article, it will tell you about a burn unit in the Netherlands who is using this technology to help patients to be less cognizant of their pain.  The pain experience for burn patients is probably some of the most excruciating pain I can think of; if it works for them, it would probably work for most anyone! Here is a link to the story: The future of pain relief? Dutch burns unit trialling new virtual reality computer system that distracts patients fro

Last year while I was traveling, a woman with an obvious back problem sat next to me on a plane. I watched with interest as she maneuvered her spine onto the seat and positioned her legs to rest on the back of the seat in front of her.  There were several times during the trip (travel time a little over an hour) where I saw her step into the aisle to do stretching exercises.  She could not seem to get comfortable no matter what she did. Such is the life of a person with a "bad back."  Sadly, there are many individuals out there who have the same woes as my fellow passenger.  I don't know who where she is, but she is the inspiration for today's post!  It must not be easy to travel or do much of anything for those whose lives are impacted in this way. I came across an article in Travel & Leisure that I thought might be of help.  Often times, I paraphrase the content of these kinds of articles, but this time I think I'll let you read it for yourself!

Been to the movies lately?  Jennifer Aniston is on the big screen in a recent release titled "Cake." Her character, Claire is a victim of chronic pain...she belongs to a support group, where all of the members are coming to terms with the suicide of one of their members.  Of course, she also takes pain medication and addiction is another of her problems...and of course there's more! I guess I am writing this post just to bring readers' attention to the fact that Hollywood has become aware of the crisis that is chronic pain.  This movie is a testament to that. People that don't have to live with this kind of pain don't fully understand the whole story.  Maybe this movie will shed some light on the issues. Here is the official trailer for the movie: Sources: prweb;NorthJersey.com;YouTube

What is compassion?  According to Dictionary.com ,  compassion is defined as : " a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering." When people have compassion for you, they are expressing their care and concern for you and your situation.  If you are a person who suffers from chronic pain and you sense this coming from others, it is certainly appreciated.  But that's not all... Even though you suffer from chronic pain...and maybe have some disabilities related to your health...you can give the gift of compassion as well!  There are benefits to this that you may never even thought of! 1) Being compassionate toward others does not require any physical exertion whatsoever.  You can give oodles of care and concern to other people without ever lifting a finger!  You may even notice that the more compassion you have for others, the more you will receive in return. 2)If y

In recent days, it has come to mind that there are some folks out there who think that addiction to dangerous drugs (such as opioids) only pertains to people who use drugs recreationally. They believe that using medication for legitimate medical purposes does not lead to addiction.  Sadly,  this is not the case.  In reality, the human body does not know the difference between a legitimate use or illegitimate use, and in the end, the consequences are the same if a certain line is crossed.Many people have been prescribed pain medications for legitimate pain issues only to end up addicted in the end.  Here are some examples of well-known who fell into this trap: Rush Limbaugh    This talk radio icon began using pain medications for a back problem. Dependency on the medications gravitated to doctor-shopping and legal charges against Limbaugh.  Eventually, he checked himself into a rehab program. Carrie Fisher      This celebrity, known for her role in the "Star Wars" sa

  A t the 2014 American Academy of Pain Management meeting, the Mayo Clinic shared some very positive findings during a poster session.  This is interesting..maybe someday it will lead to a new way to treat degenerative disc disease, a common and painful condition that is all too common.   The poster explained a study that was conducted using stem cell transplants to treat degenerative disc disease in animals.  Over the study period, the discs in the spines of the animals treated with stem cells actually showed signs of regeneration! Current treatment of degenerative disc disease via medication: acetaminophen and NSAID drugs are commonly employed for this purpose.  We all know long term or excessive use of these medications is unwise; it is good to know that new ways of addressing this problem may be on the horizon. What's more exciting is that a stem cell infusion is a lot easier to endure than some other forms of treatment, such as surgery.   Let's hope th

