Everyday pain management ideas

If you have been in your local drugstore lately...or maybe seen on TV...the makers of " Aleve " have a new product on the market.   Aleve Direct is a tens unit that you might find in the pain relief section of the store.  I also noticed that the makers of Icy Hot have a similar product on store shelves as well. This is a brilliant move by the manufacturers in my opinion.  By attaching a familiar name to these new products, maybe some people will be less skeptical about trying them out.  That is definitely a step in the right direction! While this product is not currently available at Amazon.com, it must have been in the past. Here is a link  to the customer reviews section for this product. While there are less then 10 reviews of this writing for the most part it's pretty positive feedback! Sources: Aleve.com; Amazon.com. Wikimedia

I belong to a health club.  I wouldn't have it any other way...there are so many ways to exercise! Most weeks, I follow the same ritual.  Once in a while, when I am injured or I need some time off I still go to the gym and try new things. Aqua Cycling Class One of the things I enjoy now and again is water exercise.  I have seen people "water walk" in the lanes of the swimming pool. There is a warm water pool and a regular pool at our facility...each of which has advantages and disadvantages.  Occasionally I take a water aerobics class. And the icing on the cake(for me) is a trip to the whirlpool after class!  Ahhhhh..... I can just feel it now. There are many advantages to working out in the water.  For one, you the water offers resistance against you when you are in it.  Water walkers often take advantage of this...it gives some of the advantages of weight or resistance training.  A second advantage is that the bouyancy of the water is easy on the joints. Th

Have you ever heard of HCAHPS ? It's an acronym for Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems. A creation of the US Department of Health and Human Services, this is website where you can look up patient satisfaction scores for specific doctors, hospitals, and such.  The data provided on this site is generated from surveys sent randomly to patients following hospital admissions, medical visits, etc. Under the Affordable Care Act, this data is also used to determine reimbursement rates for these same providers.  To put it simply, better scores mean better rates of reimbursement for health care providers. So it's natural to assume that providers want to perform well, because that means more income for them! One of the sections of these surveys pertains to pain management.  And since pain was considered the " fifth vital sign " until very recently, pain control is/was very important part of patient satisfaction. Now that we are in the mid

As the heroin epidemic continues, and the struggle with taming the opioid crisis goes on, the marketplace has become full of many new devices to help those who deal with chronic pain. So today, let's look at some of the new devices that have come out in the past year.  I am surely hoping that someday, someone will read this--or one of my many other posts--and find a reason for hope, and a way to make each and every day brighter.  So, without further ado, here are a few of the devices that came out this year, along with a link and brief description. 1) PainShield ®--  This novel device is actually an ultrasound device that is applied to the body via a topical patch.  It is very portable--and battery operated-- so it can be used anywhere, anytime. The manufacturer says it is indicated for pain and soft tissue injuries . Most of the reviews on the product website claim that it is helpful for trigeminal neuralgia that has failed to respond to other therapies. 2) iovera ®--An

Two childhood cancer survivors, both students at  Canada's Simon Fraser University, have developed a virtual reality game to help young cancer patients cope with the pain of their illness.  Known as " Farmoo ," the game was inspired by other computer games such as Farmville, this new game takes its user into a virtual reality farm. The innovators of the game will be putting their efforts to the test at British Columbia's Children's Hospital. It is designed for cancer patients aged 12 to 18, who can play the game with simple hand movements. The game also features a frame speed that minimizes the risk of dizziness, a common problem following chemotherapy treatment. Since both of the developers have experienced cancer diagnosis and treatment, they hope that their game concept will help its users to forget about their pain and the boredom of spending extended periods in a hospital bed.   You can read the original article by clicking here .  S

I haven't stressed the importance of spirituality in this blog enough...mostly because I don't want to "push" religion on anyone who doesn't think it's useful.  But today, I AM going to talk about religion and how it can have a positive impact on one's life. The Journal of the American Medical Association- Psychiatry recently published a study of the association between religious service attendance and suicide risk for women in the US.  This study examined 89,708 US women aged 30 to 55 years during the late 1990s through 2010. The study concluded that the women under study were 5 times less likel y to commit suicide if they attended church services at least once per week.  The correlation was strongest amongst those of the Catholic faith. This is an important finding for those who suffer from chronic pain because anxiety and depression are often comorbid conditions in chronic pain patients.  In modern society many people have fallen away from

When someone is dependent on opioids, it's difficult to stop the drug and try a new form of treatment for a number of reasons: 1) There may be a fear that a different form of treatment will not work as well as current treatment. 2) Withdrawal from opioids can be a very uncomfortable process. This can include muscle aches, restlessness, anxiety, tearing of the eyes, sweating, insomnia, abdominal issues (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cramping), racing heart, and hypertension.  Knowing this in advance must surely be a deterrent to stopping these drugs! 3) The euphoria that some people experience when taking opioids will no longer be a part of life. Some addiction medicine specialists use prescription drugs such as Subutex or Suboxone to treat patients who have used or abused opioids and need to stop.  The problem here is that these drugs will block the withdrawal symptoms but that's all.  The dependency problem is still there underneath it all. When I worked as a ho

