New Findings Indicate Link Between Migraine and Bell's Palsy

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 underlying link. They hope that this new finding will help to find new information about both conditions, leading to better understanding and treatment for those afflicted.
To read more about this interesting study, click here.

Sources:Web MD, Wikipedia,Newswise,AAN

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Living with Chronic pain hits the big screen!

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

Effectiveness Of Ozone Injections Is No Longer Up In The Air

Most of us know someone who has osteoarthritis, if we don't have it ourselves. Joint replacement surgery is a pretty common remedy when the joint becomes severely damaged and the patient is in a lot of pain. With risk of complications from such a surgery, perhaps an alternative treatment should be tried first. One such remedy is the injection of a synthetic version of collagen(e.g. Synvisc®) into the affected joint. This procedure restores the cushioning to a joint that has degenerated over the years. It can diminish the pain substantially and help put off joint replacement surgery for months to years. The biggest drawback is that these products are expensive. GoodRX , a web site that can be used to estimate the cost of medications, estimates the cost of these products to be over $1,000 each. Here's another example--and I am not sure how widely accepted this protocol has become since study authors introduced it in November 2015. Are you r...

Fibromyalgia Week: Day 2

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 syndrom...

Everyday pain management ideas

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