chronic pain

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Brain Researchers See a Path to Treating Chronic Pain
Scientists Find Chronic Pain
Signal Pathways in Brain
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
May 27, 2023 12:15 PM CDT

Scientists Find Chronic Pain Signal Pathways in Brain

This may be a huge step in finding new treatments

(Newser) - Researchers have for the first time discovered brain signals that can indicate the amount of pain a person is experiencing, which scientists believe can lead to breakthrough treatments for chronic pain, reports the Guardian . The discovery raises the possibility of treating chronic pain with brain stimulation therapy, which is already...

Insects Feel Chronic Pain, Research Suggests

Scientists seek non-opioid ways to help patients

(Newser) - Much like humans, insects can face chronic pain after an injury has healed, Australian research has shown. The findings could lead to help for people dealing with chronic pain. "We knew that insects could sense pain," said Greg Neely of the University of Sydney , per Cosmos , "but...

There's a War on Opioids. They Are Its Collateral Damage

How sufferers of chronic pain became 'pain refugees'

(Newser) - After years of having their condition misunderstood, sufferers of chronic pain now find themselves in the position of being, as one patient puts it, collateral in the country's war on drugs. Harper's takes a long look at self-described "pain refugees," who need opioids to do everything...

Study Suggests Our Opioid Epidemic 'Began at the Pharmacy'
Study Finds Commonality
in 61% of Opioid Deaths
in case you missed it
Dec 2, 2017 6:39 AM CST

Study Finds Commonality in 61% of Opioid Deaths

Columbia University Medical Center researchers analyzed deaths between 2001 and 2007

(Newser) - As the staggering toll—in terms of bodies, emotions , money , and our life expectancy —of the opioid epidemic comes into sharper focus, the idea of those who are most at risk is crystallizing, too, thanks to research out of Columbia University Medical Center. What a press release calls the...

Suit: Women With Pelvic Mesh Pain Given 'Appalling' Sex Advice

Huge medical scandal in Australia spurs class-action complaint

(Newser) - Disturbing details are emerging in a class-action lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson in Australia, where more than 700 women allege complications from transvaginal mesh implants so severe their lives have been ruined. From chronic pain and injured organs to painful intercourse and an inability to work, they're part of...

Take a Yoga Class for Back Pain, Not a Pain Pill
For Back Pain,
Skip the Opioids 
and Try Yoga
NEW GUIDELINES
Feb 14, 2017 8:40 AM CST

For Back Pain, Skip the Opioids and Try Yoga

Doctors' group recommends meditation, acupuncture or basically anything else first

(Newser) - If you're tempted to pop a painkiller every time you feel a twinge coursing down your back, there's a new set of guidelines you may want to peruse first. Per NBC News and CBS News , prescription meds for lower back pain should be your go-to only when you'...

Medical Marijuana May Cut Painkiller ODs

States with new laws see drop in opioid deaths

(Newser) - The solution to America's addiction to painkillers may be … more drugs? A new study found a drop in painkiller overdose deaths in 13 states that allowed medical marijuana, CNN reports. That's because a patient prescribed marijuana will either stop taking opioids or take less of them, researchers...

Lady Gaga Postpones Shows Over 'Chronic Pain'

Calls it a show injury, plans to be back for gig Tuesday

(Newser) - Lady Gaga is postponing three performances because she's suffering from synovitis, or "severe inflammation of the joints," according to her Twitter account. She's delaying shows in Chicago, Detroit, and Hamilton, Ontario, the BBC reports. "To the fans in Chicago Detroit & Hamilton I hope you...

Chronic Pain: An Emotional Reaction?

 Chronic Pain: An 
 Emotional Reaction? 
in case you missed it
Jul 7, 2012 8:00 AM CDT

Chronic Pain: An Emotional Reaction?

Brain regions may cause pain to linger on

(Newser) - About 30 million to 40 million American adults suffer from chronic pain—but it may be all in their heads, a new study says. Researchers looked at 40 volunteers, all back pain sufferers, and found that brain scans could predict with 85% accuracy whether their pain would become chronic. At...

Ex-Wilco Guitarist Died of Accidental OD: Coroner

Painkiller fentanyl cited in Bennett's death

(Newser) - Authorities say former Wilco guitarist Jay Bennett died of an overdose of a pain killer, and that they're investigating his death as an accident. Champaign County (Ill.) Coroner Duane Northrup says tests show the 45-year-old musician died after taking fentanyl, a drug found in patches commonly prescribed to treat...

Pentagon's New Painkiller: Ancient Chinese Medicine

Military doctors will start training medics in 'battlefield acupressure'

(Newser) - US Air Force doctors deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan next year will have a new medical weapon in their arsenal: acupuncture. Military physicians, pleased with the success of treating wounded troops at home, will begin teaching battlefield medics how to fight severe or chronic pain by inserting tiny needles under...

CDC: Older Americans Need Shingles Vaccines

Drug cuts risk of getting disease in half

(Newser) - The CDC is recommending that all adults age 60 and older get vaccinated against shingles, a common condition that can result in chronic plan, the Washington Post reports. Research has found that the recommended Merck vaccine reduces the occurrence of shingles by some 50% in this age group. Only those...

Chronic Pain Rewires the Brain
Chronic Pain Rewires the Brain
Feb 6, 2008 5:34 AM CST

Chronic Pain Rewires the Brain

Researchers find suffering constant pain can cause permanent changes

(Newser) - Researchers studying the brains of people suffering from chronic pain have found that  an area of their cortex is permanently active when it should sometimes deactivate, Reuters reports. That part of the brain, usually associated with emotion, stays on "full throttle" at all times. Researchers say this could explain...

Even Fake Acupuncture Best for Back Pain

Chronic sufferers find relief in treatment

(Newser) - Acupuncture has a far better success rate than other treatments for patients with chronic lower back pain,  and fake acupuncture is nearly as effective as the real thing, a new study has found. Normal medical treatment produced significant improvement in 24% of people, while 47% of acupuncture patients felt...

Ouch—Doc's Trial Highlights Pain Issues

Was he trafficking narcotics or treating chronic pain?

(Newser) - The drug-trafficking trial of a Virginia pain specialist demonstrates the slippery slope between treating chronic conditions and enabling addicts. Dr. William Hurwitz's jury heard the story of a patient with deblitating migraines who had been treated with anxiety medication that actually caused headaches—by another doctor who happened to be...

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