Everyday pain management ideas

As we ponder the opioid crisis and the rise in heroin usage, and death from drug overdoses, we must wonder what the future holds.  We've seen the development of many types of pain management devices-- Alpha Stim ®, Sensus ®, Cefaly ®, Quell ®, iovera ®, and Oska Pulse  ® are a few of these. Due to fears of addiction, and shifting medical opinions on the management of chronic pain, these devices are potential options for pain sufferers everywhere. These devices have many advantages for potential users: Drug free pain relief--reduced risk of drug interactions and/or side effects of drugs Unlike prescription refills, many offer a free trial period to see if the product is effective. After initial expense, maintenance costs are relatively low. Can lead to more cost effective pain relief! May help to postpone or completely eliminate the need for surgery or use of medications altogether It's really up to the patient to decide whether or not to pursue this avenue. It

Some new thoughts on the dangers of long term use of popular NSAID drugs are emerging from a study out of UC Davis.  According to study author Aldrin Gomes, PhD. , we already knew that prolonged use of these medications could lead to increased risk of heart disease and stroke...but now we are beginning to understand why. The study examined the use of prolonged administration of NSAIDs in mice, and discovered the following: a reduced ability of cardiac cells to produce energy generation of a stress-inducing reactive oxygen species interference with production of proteasome ...all of which leads to a toxic buildup and eventual cell death. Another finding of note--the study compared naproxen, which is available over the counter, with a more potent prescription product, meclonfenamate sodium.  It appears that the prescription drug was more likely to have detrimental effects than its OTC counterpart.  In addition, the authors note that vitamin C, an antioxidant, along wit

It has been speculated that our "clean living" is sometimes too clean... Whipworm--an intestinal parasite Consider Inflammatory Bowel Disease, for instance.  It is thought that the absence of exposure to parasitic worms is a root cause of some oversensitive, gut-based immune system cases of IBD.  These worms are thought to help promote a balance of microorganisms in the GI tract...but it appears that the most developed nations on the earth have the highest cases of Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis. A study team at NYU Langone Medical Center is looking into this very issue. They observed that the incidence of IBD in Malaysia ( a more underdeveloped country) is very low, while persons of this region have a high rate of worm infections.  In experiments conducted thus far, they intentionally infected mice with intestinal worms and observed a significant change in the  gut microbiome of these mice.  This is one of the first studies linking parasitic worms, nor

Given the large number of knee an hip replacement surgeries that are performed on a daily basis, it's safe to say that hip and knee pain are common problems.  It seems that low back pain could also be added to the list as well.  I know lots of people who have a "bad back." Perhaps you could say the same. If you or someone you know is dealing with one of these problems, and surgery is not on the radar just yet, here are some pain management methods that might just do the trick.  The best thing about this list is that you can use any or all of these methods together without risk of side effects! 1) Weight Loss Being overweight puts stress on the back and the joints.  Weight loss can help to reduce the stress and delay or perhaps eliminate the need for surgery down the road. 2) Exercise Osteoarthritis is one big contributor to back, knee and hip pain.  One of the very best ways to preserve joint function is exercise! This does not mean it's time to r

Individuals with chronic pain suffer a great deal...at least, until they find the means to obtain relief and restore functionality.  But did you ever stop to think how chronic pain can affect that person's family and/or friends? "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."                                                                                                                           ~Ben Franklin Just as an example, consider the following case scenario... Jan G. is middle aged, relatively healthy individual.  One winter day Jan is out shoveling her sidewalk when the unthinkable happens. Jan slips and falls on an ice patch! While at the local hospital emergency room a bit later, X-rays reveal that Jan has a hip fracture. This is one of the most debilitating fractures!  Jan will require surgery, during which the surgeon will use plates, screws, nails, and/or plates to keep the broken bones in place during the healing period. Jan can ex

As the gluten free marketplace expands, and more and more people are following the gluten free trend, many of us are unaware of the most important reason to follow a gluten free diet: celiac disease. This condition affects approximately 1 in 100 persons worldwide.  If a parent or sibling has been given this diagnosis, there is a 1 in 10 risk that children, brothers, and sisters will also be diagnosed. If you know something about Celiac disease, you might know that it's an autoimmune disorder. The gastrointestinal effects of the condition are well known, including cramping, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting and such. There are many other signs and symptoms that you can read about here .  But there are additional problems that can and do occur with this diagnosis, including a rash known as dermatitis herpetiformis, migraines, nutritional deficiencies, seizures and osteoporosis.  Some persons with Celiac disease also develop other serious conditions such as type I diabetes and

Have you ever laughed so hard you started to cry--or maybe experienced being tickled until it hurts? Over the centuries it's been proposed that pain and pleasure are at opposite ends of a continuum... It has been established scientifically that these pain and pleasure neural pathways may at least overlap. From the standpoint of evolution, it would be important to be able to discern pain from pleasure for the ability to survive.  Some who have studied this topic say that having pain and pleasure on a continuum is the most efficient way to accomplish this.  As diametric opponents, when you feel true pleasure you really don't feel much in the way of pain, and vice versa. Truthfully, there's been a lot of thinking on this topic, but there are no clear answers as of yet. In the realm of pain management, we look at this continuum as a model for methods that can be used to remediate pain.  For instance, a chronic pain sufferer may dwell emotionally on the "pain&q