Tuesday-Newsday #75

It’s time for Tuesday-Newsday! The featured blog post this week is “Witch or Martyr? One of the greatest challenges of chronic pain is finding ways to live with others” by Deborah A. Barrett.

Let Me Know: If you’d like me to watch for articles on your pain condition, just drop me a note in the comments section below.

WARNING:  My goal is to provide the most up-to-date news I can, which you can then take to your personal doctor and debate the merits of before you try it. I do not endorse any of the docs, treatments, info, and meds in anything I post nor can I guarantee they are all effective, especially not for everyone. I always include the citation, source, or website so you know where it came from. As is the case with any health info, ALWAYS get your doctor's opinion first!

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*CHRONIC PAIN NEWS


Petition Combating Opioid Addiction Could Hurt Patients with Chronic Non-Cancer Pain

Chronic pain can distort our sense of space and time

Brain stimulation device may manage chronic pain

Older Patients' Pain Care Lags in Emergency Departments

Dietary Products for Pain: Truth & Consequences

*MIGRAINES / HEADACHES

Execedrin will be back on shelves in October


Today the site Migraine.com will present the results of their landmark study “Migraine In America 2012” during a free live online event at 8PM EDT: Click here for more details & how to register

Few Migraine Sufferers Referred for Behavioral Treatments, Such as Biofeedback and Relaxation Training

Summer Headache: Changes In Weather Could Bring On Headaches And Migraines

Some Kinds of Red Wine May Not Trigger Migraines: Researchers Say More Tannins May Mean More Headache Pain

Vaginal ring contraceptive may help migraines

Back Pain Strongly Associated With Headache, Study Confirms

Could You Be Getting A Migraine? Ask Your Dog

Acupuncture Not Convincing in Trial for Migraine

'Visual Migraine' Linked to PFO (patent foramen ovale)

Neurostimulation for Chronic Cluster Headache

Chronic Migraine Linked to More Stressful Life Events

“Nerve Pacemaker” Helps Chronic Migraine Sufferers Acheive Freedom From Pain

New Genetic Clues into Migraine

Published clinical trial demonstrates efficacy of Sea-Band® for migraine-related nausea

Headaches Worse With Mild Head Trauma Than More Severe Trauma

*CANCER 

Electrodes help reduce cancer patient's pain

Constant pain after breast cancer surgery ‘more taxing’

Study Suggests Touch Therapy Helps Reduce Pain, Nausea in Cancer Patients

Biologists Find The Cause Of Pain In The Treatment Of Fair Skin Cancer

Gene Therapy Fails in Cancer Pain Trial

Exploring approaches for Breathrough Cancer Pain (BTP)

Young Cancer Patients Often Lack Support: Study

*FEATURED BLOG POST

Witch or Martyr? One of the greatest challenges of chronic pain is finding ways to live with others

by Deborah A. Barrett

Looking inside the body to understand pain

When you have chronic pain, a key part of dealing with it is being able to understand exactly what your body is (or is not) doing functionally. For over a year I’ve been dealing with terrible pain in my sacrum and coccyx which makes sitting difficult. In May I had an MRI and a CT scan of my entire spine with the aim of trying to find what is causing my pain. When talking with my doctor and physical therapist, they would refer to parts of my spine and pelvic bones. I recognized some of the names and of course they would point them out on a skeleton poster or model to demonstrate what they were talking about. However, it was hard for me to put it into the perspective of my own body. Even if you have a problem with a bone, that bone does not operate as a single entity. There are blood vessels, nerves, muscles, and many more layers which work together to make the body function. A problem with any of these can lead to pain. 

This week I found a great website called AnatomyZone which produces 3D animations showing how all those layers from the bones outward make up the human body. It also has a YouTube Channel, Facebook Page, and Twitter account. I'm finding it very educational and it’s helping me to better understand all the areas where I’m having chronic pain. The first video I watched was “Bones of the Pelvis” and I know that when return to see my doctor or physical therapist I’ll be able to catch on more quickly when we talk about my scans. Also, the next time I have a new x-ray or scan I’m certainly going to watch the 3D animation for that area as well.

Here are just a few of the animations on AnatomyZone that you can watch:

~ Muscles of the Neck

~ Bones of the Hand and Wrist

~ Shoulder Joint

~ Heart Structure and Function Basics

~ Fascia and Retinacula of the Foot

~ Muscle of the Thigh and Gluteal Region

~ Knee Joint

~ Rotator Cuff

~ Features of a Vertebra

~ Scapula and Clavicle - the Shoulder Girdle

The site says that it “is aimed at many different levels and at a wide range of different users, from nurses, to physiotherapists, to osteopaths, to medical students. This website and concept are currently in development, so there are many areas of anatomy which are yet to be covered.” In my opinion, what is currently available on the site is extremely helpful and I'll be checking to see what gets added over time. 

