Tag: Chronic pain

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Ailmemts & Remedies

Banish Back Pain

Most back pain can be treated without surgery……CLICK & SEE

Your spine truly is a marvel of engineering, a strong yet flexible column that supports your head and pro­tects the delicate cord carrying nerves from the brain to the rest of your body.

The spine’s complexity is also the reason back problems are so common. Eight out of 10 Americans will experience lower-back pain at some point, and back pain is the single largest cause of workers’ compensation claims. The costs—in medical treatment and time lost—add up to more than $50 billion annually.

Most back pain will ease with proper diagnosis and treatment. Experts estimate that less than 2 percent of patients with chronic back pain need surgery. That option should be used only as a last resort.

Back pain falls into two categories: acute and chronic. Acute back injuries include tears to the capsule of the discs that cushion the upper vertebrae; hernias, which affect the gelatinous center of the discs; and sprains, which stretch the ligaments connecting the vertebrae. Avoid activities that involve lifting, bending, or twisting. Gentle activities like walking can help speed healing and reduce swelling around an injury. Analgesic medications such as acetaminophen are safe for short-term use. Acute back pain almost always disappears within several weeks.

Chronic back pain is the kind that lasts longer than three months. Most cases are caused by improper alignment of the vertebrae or pelvis, which puts pressure on the nerves. This may cause stiffness or pain in the lower back or pain that radiates into the buttocks or back of the legs (sciatica).

Here are some common causes of chronic pain, and simple strategies to help.

Obesity, especially abdominal fat, which pulls the pelvis and lumbar spine forward and downward. The obvious solution: Lose weight.

Poor posture, especially during prolonged sitting, such as working at a desk or driving. To correct the problem, stay conscious of your posture. Change the way you stand, sit, or walk. You may need guidance from a physical therapist or exercise physiologist.
Degeneration of normal structures such as ligaments, discs, and bones of the spine. This is common among smokers but also can occur as a result of chronic inflammation from arthritis. If you smoke, quitting is critical for your overall health and can go far in preventing long-term degeneration of the back.
For many conditions, it’s helpful to do daily back exercises that stretch key muscles and strengthen the abdominal core.

You may click to see->Natural Cure For Back Pain

Written by Dr. Mark Liponis, PARADE Magazine

Disclaimer: This information is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advise or help. It is always best to consult with a Physician about serious health concerns. This information is in no way intended to diagnose or prescribe remedies.This is purely for educational purpose.

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News on Health & Science

How Scratching Curbs the Itch?

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Itching brings with it that ever-increasing urge to scratch, which always works wonders, but not much is known about the physiological  mechanisms behind this phenomenon.

Now scientists have watched spinal nerves transmit that relief signal to the brain in monkeys, a possible step toward finding new treatments for persistent itching in people.
....click & see

Nerve cells play a key role in itching

More than 50 conditions can cause serious itching, including AIDS, Hodgkin’s disease and the side effects of chronic pain treatment, said Glenn Giesler, a neuroscientist at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Some terminal cancer patients even cut back on pain medication just to reduce the itch, he said.

Scratching can lead to serious skin damage and infections in people with chronic itch, he said. So scientists want to find ways for such people to relieve their distress “without tearing up their skin,” he said.

While medications can relieve some kinds of itch, other cases resist current treatments.

Nobody knows just how scratching relieves itch. But the federally funded monkey study, reported Monday on the website of the journal Nature Neuroscience by Giesler and colleagues, takes a step in unraveling the mystery.

The scientists focused on a kind of spinal nerve that transmits the “itch” signal to the brain. The researchers sedated long-tailed macaques for the experiment and placed recording electrodes on their spinal nerves. They injected a chemical into a leg to produce itching. The nerves fired electrical signals in response. Then the researchers scratched the leg with a hand-held metal device that simulates three monkey fingers. The firing rate dropped — the apparent signature of the “relief” signal. In contrast, when researchers scratched the leg without causing an itch first, the firing rate jumped. So the nerves somehow “know” to react much differently if there’s an itch to be relieved than if there isn’t.

Sources: The Times Of India

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Health Quaries

Some Health Quaries & Answers

Paranoid uncle:

Q: My uncle has started to suspect that everyone is against him. It started with his job where he felt he was being victimised. He then decided that the rest of his family (wife and children) is poisoning him. He has also become involved with a woman in his office, who encourages his beliefs and wants to cut all of us out of his life.

………………....CLICK & SEE

A: It sounds like your uncle is slowly becoming paranoid, suffering from delusions and maybe becoming schizophrenic as well. This is very difficult to treat as he will suspect that the medication is poison as well.

The “other woman” may be mildly schizophrenic herself. People with these illnesses tend to gravitate together. She may have an ulterior motive for encouraging your uncle’s beliefs. You could try to speak to him and try to encourage him to see a psychiatrist.

Preventing pimples
Q: I have pimples on the back below the neck. It looks ugly when I wear low-necked outfits. I have tried prickly heat powder to no avail.
…………………
A: Pimples or acne on the back of the neck can be itchy and leave disfiguring dark scars. It is aggravated by dandruff. Anti dandruff shampoos will help. Also, do not use powder. Talc blocks the pores and makes the pimples worse. Try to use soap with the correct TFC (total fat content) and TCC (tricholorohexidine) like Neko. If applied using a loofah, it kills the skin bacteria that aggravate acne.

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Relief from arthritis
Q: I have arthritis and I have been prescribed capsules containing chondroitin sulphate. Will it help?

………………….

