Everyday pain management ideas

Long term solutions to chronic pain are very important, and now that the FDA is limiting availability of opioids it it becoming increasingly important to know what options are available. One such form of treatment is nonsurgical procedure known as nerve ablation. One method of accomplishing this is the use of extreme cold (cryoblation).  Techniques that employ a chemical such as phenol or alcohol (chemical neurolysis) encompass the second of these methods. Thirdly is a technique known as radiofrequency ablation (RFA), which is the topic of my blog post today. The "pros" of RFA include the fact that it is reproducible. RFA is also extremely precise, and highly effective.  The RFA technique is also known to have a good margin of safety, so patients can have a sense of relief about that! A little background... The earliest accounts or RFA can be traced back to the 1930s. It has been noted that this technique was used as a treatment for trigeminal neuralgia.  M...

If you've ever seen a television ad for Cancer Treatment Centers of America , you might recall that the patients featured usually talk about the treatment approach there--that is, being treated a a whole person. In all the months I've been posting this blog, I am hoping that you can see that the same approach is becoming a model in the world of pain management.  By treating the patient as a whole--it is possible to target chronic pain from many avenues at the same time. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine had many wise things to say in this regard.  Here are some examples: " Natural forces within us are the true healers of disease." "If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health." "It's far more important to know what person the disease has than what disease the person has." When one is faced with...

Can prayer heal people?  I suppose the answer to that depends on if you believe in the power of prayer, or not.  I tend to believe that God answers all of our prayers, but sometimes God says no.  We do not always understand because we cannot see through the eyes of God... I found an article on " Discovery Health " website that cites some interesting studies about this topic.  One study, conducted in 1988 by Randolph Byrd, a physician, looked at 393 patients who entered a cardiac care unit in a San Francisco Hospital.  Some of the patients were assigned to a group that received intercessory prayer (IP), while the other group did not receive IP.  None of the patients knew which group they were assigned to.  At the conclusion of the study, Byrd reported that 85% of the patients in the prayer group responded well to treatment, while 73% of the group that did not benefit from IP responded similarly. Many similar studies patterned after Byrd's study ...

Today  I would like to share with you an article by Cynthia Perkins, M. Ed.  who is a holistic health coach/counselor that I came across recently.  The blog post she wrote entitled "Living in Spite of Your Symptoms" really reinforces the ideas that I am trying to present to you in my blog.  I addition to her education, Cynthia has battled her own share of demons: migraine, chemical injury, and atypical trigeminal neuralgia to name a few. Cynthia has also written several self help books on various subjects , including alcohol, meditation and mindfulness, and beating sugar addiction.  It is well worth your time to click the link above and explore her ideas! Sources: Wikimedia; HolisticHelp.net

Recently, I posted a piece entitled:  Is pain management possible through diet? The post features a book about  following eating foods that have natural anti-inflammatory properties.  By reducing inflammation one is able to accompanying pain that is a part of many disease states, such as rheumatoid arthritis. So today I am going to share a short list  of some of these natural pain relievers. In the coming days, I will go through the list and feature them individually.  I hope these foods are on  your  favorites list, and that by learning how to incorporate them into your diet, you, too will be able to reduce pain and suffering in your life that is due to inflammation. And so, without further ado, here is the list! Fruits and vegetables  Omega-3 foods Lean proteins Whole grains Herbs and Spices           The renowned Dr, Andrew Weil , a pioneer in the field of food and integrative medicine, has created a food ...

Natural Mama shares 10 tips to help you sleep better the natural way! At the end of the video she discusses some herbal remedies.  I don't really know too much about these products; I strongly advocate trying the 10 tips first and taking the time to research the herbals if and when you decide to give them a try. Can't see the video?  click here to watch on YouTube Source: Youtube