Everyday pain management ideas

If you have ever had painful condition, most likely you have taken one of the opioid drugs...and some may take these drugs for chronic pain.  You might know that one of the big side effects of the opioids is constipation. Image source:Flickr Recently some drugs have been developed and FDA approved for this condition. OIC (opioid induced constipation), as it's called is now a medical condition that stems from chronic opioid use. According to the drug manufacturers,  the solution to the problem is...to take a second medication for a problem that's caused by the original medication! I'm sure the people reading this blog have many different opinions about this.  Personally, I think that the only time chronic opioid therapy is appropriate is for people with terminal illnesses.  And for them, I guess these OIC drugs are a blessing.  When your lifetime is going to be shortened by a painful terminal illness, it's not unreasonable to do whatever is ne...

If you have an unbearable headache, especially one that is due to high blood pressure...try this simple remedy for rapid, drug free relief. First, find some gauze or light cotton fabric to use for a compress.  Fold the fabric so it has eight layers, and set it aside for a few minutes. Next, measure out 250 ml (8 1/2 ounces) of hot water (140-160) degrees Fahrenheit.  Add two teaspoonfuls of salt to the water and stir until dissolved. What you will now have is an 8% saline solution.   Wash your forehead, ears and neck with a little bit of water. Soak the fabric or gauze in the saline solution and wring out the excess liquid. Lay down and apply the compresses to your forehead, neck and ears.  Once the compresses are applied, lay still for 20 minutes (even though you may start to feel relief very quickly!)   After the twenty minutes have passed, remove the compresses. Rinse the areas where the compresses were applied with plain water. You ...

I wanted to share this video of Dr. Kent Smalley.  He's a pain management physician who is also a chronic pain sufferer. I've shared things about him before...this time he's answering a question as to whether or not pain medications can cause weight gain.  The answer is more complex than a simple yes or no but he explains it here in about a minute..so have a look! Source:YouTube;Pixabay

Neuropathic pain is one type of chronic pain problem.  The pain is the result of damage to the actual nervous system. Most who experience this type of pain describe it as "pins and needles", burning, stinging, "on fire" or similar.  It must be really annoying to suffer from this, be it a result of diabetic neuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia, or any other neuropathic disorder.  I can't even begin to imagine what it feels like. Shingles (Herpes Zoster) rash on chest However, I have some good news about this topic. I am here to tell you some exciting news about some research  developments in this field.  Recently UC Davis researchers announced that they have discovered a key mechanism in neuropathic pain syndromes. They are saying that a biological process known as endoplasmic reticular stress , or ER stress for short, is a key driver of neuropathic pain. Why is it good news? Because now that this mechanism has been identified, a search for agents/metho...

Source: Washington Post You've probably seen some news articles about this topic lately...I thought it was relevant to share in this forum.  The use of opioid pain medications for chronic pain is/was a standard practice for decades.  At this point, there are still many folks out there with chronic pain syndromes who are still being prescribed these medications.  They are, in fact. at increased risk of addiction due to that fact alone.  Now that medical practitioners are starting to think differently about this prescribing practice, some patients are left addicted to these medications but no longer have access to them.  Some of these are actual patients, others may be someone who abused/borrowed Oxycontin and other narcotic analgesics by obtaining them via less than legitimate means.  It's a lot easier to obtain heroin in the present day, so it has become an attractive alternative.   Statistics show that deaths due to heroin overdose have...

Because of my blog, I follow a lot of social media.  As you might expect, I have a Twitter account so that I can share my posts and find new material for future blog posts.  One day, I discovered Dr. Harvey Jenkins through my Twitter account.  He is highly educated, knowledgeable pain management physician from the state of Oklahoma. Dr. Jenkins wrote a a very concise, easy to read book that he asked me to read and review on Amazon. After reading the book and doing as he asked, I thought it would be good to share my thoughts with my readers.  The book is entitled "The Patient's Guide to Pain Management." To be perfectly honest, I think this book is a must read for anyone who is looking for medical help with chronic pain issues.  In reading this material, you will understand many things from the doctor's perspective that you might not understand now.  For instance, many pain practitioners have their patients sign treatment contracts when treatment begin...

Today's post is about another of the many pain devices out there.  This time we're looking at sam® , a product that is marketed by ZetrOZ, Inc.  It's an ultrasound device that was approved by the FDA in 2014 for select medical indications.  It is said to have advantage over other devices out there because because it can be worn for up to four hours at a time.  Of course, like the other devices in this category it's drug free...and that is a good thing indeed! Here's where the story gets interesting. A clinical study on this device has received by ZetrOZ...because it has potential use in space!  Apparently, the human spine is elongated by some 2 inches during space travel due to low gravity situation.  The sam® device is being studied for use by astronauts in this situation.  Meanwhile, here on earth, sam® is available by prescription.  Here is a link to a brochure about the device. sam® is said to increase local circulation, improve the ...