Managing Chronic Pain

A Great Read! "All in My Mind" by Jennifer Busch

2010-07-30T14:20:00.000-04:00

I had the opportunity to speak with Jennifer Busch, the author of "All in My Mind." She has Adrenal Fatigue, Chronic Fatigue, and Fibromyalgia. Her book is a very honest recount of her recovery. She shares her good days and bad days, revealing her inner self. I found it to be a book written from the heart and I even teared up a bit at the end. It is also very insightful in many different ways. I feel it is a must read for anyone living with a chronic illness. It will give you insight to some areas we are all probably aware of yet might deliberately avoid. I know for myself I have thought about some of those things, yet hesitate to act upon those feelings sometimes. Thank you Jennifer for sharing with us.

Must See Video Clip on RSD / CRPS

2010-07-16T11:37:00.000-04:00

It is sad that so many doctors still do not know about RSD/CRPS. Next time you are at your doctor's - ask him if he knows what it is and help spread the word so people don't have to wait so long to find out that is what they have. September is pain awareness month - let us all do our part. This video is very informative on Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, it reviews the symptoms, the treatments, and explains how the pain becomes its own disease.
View more information on RSD and Resources for Chronic Pain.

Sore No More

2010-07-13T14:04:00.000-04:00

If you haven't heard of "Sore No More" or "Sombra" Warm or Cool Therapy Gel for pain relief you should check it out. Both products are made by the same people. Sore No More is the retail product line and "Sombra" is usually sold via health professionals. Either one works good for pain relief. I often rub it all over my left leg (which is the side I have RSD on) and it helps with the pain and allows me to sleep better. I have had several friends in the pain support group try it and they too like it so I thought I would share it with you.

RSD Informational Video Clip

2010-07-06T16:56:00.002-04:00

To learn more about Cynthia Toussaint's For Grace Foundation

To reach Dr. Edward Carden, call (310) 842-8668 or visit his website at http://www.discmdgroup.com.

Have you Heard of Curamin?

2010-07-01T16:52:00.001-04:00

I don't know how many of you have heard of Curamin. It is an herbal analgesic and several people I know have tried it and thinks it works great! I have tried it and if I need to take something I prefer to take something naturally so Curamin works for me. You can check out more information if you are interested and locate a store near you at http://www.curamin.com/

Choices for Managing our Chronic Pain

2010-05-25T14:39:00.001-04:00

There are several different servies and moldalities for treating and managing chronic pain. The folloiwng modalties I have used myself in managing my RSD.

Physical therapy. This can be different for each person. I started out doing pool therapy and massage with hot and cold packs before I advanced to the fitness center. I was lucky that my range of motion and stretching remained strong because I exercised and was in shape before my accident. It is so important to exercise -fat or thin - we all need to do it. I think physical therapy was a big part in my recovery and that is why I feel the chi machine can help. It works great for those of us who are not as active as we should be because it is a passive aerobic exerciser.
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). This method applies pulses of electricity to nerve endings in the skin. I used this method as well and continue to do so with the Advanced Electro Refelx Energizer. This really helped me target large muscle groups in my body.
Professional counseling (such as cognitive-behavioral therapy). With chronic pain, unfortunately some individuals can suffer from stress or depression which can worsen our pain. I know before I had my Left Lumbar Sympathectomy, I had to go through a session to be evaluated to make sure mentally I was strong enough to do the surgery (since an improvement in my RSD couldn't be predicted). You can't be healthy without being ermotionally and physically strong. There is a mind and body connection.
Pain Management Clinics. These clinics are set up to do the injections, blocks, medication management, and to help us cope with our chronic pain. Those of us in chronic pain are familiar with these clinicls and I had my lumbar sacral blocks at a pain management clinic.

Most of my friends in pain are familiar with these services. Hang in there, there is always someone out there worse than we are.

Neurology Now - Article on RSD/CRPS

2010-05-20T16:18:00.000-04:00

There was a really good article in Neurology Now about RSD/CRPS. You can click here to read it.

Getting to the point of acupuncture - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

2010-05-20T15:57:00.000-04:00

Thousands of ailments, ranging from chronic pain and diseases to smoking, weight loss or psychological problems, can be treated by stimulating specific points on the body with various sized needles. Experts suggest individuals seek information earlier in the treatment process.

According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, acupuncture is among the oldest healing practices in the world. As part of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture aims to restore and maintain health through the stimulation of specific points on the body.

There are about 365 parts on the body that can be stimulated using acupuncture needles, which come in various shapes and sizes, according to Trey Casimir, an acupuncturist in Lewisburg. These needles and points can treat a variety of ailments -- from sinus cold and allergies to various pains, migraines, fertility, schizophrenia, smoking and weight management.

