Silky Micro-Needles Could Make Shots Pain-Free
29 Dec, 2011
Nobody
likes getting shots. But what if you could make the needles so tiny that they
broke the skin painlessly? Engineers from Tufts University have created such
micro-needles--made from the major protein in silk, fibroin. The work is in the
journal Advanced Functional Materials .[Konstantinos Tsioris et al., "
Fabrication of Silk Micro-Needles for Controlled-Release Drug Delivery "]
[More]
Living with Pain: Top 10 Pain Management Posts for 2011
29 Dec, 2011
It
is hard to believe that 2011 has nearly come to an end. I wish you all a very
happy and healthy new year. I thought this would be a good time to review my
blog posts for 2011. Take ...
Living
With Pain: Two Types of Coping
22 Dec, 2011
From
birth, we are all faced with two basic questions: “What do I want or
need?” and “How do I get it?” Of course, we start out
wanting the same kinds of things: to eat, to sleep, to be safe, ...
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !
22 Dec, 2011
MERRY
CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL READERS OF THE PICTURE OF PAIN BLOG Thank
you for your interest and support. We will be back in the new year with new
posts and comments about pain management, starting with the third post and a
podcast about chronic pain management and risk of aberrant drug [...]
Arthritis National Research Foundation
21 Dec, 2011
Arthritis
sucks. Rheumatoid Arthritis is especially sucky. Here's a gentle description of
what happened to my grandmother from the Arthritis National Research
Foundation. She once swam competitively, but no longer could. She had
difficulty doing the shopping for her family. Everyday pleasures were dulled by
pain. The simplest movements required tremendous effort and concentration.
Joyce Sontag was
Living with
Pain: Finding Yourself
15 Dec, 2011
One
of the most difficult aspects of chronic pain management is dealing with the
losses that may accompany pain. For example, your roles can change. Your role
as spouse or partner, friend, worker, mom or dad, brother or sister, athlete
...
Living
with Pain: Let Yourself Breathe
8 Dec, 2011
I
have written a great deal about the negative thoughts that are so easy to get
caught up in when you live with chronic pain. I have covered topics such as
rumination, self-talk, “negative fortune telling“, and
anger. People with ...
A Body Image and Disordered Eating Intervention for Women in
Midlife: A Randomized Controlled Trial
8 Dec, 2011
Publication
year: 2011 Source: Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Volume 79,
Issue 6, December 2011, Pages 751-758 Siân A. McLean, Susan
J. Paxton, Eleanor H. Wertheim Objective: This study examined the
outcome of a body image and disordered eating intervention for midlife women.
The intervention was specifically designed to address risk factors that are
pertinent in midlife. Method: Participants were 61 women aged 30 to 60 years
(M= 43.92,SD= 8.22) randomly assigned to intervention (n= 32) or (delayed
treatment) control (n= 29) groups. Following an 8-session facilitated group
cognitive behavioral therapy-based intervention, outcomes from the Body Shape
Questionnaire; Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire; Body Image Avoidance
Questionnaire; Physical Appearance Comparison Sc...
Living with Pain: Depression and “Negative Fortune
Telling”
1 Dec, 2011
Chronic
pain and depression sometimes co-occur. It has been estimated that 30-50%
of people with pain also report feelings of depression. While severe pain can
be a trigger for depression, feeling depressed can make pain worse. Depression
makes it more ...
Living
with Pain: Gratitude and Well-Being
25 Nov, 2011
Giving
thanks doesn’t need to be limited to, or delegated by, a national
holiday. Gratitude can be a part of daily life. According to Drs. Randy
and Lori Sansone, gratitude is: The appreciation of what is valuable and
meaningful to ...
22 Nov, 2011
Publication
year: 2011 Source: Hong Kong Physiotherapy Journal, Volume 29, Issue 2,
December 2011, Pages 53-63 Chi-ngai Christopher Lo, Saiful
Adli Bukry, Saad Alsuleman, Joel Varghese Simon Thoracic outlet
syndrome (TOS) is a well-discussed neurovascular condition in upper limbs that
prompted the scientists to conduct several reviews and to write articles on the
topic during the last three decades. Most of the treatments are surgery and a
series of conservative treatments. However, the variation of conservative
treatments is wide and not defined. The aim of this systematic review was to
define the effectiveness of physical treatments, as one of the conservative
managements, for patients with TOS, in terms of pain relief. Eleven articles
published during the period 1990–2009 were selecte...
Adolescents
With Fibromyalgia - Psychological Intervention Helps Reduce Depression And
Disability
22 Nov, 2011
According
to a recent multi-site trial published in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a
peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR),
cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) reduces functional disability and depressive
symptoms in adolescent with juvenile fibromyalgia...