I’ve bookmarked this site, and I think you might want to do the same!

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~* MESSAGE FOR MIGRAINE PATIENTS *~ 

Live web event this coming Tuesday

This week the site Migraine.com will present the results of their landmark study “Migraine In America 2012” during a live online event on July 31, 2012 at 8PM EDT. This survey was completed by over 2,600 migraine patients in May and June of this year and represents one of the largest studies of this type ever completed. Physical pain is merely the tip of the iceberg for individuals living with migraine. As the data will show, migraine dramatically impacts quality of life, careers, and relationships. We will also review community feedback regarding symptoms, triggers, and treatments. Learn more about the Migraine In America study here. So please join Migraine.com and Dr. Dawn Marcus, MD as we unveil the data in this event.

You can register for the free live web event by going HERE.

Tuesday-Newsday #74

It’s time for Tuesday-Newsday! The featured blog post this week is a video by Rest Ministries founder Lisa Copen: “Illness Isn't Cured by Attitude or Eating Right.”

Let Me Know: If you’d like me to watch for articles on your pain condition, just drop me a note in the comments section below.

WARNING:  My goal is to provide the most up-to-date news I can, which you can then take to your personal doctor and debate the merits of before you try it. I do not endorse any of the docs, treatments, info, and meds in anything I post nor can I guarantee they are all effective, especially not for everyone. I always include the citation, source, or website so you know where it came from. As is the case with any health info, ALWAYS get your doctor's opinion first!

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*PAIN Rx

Bill Would Force Drug Makers to Make Painkillers Tamper Resistant: This could make generic painkillers more expensive or even block them from the market

Judge upholds the patent on Lyrica: This means no cheaper generic pills (Pregabalin) until after 2018

California county to vote on Rx drug disposal bill

The Difference Between Addiction and Dependency: One chronic pain patient laments how the media gets it wrong

What Can Pain Patients Do When They Can’t Get Their Medication? 

     ~Fla. Pain Patients: Drug Enforcment Has Gone Too Far

     ~Pain sufferer claims doctors won't prescribe medication

Has it happened to you? Tell me in the comments

*RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Infection Risks Persist with Steroid Use in RA

For Reducing Signs And Symptoms Of Rheumatoid Arthritis, Tocilizumab More Effective Than Adalimumab

Newer Drugs Help RA Patients Live Longer: Downside to Biologics Is Lower Immunity, Increased Risk of Shingles, Others Find

Actemra Tops Rival in Rheumatoid Arthritis Study: Humira Maker Says Study Finding May Be Biased 

Generic form of Arthrotec approved

Doctors and rheumatoid arthritis patients differ on perception of disease activity: RA patients emphasize pain, physicians stress swollen joints to explain change in disease

Rheumatoid arthritis can lead to unemployment and early death

Ultrasound May Detect Heart Disease Earlier in Arthritis Patients

Menopausal Age May Affect Rheumatoid Arthritis Severity: Study suggests possible hormonal link to autoimmune condition

Researchers have now discovered the mechanism by which a cell signaling pathway contributes to the development of rheumatoid arthritis 

Yoga Shows Promise in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Obesity Stokes Rheumatoid Arthritis With More Than Just Extra Weight

Moderate Drinking May Cut Women's Odds for Rheumatoid Arthritis: Study

*MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

ALERT: FDA Revises Seizure Warning for MS Drug Ampyra

Risk Of Cancer Lower In Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Botox May Ease Tremors in Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Gene flaw 'explains why drugs failed to treat MS'

Sodium Buildup in Brain Linked to Disability in MS Patients: Those with advanced-stage multiple sclerosis have high levels of the mineral, study says

Multiple Sclerosis Drugs May Not Delay Disability: Interferon Beta Treatment Did Not Slow Progression of Disability in Study

Does Stress Management Slow MS? Therapy seems to stop new brain lesions but only for duration of treatment, study finds

Current and Emerging Therapies in Multiple Sclerosis

Treating Multiple Sclerosis with sea anemone venom

*FEATURED BLOG POST

Illness Isn't Cured by Attitude or Eating Right

This video by RestMinistries.com founder Lisa Copen shares her frustration over continuing to see and here the message, "if you stopped taking your medications and ate better" or "if people just had a good attitude"... they'd be cured. If you are chronically ill and tired of the attitude of "if you did THIS {fill-in-the-blank} you'd be healed," you may be encouraged to know that you are doing the best you can every day.

Tiptoe thru the Garden

It's been such a crazy busy week. I just didn't have time to work on an educational blog post for today, but I promise I'll pen something for next Saturday. So today I'm going to share some more photos from my garden... a lot of people have been asking for another peek! 