Dr. Richard Huskey, a medical acupuncturist for Sunbury Community Hospital, said the needles don't hurt to insert, and if anything, a patient will feel a simple sensation.

"The acupoints are just below the surface of the skin," he said, measuring about 0.3 millimeters. "It's a polite treatment, focusing on areas visible to us. Most are on the head, face, ears, shoulders, elbows to fingers and knees to tips of the toes."

Casimir, who has been doing the procedure for 10 years, has been based in Lewisburg for the past seven years. His patients range in age from teens to late 90s. He doesn't just focus on physical ailments, either.

"What surprised me is how much spirit sickness I treat," he said, with many coming in with depression or hopelessness. "I couldn't do this if I didn't love my patients. I see people in pain all the time and it's difficult. If I didn't like them, it would be hard to do this every day."

Huskey was certified in 2007 and said before inserting the hair-thin needles into a patient, he begins by feeling a pulse and analyzing the individual's tongue.

"There are three places on each wrist to identify possible problems in the body," he said. "For tongue diagnosis, I look at color, coating and appearance associated with the body organ system."

Casimir begins the process with the same two procedures, which can tell the acupuncturist where the problem areas might be. Most procedures last 17 to 30 minutes. During the time spent waiting while the needles are inserted, patients are advised to just relax.

The frequency of visits also varies between patients. Casimir said some come for treatments on a weekly basis, while others have had one visit and were finished.

"It can be very simple sometimes," he said. "The happiest patients are when they've had a pain for years and it's treated once or twice and it's gone."

Both acupuncturists encourage individuals to consider the treatment early on.

"It leads to cure without a pill or a clock," said Huskey. "Most Western medicine, you have a doctor visit and end up with a prescription written out, taking a pill according to the clock. This eliminates the pain or reduces it for everyday management."

Getting to the point of acupuncture - South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

Hypnosis - An option for Chronic Pain

2010-03-27T12:08:00.000-04:00

With advances in science, we have learned many things on how our brains experience pain. We have learned that our brains do not have a "pain center". Our brains are more like a "pain matrix" because multiple areas of our brain become active when we experience pain. We have also learned that input from outside of the brain can and often does play a role in how we experience pain.

Science can now observe the direct effects hypnosis has on brain activity and how this can also affect the areas and structures within the pain matrix of our brain.

The pain matrix includes the sensory cortex (the area of the brain that is active when we feel sensations); the anterior cingulate cortex (the area involved with processing information about how pain makes us feel); the insula (the area that beomes active when something is perceived to be wrong with the body); and the prefrontal cortex (the area of the brain that is likely involved in the meaning we give to our sensations and experience).

These areas of the brain can also influence each other. So when we think that our pain may indicate something is broken or breaking (prefrontal cortex), the pain can increase in intensity (sensory cortex) or can worry us more (cingulate cortex). This influence allows a new understanding about our brains and can also explain how the same level of stimulation can be felt differently by different people. It also explains how hypnosis can also effect our experience of pain.

Controlled clinical trials have shown that hypnosis is consistently "more effective" than no treatment and is either "more effective" or "as effective" as other effective pain treatements, proving that hypnosis has more than just a placebo effect.

Hypnosis in itself is not complicated. It is simply defined as an induction followed by a suggestion or a set of suggestions. The induction focuses ones attention on a voice, a point of light, or a mark on a wall. This focused attention or awareness has been shown to make people more receptive to suggestions that can change their experience. In dealing with chronic pain the induction is usually followed by suggestions to feel pain sensations differently, to be less bothered by these pain sensations, to think differently about pain, to be better able to ignore pain, or some combination of the above suggestions.

The hypnosis session usually ends with the suggestion that provided relief during the session will last beyond the session. Hypnosis is not receommended as a sole therapy for the treatment of chronic pain due to its complexity, but can work as part of a comprehensive pain treatment program.

I have used hypnosis and positive visualization as part of my pain treatment program. I have found it to be successful in helping me sleep and to relax me while I am using the chi machine.

Reference: "Hypnosis for Chronic Pain Management: New Evidence for an Old Treatmet" by Mark P Jensen, PhD

Electrical Stimulation of Nerves for Chronic Pain

2010-03-13T10:36:00.000-05:00

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) or Spinal Cord Stimulators (SCS) for Chronic Pain

What is it: It is the application of mild electrical current to the nerve fibers using electrodes, either internally (Spinal Cord Stimulator) or externally (TENS Unit). This stimulation is characterized by current, pulse width, and changes in frequency. The rationale to use electical nerve stimulation is based on the gate theory. The gate theory proposes that pain perception depends on the balance of large and small diameter nerve fiber acticivty and that an increase in large nerve fiber activity can potentially "close the gate" to inofrmation going to the brain from small pain fibers. When the gate is closed, the tramission of pain signals to the brain is blocked.

