Chronic Pain
Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars - Kahlil Gibran
image by: International Pain Foundation
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What is chronic pain and why is it hard to treat?
A recent study by the National Institutes of Health found that more than one in three people in the United States have experienced pain of some sort in the previous three months. Of these, approximately 50 million suffer from chronic or severe pain.
To put these numbers in perspective, 21 million people have been diagnosed with diabetes, 14 million have cancer (this is all types of cancer combined) and 28 million have been diagnosed with heart disease in the U.S. In this light, the number of pain sufferers is stunning and indicates that it is a major epidemic.
But unlike treatments for diabetes, cancer and heart disease, therapies for pain have not really improved for hundreds…
Resources
CBD for pain relief: What the science says
Should CBD be part of your pain-management arsenal? We dig into the scientific research.
What Chronic-Pain Patients Are Deeply Afraid Of
Getting off opioids can be a crisis itself — so patients and prescribers need strong support.
100 million Americans have chronic pain. Very few use one of the best tools to treat it.
Chronic pain often has no physical cause. Psychotherapy can reduce the suffering.
A comprehensive guide to the new science of treating lower back pain
A review of 80-plus studies upends the conventional wisdom.
A New Prognosis for Pain Care
Innovative ways to measure, understand and treat pain are allowing doctors to ease patients’ suffering—without relying on dangerous drugs.
A Placebo for Pain Relief—Even When You Know It’s Not Real
Research suggests a possible alternative to traditional pain medications, which can be ineffective and carry side effects.
America Experiences More Pain Than Other Countries
A third of Americans have pain “often” or “very often”—here’s why.
Cannabis might help curb chronic pain, reducing the need for opioids
Cannabis could play a bigger role in chronic pain management than researchers once thought.
Chronic Pain Made My Sex Life Better, Not Worse
In my ongoing recovery, I've cultivated a strong sense of entitlement to finding pleasure in my body.
Finally, proof: opioids are no better than other medications for some chronic pain
A first-of-its-kind study compared opioids to non-opioid drugs in patients with persistent back pain or hip or knee osteoarthritis. Its results are devastating.
From The Heart, About The War Against True Chronic Pain Sufferers
Think back to the Gun laws. Remember how some citizens were against taking guns away from the “people”? The reason being, that the “bad guys” will always have access to them and the “good guys” who are in need of protection; get killed in the meantime because their safety net, their weapons to fight against being robbed were taken away from them! Well, my friends, the same thing is happening now, this 2016; to “real pain patients” fighting against being “robbed” of their “safety net, their weapons” to fight against the chronic intractable pain, and nerve pain that “WE” live with day in and day out.
I became a cyborg to manage my chronic pain
Implanting a new generation of spinal stimulators.
I have chronic pain and nothing works for it. I'm afraid I'll be forgotten in the opioid crisis.
Chronic pain patients need better options, not just fewer opioids.
Is Mindfulness A Promising Option For Treating Chronic Pain?
Based on the type of pain, various medications may provide some relief, but achieving a more lasting approach--in which you are personally empowered to make a difference--would certainly be more rewarding. Mindfulness represents a type of meditation that places a focus on the here and now —how you perceive your environment moment to moment.
Opioids Haven't Solved Chronic Pain. Maybe Virtual Reality Can
The mind can play tricks on your body. Luckily, VR can play tricks right back.
Prescribing Mindfulness Allows Doctors to Ignore Legitimate Female Pain
This trend offloads the responsibility of care from the medical system to the woman. And its efficacy is questionable at best.
Some People Still Need Opioids
The crackdown on pain medication prescribing is intended to help the addiction crisis—but it’s leaving chronic pain patients in untenable situations.
The Secret Life of Pain
I was skeptical at first. But the more I learned about chronic pain, the more sense it made. Studies have shown, for example, that people can develop a general hypersensitivity to pain after an injury — a condition called central sensitization — that can persist long after the injury has healed.
Treating Chronic Pain With Meditation
In some cases, the holistic practice could replace narcotics. Integrating meditation into regular treatment could significantly cut healthcare costs.
Types of chronic pain
Most of the time pain goes away after an injury heals. However, if pain persists more than a month or two, it can become chronic pain. Sometimes pain becomes chronic because the underlying problem does not heal. For instance, arthritis causes long term inflammation and damage to the joints, and it may hurt as long as the inflammation lasts. Unfortunately, chronic pain may also occur despite healing and with no obvious injury to tissues.
What is chronic pain and why is it hard to treat?
The fact is, however, that opioids are used to treat chronic pain not because they are the ideal treatment, but because for some patients, despite their drawbacks, they are the most effective treatment available at the moment. The problem, as I see it, is this: we are not investing enough in researching and teaching what causes pain and how to treat it.
National Pain Report
The National Pain Report is the leading online news site dedicated to the coverage of chronic pain. We feature the latest developments in the treatment of chronic pain, public policy impacting chronic pain as well comments from leading pain specialists and columns from chronic pain sufferers.
Chronic Pain Lifestyle
Life begins anew when you suffer with chronic pain. As our lives change, we also change. Many of these changes are difficult and frustrating.
Institute for Chronic Pain
Changing the culture of how chronic pain is treated by promoting the theory and practice of chronic pain rehabilitation.
International Pain Foundation
International Pain Foundation (iPain) is your Power of Pain headquarters. We recognize the value of every person who makes up the chronic pain community. We are guided by our commitment to excellence, leadership and patient empowerment.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Clinical investigators have tested chronic pain patients and found that they often have lower-than-normal levels of endorphins in their spinal fluid. Investigations of acupuncture include wiring the needles to stimulate nerve endings electrically (electroacupuncture), which some researchers believe activates endorphin systems
U.S. Pain Foundation
Typically, pain is considered chronic when it persists for six months or more. But for some patients, chronic pain can last for years or even a lifetime. There are many possible causes for long-term pain, including injury, such as involvement in a car accident, or underlying disorders or diseases, like fibromyalgia or arthritis.
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