Here's a natural remedy for those of you who suffer from osteoarthritis...  A fairly large scale study out of Brigham and Women's hospital concludes that drinking milk may actually slow the progression of arthritis. According to the study, 2,148 persons with osteoarthritis were studied; the researchers looked at health, diet and behavioral details of those in the study group. Additionally, each person in the study group had x-ray studies done every year over a four-year period. The researchers found that subjects who drank milk had the slowest disease progression. Interestingly, this phenomenon occurred in men who drank seven or more glasses of milk per week, while in women it seemed to happen to those who drank milk in general.  Those who consumed other dairy products in place of milk--cheese, ice cream, yogurt--did not reap the same benefits as the milk drinkers. As a word of caution-the researchers noted that their findings were strictly observational. They were

Dr. Gary Jay, a pain management specialist based in Raleigh, NC area is discussing post-cancer pain management in the video you can find at this link. What he is saying is certainly food for thought; people who have been successfully treated for cancer can have lingering pain even though they are cancer free.  This may be due to damage caused by the cancer itself, or complications resulting from its treatment: post surgical pain, radiation damage, or chemotherapy-induced problems, such as neuropathy. Once cancer free, the patient is released from treatment by their oncology treatment team. But what about the after-effects of these dreadful diseases?  The best treatments are multi-modal in nature. They may include prescription drugs, but by incorporating healthy lifestyle habits into everyday life can do much to maximize pain relief. It's a good idea to slowly incorporate these changes into one's lifestyle; start with one thing, such as weight loss, healthier eating

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

If you are reading this, you have probably experienced a scraped knee, a cut finger, maybe even requiring sutures at one time or another in your life.  These are acute wounds; they require some attention for a short time, the healing process takes hold, and they are forgotten.  Some disease states however, are known to lead to chronic wounds, or put another way, wounds that do not heal too quickly. Weeks to months of treatment may be required to achieve resolution.   Some examples of what we're talking about here are: diabetic ulceration ulcer formation following chemotherapy pressure ulcers (bed sores) At some point or other, these types of wounds will require treatment, maybe even amputation.  It is not unusual for pain medications to be prescribed for relief of discomfort.  But there are many things that help to relieve the painful condition brought about by these conditions that don't involve medication at all.  Hyperbaric oxygen chambers are one exa

Many of the children's hospital in this country use alternative treatments to enhance pain management practices for their pediatric patients. For instance, some time ago I posted a story about one pediatric hospital that uses "Carly Consults" ...Carly is a dog and she is used for animal therapy at their institution.  Many forms of occupational therapy are used in these hospitals as well..for instance, music therapy and/or crafts. The reason I am bringing these up in today's posts is this:  these kinds of activities are forms of distraction therapy.  They are just as useful in the adult population as they are for children.  Why not learn a new craft technique or buy a new jigsaw puzzle and put it together?  It might be much more beneficial than you might think! Sources: East Valley Tribune; Wikipedia

A new approach to some forms of chronic back pain is on the horizon...and it appears to begin working rapidly when it is used!  The treatment we're talking about here is an interventional radiology procedure that can be used for compression fractures due to osteoporosis, or spinal cancer. Compression Fracture of the Spine The technique involves using x-ray guidance to guide a needle into the involved area of the spine. Bone cement is injected into this space..as it is injected it is the consistency of toothpaste, but within a short time becomes hardened.  Once hardened, it stabilizes the affected area..an "internal cast" of sorts! This procedure, known as vertebroplasty originated in France in the 1980s.  It is a minimally invasive procedure, and many patients notice a reduction in pain within 24 hours of undergoing treatment.  It is usually a one-time procedure but re-treatment may be indicated if new problem areas develop. Sources: HometownFocusUS; Wikiped

W hen you suffer from a chronic condition, especially one that prevents you from feeling fully functional, it is sometimes difficult to feel like you are the contributing member of society that you wish to be.  I choose to think that all persons have purpose; sometimes that purpose is to inspire others who are going through physical challenges, or to give others a lesson in character building that they would not otherwise be able to receive... The short meditation  above may help you to feel more positive today.  Have a look! Sources: YouTube, Wikimedia

Here is an interesting Newswise article about the role of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in arthritic mice. While it remains to be seen how this translates to humans with arthritis, there's a lot of discussion in the nutrition world about  many health benefits  of Omega 3 Oils, including cooking oils,eggs, nutritional supplements, and natural food sources such as certain types of fish, seeds and nuts. You can read this article by clicking the link below. Omega 3 Fatty Acids Lessen Severity of Osteoarthritis in Mice Sources: Newswise, Wikimedia