A: Chondroitin sulphate is a natural ingredient found in joint cartilage. The question of whether it actually reaches damaged cartilage and repairs it is not proven. Many people who take it feel that it does reduce the symptoms of arthritis. It has to be taken for 3-6 months before its effects are seen. It needs to be taken 2-3 times a day or as recommended. It is relatively expensive. It is often combined with NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and physiotherapy. It is difficult to say exactly which of these three ingredients plays the maximum role in reducing the arthritis.

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Pop a pill daily
Q: I have mild hypertension and have been prescribed 2.5 mg of amlodipin once a day. I check my BP myself with an electronic machine. Whenever I find it is normal I stop the tablet. I take it again only if I have a headache or the reading is high. Is this all right?

… 2.5 mg of amlodipin>.…..

A: Once hypertension has been diagnosed and the treatment started, you have to take the medication every day at the same time, as this particular drug acts for 24 hours. Once you start the treatment the blood pressure will get controlled. Even if you stop the tablets the BP (blood pressure) will remain under control for 2-3 days before it starts to rise again. Therefore, you can’t start and stop medication based on headaches and BP readings. Unlike diabetes where the sugars are controlled on a day-to-day basis, in BP the control is usually monthly. Take the tablets regularly as prescribed to prevent unnoticed elevations in the BP.

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Try surgery :
Q: I have an umbilical hernia and the doctor told me that as it is small I can leave it alone. I am 47 years old.

………………..

A: Umbilical hernia is a generic term and can be used for a defect exactly at the umbilicus, or above (paraumbilical). Intestines or other contents from the abdomen can pass through the defect. As long as the contents pass freely there is no problem. However the contents can get stuck as they pass outwards. This compromises the blood supply to that area and it can even be fatal.You are young and healthy. It is probably better to have surgery while there are no risk factors.

Brittle-boned babe :
Q: My daughter who is 18 years old has weak bones and cannot do any work or lift weights. What can I do?

……………………

A: An 18 year old should not have weak bones unless there is an underlying kidney, intestinal, blood or bone disease. You need to get the diagnosis sorted out first. Remove the cause and the disease will be cured.

Sources: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)

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Featured

Pain ‘Linked With Low Vitamin D’

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Low levels of the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D, may contribute to chronic pain among women, scientists believe.

The link does not apply to men, suggesting hormones may be involved, according to a study published in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases said.

<-Severe vitamin D deficiency leads to osteomalacia

The team from the Institute of Child Health in London said studies were now needed to see if vitamin D supplements can guard against chronic pain.

About one in 10 people are affected by chronic pain at any one time in the UK.

The causes are not well understood and much of the focus to date has been on emotional factors.

Dr Elina Hyppönen and colleagues believe, at least in women, vitamin D levels could play a role in some cases of chronic pain.

Sunshine vitamin :
The nutrient, essential for healthy bones, is produced in the body when exposed to sunlight and is also found in oily fish, egg yolks and margarine.

Among the 7,000 men and women aged 45 from across England, Scotland and Wales that they studied, those who were smokers, non-drinkers, the overweight and the underweight all reported higher rates of chronic pain.

Among the women, vitamin D levels also appeared to be important.

This finding was not explained by gender differences in lifestyle or social factors, such as levels of physical activity and time spent outdoors, say the authors.

Women with vitamin D levels between 75 and 99 mmol/litre – a level deemed necessary for bone health – had the lowest rates of this type of pain, at just over 8%.

Women with levels of less than 25 mmol/litre had the highest rates, at 14.4%.

Severe lack of vitamin D in adults can lead to the painful bone disease osteomalacia.

But the researchers said osteomalacia did not account for their findings.

Dr Hyppönen said work was needed to evaluate whether vitamin D supplements could help prevent chronic pain.

In the meantime, she advised: “If I had chronic pain I would certainly check I was getting enough vitamin D.”

Kate MacIver of the Pain Research Institute at Liverpool University cautioned: “Taking too high a dose of Vitamin D supplements as a means of preventing or treating chronic pain could result in Vitamin D toxicity and high blood calcium levels.”

Most people should be able to get all the vitamin D they need from their diet and by getting a little sun.

However, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding you should take 10 micrograms (0.01 mg) of vitamin D each day, the Food Standards Agency recommends.

Older people should also consider taking 10 micrograms (0.01 mg) of vitamin D each day.

Sources:BBC NEWS:August 11,’08

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Positive thinking

Stuck In The Mud

Staying In Pain
Pain comes and it goes. It is just one component to the grand cycle of life. And when experienced as such, pain can serve as an important teacher. It is when we get stuck in our pain that it becomes detrimental to our well-being and development. If you notice that you feel closed-off, resentful, heavy-hearted, or that you try very hard to avoid being hurt again, there may be a part of you that is still stuck in pain.

We can get stuck in our pain for many reasons. As children, it was natural for us to cry, throw a tantrum, and let the experience move through us. By fully feeling our pain in this way, our emotions would wash us clean, leaving us open and available to new experiences. With age, though, we might have determined that expressing emotion was no longer appropriate, and so we developed a variety of coping strategies to deal with our discomfort. We may have learned to stuff our feelings down or to run away from them. Perhaps we began thinking that staying closed and unwilling to try new things would keep us safe from heartbreak, safe from rejection, and safe from failure. We may have even gotten so used to being in pain that the thought of being without it scares us. But, if we continue to hold onto it longer than necessary, we are expending a lot of energy that could instead be channeled into making our life experiences more positive.

If you notice that you are continually connecting with the same familiar patterns of pain, consider embracing your feelings and letting go of your hurt. Whether your pain is from childhood or from an experience last week, see if you can give it room to move. When it does, you will reconnect with a wonderful source of your own vital energy.

Sources: Daily Om

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