I really like to crochet...and one day when I was showing someone a few pictures of my work, I was told that persons who are under treatment for PTSD are shown how to knit or crochet for therapeutic reasons.  Hmmm...I thought--I am going to do a little research on that topic! One of the things I found was this story from CNN that illustrates this point exactly.  According to the article, crafting can help anyone with anxiety, PTSD, chronic pain, and/or depression.  While no specific research has been done on crafting, studies have shown that the same cognitive skills used to complete crossword puzzles may be used when a person is crafting. I can tell you from experience that I have a little anxiety and have a history of some chronic pain disorders. When I have my yarn and hook working away, I could care less about any of those issues. I just get lost in my project and loose all sense of reality. And before you know it, I have produced a blanket, a scarf or a hat...made with lo

At the moment, there is much debate about whether or not pain levels should be considered "the fifth vital sign."  This idea came about some years ago when pain control became one of the quality measures in hospital care. The hospitals, in turn, relied mostly on medication to score well on those quality measures.  Who does this idea really benefit in the end...the hospital, who may benefit from higher insurance or Medicare reimbursements due to higher scores...or the patient? I am interested in what you might think about this topic; feel free to comment if you like.  My own personal opinion is that pain is NOT a vital sign because it's not a measure of life and death.  But I also believe that it is important to help people manage their pain levels as much as possible.  It means that those who are suffering should learn self-management from the earliest point possible, and showing them all the options that are possible, and where to find those options. In the p

Many patients who are diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) find themselves on a serious, and intensive medication regimen..and while these are definitely effective, it's good to know that sometimes there are alternative choices.  If effective, alternative remedies can save a patient from side effects and drug interactions and can be cost saving as well. Fish oil capsules Here is one example of an alternative treatment that can be effective.  Fish oil has been studied in patients with existing RA back in the 1990s and found to be minimally effective. But in the past year, an Australian study, published in Annals of Rheumatic Medicine. The study compared the use of high dose fish oil , low dose fish oil, and standard treatment regimens in patients who had RA for less than one year.  Those patients who were on the high dose fish oil regimen were less likely to progress to more advanced forms of treatment, and seemed to score better on remission assessments than those t

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can really affect the quality of a person's life. Just ask anyone who has been diagnosed as such, or one of their family members or friends.  More than likely, they will have a lot of information to share with you. In a prior post, "Rheumatoid Arthritis IS A Deadly Disease"  you will find a list of some things that cause an RA patient to suffer above and beyond the usual.  You will see that there are some things on the list that these patients can control...and that's what today's post is about. Himalayan Pink Salt Some of these things are lifestyle changes--and while they are not easy, they can happen. One of those things is modification of salt intake.  The American diet is pretty high in sodium as is. Opting for reduced sodium food products and using salt substitutes such as "Mrs. Dash" or pink himalayan salt can be a good place to start.  While himalayan salt does contain sodium, it has slightly less sodium than ta

Do you suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome?  I have been dealing with it for twenty five years or more. I am hesitant to opt for the surgery because of the long recovery times, and because it does not necessarily guarantee a cure. I have known people who benefitted from the surgery, and some who required more surgery after the first one. In the meantime, I go through periods of time when it's not bothersome and other periods where I awaken during the night with the feeling of pins and needles from elbow to hand.  I have rigid wrist braces and they really do offer some relief. The disadvantages I find are that they are cumbersome and make it difficult to do just about anything involving hands during waking hours.  I tend to wear them overnight when I do use them. A study published in the June issue of CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) compares this traditional method of splinting vs. splinting with electroacupuncture for treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome.  Of the

You may (or may not) realize it--but there are antacid products on the US pharmaceutical market that contain "salicylates"--which are a form of aspirin.  One example it Pepto-Bismol®: just look at the active ingredients and you'll see the term "bismuth subsalicylate". Herein lies the problem..as salicylates are a form of aspirin, they carry all the risks of aspirin and all the other NSAID drugs.  Recently the FDA has been monitoring reports of increased bleed risk with use of these drugs.  Many people take a daily dose of aspirin to reduce the risk of stroke or heart attack. Who would think that taking a product for an upset stomach on top of this could be such a serious problem? My advice to you...ALWAYS read labels carefully when you purchase over the counter products. Just because a product is available over-the-counter does not mean it's risk free.  Make sure you understand exactly what you are taking and why you are taking it!  Check with your

A new study out of Brigham and Women's Hospital puts a new twist on the adage, "You are what you eat."  In this instance, researchers were looking at the "gut brain" and how it plays a role in inflammation of the human brain. Human Fetal Astrocyte The researchers found that bacteria in the gut produce molecules known as astrocytes . These molecules are derived from tryptophan, which is an amino acid found in high protein foods such as chicken, turkey, fish, and nuts.  These astrocytes, once formed, reside in the brain and spinal cord and serve to limit inflammatory activity there. During this study, it was found that multiple sclerosis patients had low levels of these tryptophan -derived molecules. Tryptophan is also essential in the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates mood and mental activity.  According to the study author, "Deficits in the gut flora, deficits in the diet, or deficits in the ability to uptake these prod

