Everyday pain management ideas

The preliminary results of a University of Toledo (Ohio) suggest that emotional abuse in childhood is linked to the development of migraine headaches in adults, particularly in men. All varieties of child abuse (sexual, physical, and emotional) increase the chances of developing migraine later in life, but according to study author Gretchen Tietjen, MD and colleagues, emotional abuse alone increases the risk of developing migraine by a whopping 52%. The authors go on to say that the relationship between emotional abuse, depression, and migraine are worthy of further investigation. Emotional abuse of children is not uncommon...when physical or sexual abuse is added to the mix,the relationship between the abuse and migraine seems to be more strongly connected.  Interestingly, the authors note, when children are emotionally abused, data suggests that it helps to build resilience to a point, but beyond that point the problems begin. The authors go on to suggest their theory as

Most people know about some of the problems with opioid usage: sedation, risk of addiction, impaired motor skills, to name a few.  In truth, there are more problems to add to that list. One of them is the risk of hypotension (low blood pressure)...and perhaps the most deadly side effect of all is the risk of respiratory depression, which can lead to death. CPAP--a common treatment for sleep apnea A review of literature conducted by Frances Chung, MBBS, and her coauthors reports that the overall prevalence of sleep apnea in chronic opioid users is 24%. The rate of sleep disordered breathing in this population is reported as high as 85%;  those who use higher doses (morphine equivalent daily doses of 200 mg or more) show a 92% rate of ataxic periodic breathing. This reiterates the need for primary care and pain management physicians to be aware of this very serious problem.  In this way, the CDC guidelines helps to bring this issue front and center,  and that's exactly

I'm sure after reading parts one and two of this series, chronic pain patients might feel a little anxious...and that is certainly understandable.  Sometimes change is good, but sometimes, it's difficult. Image Source: Wikimedia It's hard to know exactly how these guidelines will affect health care delivery of pain management going forward. First of all, remember that these guidelines are non-binding. No practitioner, regardless of specialty, is being forced to comply. For those patients who are doing well on established regimens, I do not expect much to change. The biggest changes, in my humble opinion, will affect those who are newly diagnosed with chronic pain conditions.  The guidelines emphasize that more conservative measures be the first approach to treatment.  Opioids should reserved for those who fail more conservative treatments, cancer patients, or those who are in palliative or end of life care. There are also provisions in the guidelines for monit

Needless to say, the opioid epidemic has caused a major clash of government agencies, drug companies, pain care advocates and other medical organizations.  Some US states have passed legislation in response to the crisis. In the last few weeks, the CDC--a governmental agency that oversees public health matters--released its own guidelines for pain management.  The guidelines are non-binding but represent a sweeping change to the way pain is addressed in the American medical community.  Some highlights from this policy change include: opioid medications should not be considered "first line therapy" three days or less of opioid medication should be sufficient for most cases, excluding cancer patients, or those under palliative or end of life care dosage and prescribing limitations for prescribers review of dosages and patient goals and outcomes of therapy during patient care visits prescriber monitoring of patient history/pattern of drug usage through established

Even if you don't pay particular attention to the news, stories about the opioid crisis are everywhere. You just can't miss it. Opium has been in use for centuries. According to Wikipedia, opium was in use during the Neolithic Age- (10,200 BC to around 4,500 BC). So, the question is...how did this crisis emerge? Fast forward to the modern century...about fifteen years ago, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) reported that pain was vastly under treated here in the United States. Pain was deemed the "Fifth Vital Sign" and JCAHO stressed that pain assessments be a part of every patient/physician visit.  It was suggested that opioids could safely and effectively be used liberally, without fear of addiction. In the meantime, Purdue Pharmaceuticals launched Oxycontin®, an opioid product that offers continuous pain relief over 12 to 24 hours. As such, this product contained higher amounts of opioid than other immediate rel

Have you seen the infomercials for the "Willow Curve?" It is a low level laser device which is claimed to be useful for temporary pain reduction.  The shape of the device dictates that is can be used on many areas of the body...extremities and neck seem to be the most obvious sites for use. While expensive ( approximately $600), it can be used at home as an alternative or adjunct to other pain management methods. The device is FDA approved. But the million dollar question is--does it work? There are reviews on the official web site, and while two or three folks did not rate it highly...most people claim to be elated with it.  But outside of those reviews, the jury is mixed to put it best.  For instance,  consumer fraud reporting site  has mixed messages about this product.  Amazon.com used to sell the product...then suddenly it disappeared. While it was available there, only 49 reviews were posted...one person referred to it as a $600 heating pad. I neither condone

Today I am sharing a graphic that I found while researching for this blog...it sure is an eye-opener! Source:Paindoctor.com (Originally posted in 2014)