Why See a Pain Medicine Specialist?

Pain treatment is complex and can cause more harm than good if it is not provided by a pain medicine specialist. Physician anesthesiologists complete four years of medical school, four years of training in anesthesiology and pain medicine, and an additional year of training to become experts in treating chronic pain. This expertise is essential to completing a comprehensive evaluation and making a diagnosis to guide treatment. If interventional therapies are considered, real expertise is critical since the spine and nerves that register pain are delicate and everyone’s anatomy may be different. In addition, many of the medications used to treat pain are strong or may interact with other medications and can be harmful if not administered by a physician with appropriate training.

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Acupuncture Relieves Failed Back Surgery Pain

 

Acupuncture relieves failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) pain. Published in the Journal of Emergency in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zheng et al. conclude that two types of acupuncture successfully relieve pain due to failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS). One acupuncture point prescription achieved a 94.87% total effective rate and another achieved a 76.32% total effective rate

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Many patients abusing drugs and alcohol are self-medicating chronic pain

(Boston)--With opioid addiction and prescription drug abuse considered one of the biggest public health threats of our time in the U.S., many are asking why so many Americans are struggling with addiction to illegal drugs and prescription medications. New research suggests that chronic pain may be part of the answer.

In a study that appears in the May issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine, researchers at Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center have found that the majority of patients misusing drugs and alcohol have chronic pain and many are using these substances to "self-medicate" their pain.

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Nightmare scenario - waking up under anaesthesia

The vast majority of patients who have general anaesthetics in hospital do so without a problem.

But writing in this week's Scrubbing Up, Prof Jennifer Hunter, of the University of Liverpool, says more could be done to prevent those few cases where something goes wrong - and that a simple monitor could be the key.

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NYSORA - Regional Anesthesia in the Anticoagulated Patient

Summary

Adherence to the discussed guidelines should lead to a lesser risk of hemorrhagic complications after regional anesthesia, including spinal hematomas. Likewise, implementation of the guidelines leads to improved vigilance and better care of patients on anticoagulants in whom nerve blocks are performed or entertained. Consensus guidelines, however, should be viewed only as recommendations; specific decisions on nerve blocks in patients on anticoagulants should be individualized. Adequate monitoring, follow-up, and timely treatment should be implemented in patients on anticoagulants who are receiving neuraxial or peripheral nerve blocks (see algorithms on the following pages).

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Acupuncture Produces Anti-inflammatory Responses

Anti-inflammatory biochemical responses are stimulated by the application of acupuncture. As a result, the body decreases swelling associated with arthritis. In addition, acupuncture prevents postoperative intra-abdominal adhesions. The research is confirmed across several studies including laboratory investigations.

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Science Is Finally Proving The Existence Of Meridian Points Throughout The Human Body

One example where non-material science could benefit the human race is healthcare, as a number of publications have revealed the importance of mind-body connections, and how our thoughts, emotions, feelings, the perception of the environment around us and more are all connected to the health of our body and regulation of our immune system. A study published in the Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies titled “The Primo Vascular System as a New Anatomical System” is one that has recognized the importance of these concepts.

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2016 Global Year Against Pain in the Joints

Joint pain affects millions of people who suffer from a wide variety of ailments and conditions. Chronic joint pain can be manageable, but treatment is often inadequate, and patients may continue to suffer. Indeed, medications are sometimes unsafe, making rehabilitation and physical therapy essential.

 Joint pain also can exact substantial financial and other costs -- high medical expenses, lost work days, and diminished quality and productivity in people’s work and personal lives. Aging populations, sedentary lifestyles, and an increasing propensity toward obesity all mean that the problem of joint pain is likely to continue unabated worldwide.

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Acupuncture Relieves Neck Pain and Numbness

Acupuncture relieves neck pain and numbness and reduces levels of proinflammatory blood cytokines. Researchers conclude that warm needle acupuncture has a 92.05% total effective rate for the treatment of pain, numbness, and radiating discomfort due to cervical spondylosis with radiculopathy.
This is a condition wherein there is spinal and soft tissue degeneration in the neck causing nerve impingement with subsequent pain or numbness. The symptoms often radiate from the neck to the shoulders, chest, back, and limbs. In addition, acupuncture successfully reduces blood levels of tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) and the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1 beta (IL1β) and interleukin 6 (IL6).