How effective is it?

There are conflicting reports on the effectiveness of TENS and SCS. Some doctors say both methods can be effective and some doctors feel that both methods can be ineffective. Some doctors tend to feel that implanting the stimulator (Spinal Cord Stimulator) is more effective then using the external stimulators (TENS). Wall & Sweet changed their opinion of application reporting that electrical nerve stimulation provided succesful relief of chronic pain directly through the skin alleviating the need for surgically implanted devices. I just recently read an aricle that stated the reverse.

I did seem to find one consensus of opinion that most all doctors seem to agree on is that you should do a trial stimulator before the surgically implanted one. Doctors feel that you should only get a surgically implanted stimulator, if the trial stimulator reduces your pain by 50%.

I have found through talking with individuals, that some have found both forms beneficial, TENS and SCS. For myself, external electric nerve stimulation has had a positive effect on my chronic pain. I chose not to do a surgical implant since I agree with Wall & Sweet, external is as effective as internal. You will have to draw your own conclusions. For more information on the risks and benefits of Spinal Cord Stimulators.

References: "Electrical Stimulation Therapy" by Jeffrey Larson, PT, ATC;

"Effectiveness of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation for Treatment of Hyperalgesia and Pain" Josimari M. DeSantana, PT, PhD, Deirdre M. Walsh, PT, PhD, Carol Vance, PT, MSc, Barbara A. Rakel, RN, PhD, and Kathleen A. Sluka, PT, PhD

"Spinal Cord Stimulation in Patients with Chronic Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy", Marius A. Kemler, M.D., Gerard A.M. Barendse, M.D., Maarten van Kleef, M.D., Ph.D., Henrica C.W. de Vet, Ph.D., Coen P.M. Rijks, P.T., Carina A. Furnée, Ph.D., and Frans A.J.M. van den Wildenberg, M.D., Ph.D.

Scientists Discover New Treatment for Chronic Pain

2010-03-02T09:52:00.000-05:00

ScienceDaily (Feb. 7, 2010) — Scientists at the University of Liverpool have discovered that treating the immune system of patients with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CPRS) leads to a significant reduction in pain. Read the full article at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100201171417.htm. I found it interesting.

Great Support Group / Forum for RSD / CRPS Sufferers

2010-02-28T16:19:00.000-05:00

Physicians for Patients is an online support community for those living with CRPS/RSD. The forum is physician moderate and allows the users to interact with each other; as well as, with their CRPS physician specialist (the entire project is offered at no cost). Currently, they are trying to spread the word about a new health tracker they have developed for CRPS/RSD patients. The idea is to have a tool so that they can track symptoms and see what could be contributing to them.

They will also be looking for associations. Their hope is to identify correlations between symptoms, daily activities, medications, and the environment. This will hopefully help them to better understand CRPS and, hopefully lead to new potential treatments.

They need a large number of people to participate. So if you are interested, join http://crps.physiciansforpatients.com/.

How to Use the Chi Machine - wikiHow

2010-02-11T12:55:00.000-05:00

Check out the article on How to Use the Chi Machine - wikiHow

Vitamins, Herbs, Supplements, Nature's Sunshine Products, Natural Remedies, Herbal Remedies.

2010-01-30T09:18:00.000-05:00

What are Vitamins, Herbs & Supplements

Vitamins are natural substances found in living things such as plants. The body can not produce vitamins and must obtain them from food or supplements. Minerals are also found in plants. Plants obtain their minerals from the soil who receives minerals from the water washing over rocks. Vitamins need Minerals to do their job and minerals must also be obtained from food or supplements because they are not produced by our bodies. Antioxidants are specific Vitamins or Minerals that protect body cells from the damaging effects of Free Radicals. Free Radicals can come from or are caused by smoking, sunlight (ultraviolet rays), stress, exercise, etc and are considered to be the primary cause of aging and disease. Supplements are Vitamins and Minerals that have been extracted from a plant or created in a laboratory and put into a form (liquid, capsule, tablet) that we can take for our body to ingest.

We all get Vitamins and Minerals from eating fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, spices or when we take a vitamin/mineral supplement. Some vitamins are also obtained by eating meat since most animals eat plant food. To learn more or purchase the highest quality herbal or nutritional supplements visit http://www.vitaminsandherbsonline.com/.

Chi Machine on The Doctors

2009-09-08T21:04:00.000-04:00

You can even hear a woman with Fibromyalgia give her testimony on how the chi machine has relieved her pain.