A three-day weekend spent jumping and dancing on Labor Day 2014 had left her with a neck injury – specifically the cervical spine – that was possibly an exacerbation of an unrecognized mountain biking injury earlier that year. To make matters worse, her doctor performed the surgery to fix the injury on the wrong part of her spine.
By Ed Coghlan The nation’s largest pain patient advocacy group has launched a campaign called “People With Pain Matter”. The U.S. Pain Foundation wants to raise public awareness of the impact of chronic pain on the lives of nearly 100 million people. Not coincidentally, the announcement comes on the eve of Pain Awareness Month in…
By Staff Acupuncture appears to be an effective pain management tool for children who have chronic medical conditions, according to a study published by Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare. The study found that a significant portion of children who have chronic care conditions – many of whom are already on numerous medications – might benefit from the…
By Staff People who suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis and Plaque Psoriasis just got some good news: A new drug called Erelzi just received FDA approval to help manage and treat these disorders. Erelzi (etanercept-szzs) is administered by injection and is now approved for the treatment of the following conditions: moderate to…
Donna Gregory Burch Lately I’ve been wondering if our material possessions could play a role in our fibromyalgia symptoms. My ruminating started a few months ago when the KonMari craze was at its peak. My YouTube feed was flooded with stay-at-home moms holding their ice cream scoops and lacy camisoles and asking, “Does this spark…
By Cynthia Toussaint I’ve been using distraction as my #1 painkiller for 34 years without knowing it. Now that I’ve come to understand the power of intuitive healing, I want to shout it to the world. After getting CRPS from a ballet injury at age 21, I thought I had gangrene and my purple, burning…
By Ed Coghlan Terri Lewis, PhD is another chronic pain advocate that is working to make a difference for people like her son, who suffers from chronic pain. The National Pain Report asked her for a few moments to share what makes her do this work. What is the basis for your advocacy work–take a…
by Ed Coghlan The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is continuing to try and squeeze what it believes are addictive drugs and properties. Today it announced its intention to place the active materials in the kratom plant into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act in order to avoid what it calls “an imminent hazard to…
By Staff There may be a new direction in the development of opioid medication after researchers discover a different target for opioid receptors in the brain. Most opioid pain medications target what is called the mu opioid receptor in the brain, which result in side effects and the potential for abuse. Researchers found that targeting…
By Steve Ariens, Ph.D. We often hear about chronic pain patients need to increase their dosage because of tolerance to their medication(s). Many of the people that put out all these “facts” tend to blend various facts about pain medications – opiates in particular – and apply it to all those who use opiates both…