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Acupuncture Relieves High Blood Pressure With Lasting Results

Acupuncture is an effective treatment for hypertension. Researchers demonstrate that acupuncture alleviates hypertension and its signs and symptoms.

Zhao et al. conclude that acupuncture reduces levels of high blood pressure and relieves associated headaches, dizziness, tinnitus, and anxiety. In addition, acupuncture successfully alleviates palpitations due to hypertension.

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How much does it hurt? New system quantifies pain

Rate your pain on a scale of 1 to 10: Health professionals rely on this subjective method to assess pain. It’s not only imprecise but also impossible in many circumstances, such as when the patient is not communicating or under anesthesia.
Israel’s Medasense Biometrics  is poised to solve the problem with a noninvasive system. The patented technology includes a finger-mounted sensor which records relevant physiological signs. Artificial-intelligence algorithms convert this data into a real-time, continuous pain index presented on a bedside monitor.

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Acupuncture Rivals Antidepressants For Insomnia And Depression

Acupuncture alleviates depression and insomnia. Research published in the Shanghai Journal of Acupuncture and Moxibustion (Ye et al.) finds acupuncture 90% effective in improving total sleep duration and sleep quality for patients with depression. Alleviation of insomnia directly correlated to improvements in the mental and physical health of study participants. Acupuncture treatments lowered relapse rates and produced similar clinical results as antidepressants. Notably, acupuncture did not produce any adverse effects.

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Acupuncture Reduces Tinnitus Levels

Acupuncture alleviates tinnitus. Researchers from the Central Hospital of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery in Chaoyang City investigated the efficacy of acupuncture for the treatment of tinnitus associated with cervical disorders. The data demonstrates that one standard acupuncture point prescription is 50% effective and a specialized acupuncture point prescription has an 80% total effective rate.

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5 Tips for Pain Management with Opioids

Millions of Americans take prescription pain medications called opioids. While opioids control pain, they’re not without risk: each day 44 people die from opioid overdoses and 80 percent of those deaths are unintentional.

 “About 100 million people suffer with chronic pain and many of them rely on opioids,” said Daniel J. Cole, M.D. president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). 

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Mindfulness meditation offers relief for low-back pain: NIH

Mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) may prove more effective than usual treatment in alleviating chronic low-back pain, according to a new study funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), part of the National Institutes of Health.

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Low-Dose Ketamine Infusion Appears Safe Even Without Continuous Hemodynamic Monitoring

New York—Are low-dose ketamine infusions for analgesia safe for patients who are not in a setting with continuous monitoring? The answer is yes, according to a small retrospective study.
Lt. Cmdr. Jeffrey M. Carness, MD, and his colleagues at the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, in Virginia, have long recognized the efficacy of ketamine in subanesthetic doses within their practice, despite the drug’s “dynamic” effects as an analgesic.

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New Anticoagulants and Emerging Trends in Regional Anesthesia

The use of anticoagulant and antiplatelet agents has been increasing, primarily as a result of improved life expectancy, the aging population, prevalence of cardiovascular disease, and expansion of indications for more potent anticoagulants.

Traditionally, the incidence of neurologic complications as a result of hemorrhagic complications from neuraxial anesthesia has been estimated to be approximately 1 in 150,000 for epidurals and 1 in 220,000 for spinal anesthetics.

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Knock migraines on the head: Acupuncture and Migraines

In the UK 5.85 million adults suffer with migraines and 190,000 people at any one time experience a migraine attack.
Research has shown that acupuncture can be very beneficial in the treatment of migraines as it tends to lessen the frequency and severity of attacks.

The British Acupuncture Council

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Steps for Doctors and Patients To Make Anesthesia Safer

Patients undergoing surgery are unlikely to be harmed by anesthesia, but potential complications can be dangerous. Giving drug and health histories is key. Doctors and nurses are ramping up training.

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