In recent weeks, we all were shocked and horrified about the death of pop star Prince. At the time, the cause of death was not apparent.  The coroner would not speculate but instead said that the results were inconclusive pending toxicology results. Just last week, the toxicology results were in--and the cause of Prince's death was said to be an accidental overdose of the pain killing drug fentanyl.  This might not mean much to the average citizen, but I see a huge red flag here.  First of all, fentanyl is one of the most potent opioids out there. To give you some perspective, fentanyl is one-hundred times more potent than morphine (intravenous use)! This tells me a couple of things: 1)  Fentanyl would not be a first choice drug for a person with chronic pain.  It's pretty safe to assume that Prince was using pain medication for a while, and was prescribed fentanyl when other medications did not provide adequate pain relief. 2) This scenario can play out--and ha

For this last day of Fibromyalgia Week, I have two things for you, my readers. First, I have a quiz...just to see how much you know, or have learned, about fibromyalgia this week.  Click the link below if you want to try it out! How much do you know about Fibromyalgia? » online quizzes Secondly, and very importantly...I have found something that some of readers may find quite useful.  There are lots of "apps" for smartphones out there, and some for fibromyalgia. Today I am sharing a link for "FibroMapp", which is available for Android and Kindle.  Sadly, there is not an Apple platform for this app but we can only hope that some day....  There are other apps like this available, but this one seems to have lots of good reviews.  Here is a link if you would like to check it out. Click here FibroMapp App http://www.fibromapp.com/ repost from 2014  

On this day 4 of fibromyalgia week, I am going to focus my writing on treatments for this mysterious condition.  As discussed in earlier posts, this condition tends to be chronic --and while it is debilitating, it is not life threatening.  There is no inflammatory process involved either. Pharmacotherapy for fibromyalgia  Drug treatment for fibromyalgia is still sort of in the trial and error phase.  There has been good response to some of the SSRI and tricyclic antidepressants to date.  Other drugs that have some use in fibromyalgia are NSAIDs (ibuprofen for example), COX 2 inhibitors (a specific category of NSAID such as celecoxib) and antiepileptics (eg Gabapentin). There have been some trials of naltrexone and also Immune Globulin . To date, these last two studies look promising but at this point they are not conventional therapy.  At one time, guaifenesin was thought to be promising but there is no clinical or scientific data to support its use as a treatment for fibro

Today, I am sharing some thoughts about what causes fibromyalgia.  Current understanding of this debilitating disorder suggests that central pain processing in fibromyalgia patients is altered.  Somehow, the central nervous system (CNS)  has some faulty wiring problems, resulting in an amplified physical pain. In the adult population, it seems that more women are affected by fibromyalgia than are men.  In children and adolescents the gender ratio is 1:1. There are a few theories out there as to the root cause of fibromyalgia.  Some ideas: 1) Genetic Basis -- it seems that fibromyalgia "runs in families", suggesting that there is a specific gene  that may be involved in the perception of pain. 2) Biochemical Imbalances --Some findings in fibromyalgia show that these patients have very low levels of serotonin,which has been linked to problems with sleep,pain perception,headaches, and mood disorders. Other studies have shown that people with fibromyalgia have eleva

Tender points...click caption for WebMD animation Tender points are a unique feature of fibromaylgia.  There are 18 such points on the human body (9 pairs as shown).  Using special technique by hand or a dolorimeter, a fibromyalgia patient will experience pain in at least 11 points, and there will be at least one painful tender point in each quadrant of the body! One study found that up to 96% of fibromyalgia patients suffer from sleep disorders. It is believed that this is responsible for a deprivation of delta sleep, during which human growth hormone is produced. This hormone is essential to tissue repair. Other common problems in fibromyalgia are fatigue, concentration/memory ("fibro fog"), and depression.  There is no doubt in my mind that just enabling the patient to sleep well on a regular basis would be of great benefit! It is not uncommon for fibromyalgia patients to have coexisting conditions--some of these are lupus, disease, irritable bowel syndrome, l

I have been watching the statistics on this blog since I started it, and I could not help but notice that some of the most popular posts pertained to fibromyalgia.  So, I thought,  why not devote a whole week to the subject?  So, without further ado, on this first day of Fibromyalgia Week, I shall begin with an overview. The American Medical Association  gave official recognition to fibromyalgia back in 1987. Before that time, this disorder was considered a "wastebasket" diagnosis, but in more recent years it is being recognized as a true illness. Here are some interesting facts about fibromyalgia: The characteristic feature of fibromyalgia is chronic, widespread musculoskeletal pain, associated wit symptoms of fatigue, insomnia, and other symptoms such as stiffness, headache, and chest pain. An interesting and unique feature of fibromyalgia is "tender points"--which are specific targeted areas where people with this disorder feel an amplified pain