Living
with Pain: Depression and “Self-Talk”
17 Nov, 2011
If
you have chronic pain, you may also be depressed. For example, one study found
that among a representative, community sample of men and women, 35% of the
study’s participants who reported chronic pain were also depressed. Risk
of depression ...
Popular Painkillers Linked to Increased Heart Risks
11 Oct, 2011
A
review of previous studies has found that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
such dicolfenac, ibuprofen, and naproxyn can increase users' risk for heart
attack or stroke by a third, depending on the drug taken and the size of the
dose.
Nurofen Plus going back on sale following safety recall
29 Sep, 2011
Nurofen
plus is to go back on sale in tamper proof packs after recent safety recall
29 Sep, 2011
A
better targeted approach to the management of back pain in primary care could
provide a more effective and cheaper alternative to conventional care
Popular pain killers linked to heart attack risk
28 Sep, 2011
Several
anti-inflammatory pain killers significantly increase the risk of heart attack
study concludes
What cancer survival really means
30 Jul, 2011
I
was really taken aback by this explanation of what cancer survival really means.
I know that some of you are fighting cancer* or have someone in your lives who
is. This may be useful. xkcd: Lanes (Click to make bigger) Check out the
rollover --the text which displays when your mouse hovers over the picture-- on
the original post for how the picture reflects the stages of breast cancer.
Foolproof method for succeeding in modern neurochemistry
19 Jul, 2011
Neurochemistry
Post-Docs! Looking to publish interesting and important papers on the
neurochemistry of reward but don't know what to study? Then Dr. Swenson's
Revolutionary Topic Selection Method is for you! For centuries, western
philosophers have thought carefully about the nature and kinds of pleasure.*
You too can benefit from their efforts! Here's the key to Dr. Swenson's
Revolutionary Topic
LSD analogue and cluster headaches
19 Jul, 2011
Whoa.
Check out this abstract an annual International Headache Congress paper.
Cluster headache attack cessation and remission extension of months or longer
in six treatment-refractory patients administered only 3 doses of BOL-148J.
Halpern, M. Karst, T. PassieFive male patients with treatment-refractory
chronic cluster headache and one female patient with treatment-refractory mixed
cluster/
Fewer back pain benefits claims
10 May, 2011
Mental
health disorders replace back pain as the main reason for claiming Incapacity
Benefit
EU directory on herbal medicines – it is not all bad news
25 Feb, 2011
You
may already know about the EU’s attempt to remove the rights from
European citizens to choose how to deal with their health matters by denying
access to herbal remedies amongst others. All details can be found on ‘Go
Petition’ (http://media.causes.com/ribbon/1002638) where you will also
have the option of signing the petition against the EU directive [...]
MPs want homoeopathy funding stopped – some comments
4 Mar, 2010
This
refers to an article published by the New Scientist on 23rd/Feb/2010 by Andy
Coghlan (
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18559-stop-funding-homeopathy-say-british-mps.html
) Brief points: 1- "Homeopathic remedies work no better than placebos, and
so should no longer be paid for by the UK National Health Service, a committee
of British members of parliament has concluded": I can think of [...]
Food and pain – Choosing the right food to reduce pain
and inflammation
5 Feb, 2010
Did
you know that some of the things we eat or drink can make pain and inflammation
better or worse? Some foods make blood pH more acid or alkaline (different
parts of our bodies have different pH values) and this has a direct effect on
inflammation and our immune system.
27 Dec, 2009
Healing
and feeling better are two different things. Many people focus on getting rid
of symptoms (emotional or physical pain for instance), assuming that if they
feel better, there are no problems. Mainstream, conventional medicine also
tends to focus on this. But, if you imagine that our bodies are like a car,
when we feel [...]
New
directions in the psychology of chronic pain management
7 Aug, 2009
New
directions in the psychology of chronic pain management View more presentations
from epicyclops.
Just in case drugs – the incongruence of RCT gold
standard
5 Jun, 2009
Giving
drugs packed with unpleasant and dangerous side-effects to healthy people to
prevent disease – just in case – apart from being completely
illogical, has proven to be dangerous and not to work. NICE is now recommending
that aspirin should not be given as a preventive intervention for
cardiovascular disease after years of guidelines advocating [...]
Choice of drug-free pain treatment and management is a right
16 May, 2009
Many
people suffering from chronic pain are able to fund their treatment of choice
and opt for alternative interventions if they do not want to rely on the
National Health Service. Others cannot afford to do so and feel disempowered
and hopeless. This is unjust because pain management and treatment is a human
right and should be available to all.