Dahlia "Timona Pastel"

Pansies, Lobelia, and some various other plants.

Dahlia "Gloriosa" with a background of duckfoot Coleus.

Tuesday-Newsday #73

It’s time for Tuesday-Newsday! The featured blog posts this week are connected to the upcoming event, National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week, which is in September.

Let Me Know: If you’d like me to watch for articles on your pain condition, just drop me a note in the comments section below.

WARNING:  My goal is to provide the most up-to-date news I can, which you can then take to your personal doctor and debate the merits of before you try it. I do not endorse any of the docs, treatments, info, and meds in anything I post nor can I guarantee they are all effective, especially not for everyone. I always include the citation, source, or website so you know where it came from. As is the case with any health info, ALWAYS get your doctor's opinion first!

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*PAIN Rx

Abuse-Deterrent Opioids Spawn Upsurge in Heroin

Scientists develop marijuana that won't make you high

Drug shortage ups suffering for legitimate pain patients

Drug Trial Participants Not Fully Informed About Placebos

*CHRONIC PAIN NEWS

Chronic Pain Sufferers Need Special Help During Terror

Massage Right After Muscle Injury May Boost Healing: With quick therapy, there is a 20% to 40% chance of recovery, animal study suggests

SuperBetter health game helps you achieve your health goals or recover from an illness or injury - and is now available as an app

     Check out Superbetter HERE

*PATIENT NEWS

Clinic staffers infect patients by re-using drug vials 

Getting Lost in the Labyrinth of Medical Bills

Too much Regulation? One doctor says the FDA approval system process has become overly burdensome, overly predictable, and overly time-consuming - and American patients are the losers

     Read the Doctor's Interview and see the Research Summary

*FIBROMYALGIA and CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME

Seeking Patients for Fibromyalgia & FM/CFS Pregabalin Biomarker Study

Gabapentin Eases Chronic Pain in Fibromyalgia

Brain Activity Reflects Pain in Fibromyalgia

Medicinal Marijuana Use Found In 10% Of Fibromyalgia Patients: researchers warn patients who self-medicate with herbal cannabis have poorer mental health

Acupuncture Arrests Fibromyalgia - New Research

Desperate, determined husband, caregiver launches effort to unite those affected by fibromyalgia:

     Watch his Video appeal and then go sign his Petition

Neurological effects of dietary glutamates may contribute to fibromyalgia symptoms for many

Half of teens with fibromyalgia have ‘loose’ joints, may be more pain-sensitive subset

Adolescents with ME/CFS: a Teen and a Parent Explain

Ampligen To Go Back Before the FDA as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Treatment

Understanding Long-Term Outcomes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

*PEDIATRIC CANCER

The Creating Hope Act is signed into law, aims to help fix the scarcity of drugs for pediatric cancer and other pediatric life-threatening and rare diseases

Young Cancer Patients Getting More Attention

*FEATURED BLOG POST

National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week is coming up in September. Here are two items to help get you thinking ahead to the event:

video: Share Your Visible Hope 

by Lisa Copen

What Do Invisible Illnesses Look Like? What Do We See When We Can’t See The Pain?

by Susannah Hunt

The Garden Giant

 At last my dahlias are starting to hit their stride. Not so much in my primary garden, but my overflow dahlias which are growing at my parents house are amazing! I've got to share with you one particular variety. This dinner plate dahlia plant seems to produce bigger and bigger blooms each week. I picked one today that is eleven inches in diameter - and it will continue to open up as it sits in the vase! 

Dahlia: Harvest Moonlight

Another new item in my garden is a fun succulent tea pot I put together. I had the pot and found a tea cup to match at a second hand store. I picked out particular succulent plants: one type to make it look like steam coming up out of the pot and cup, and another to simulate tea pouring out of the spout. It turned out so cute!

I hope you are also enjoying the summer and taking advantage of the growing season. Whether you love gardening or just getting out to enjoy nature as it is, please take time to stop and smell the roses... um, I mean admire the dahlias!  ; >

Tuesday-Newsday #72

It’s time for Tuesday-Newsday! The featured blog post this week is “How Sweet It Is!” by Sue Falkner-Wood.

Let Me Know: If you’d like me to watch for articles on your pain condition, just drop me a note in the comments section below.

WARNING:  My goal is to provide the most up-to-date news I can, which you can then take to your personal doctor and debate the merits of before you try it. I do not endorse any of the docs, treatments, info, and meds in anything I post nor can I guarantee they are all effective, especially not for everyone. I always include the citation, source, or website so you know where it came from. As is the case with any health info, ALWAYS get your doctor's opinion first!

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~* Rx ALERT *~

With the Extreme Summer Temperatures, Patients Need to Keep Their Medicines Cool 

*PAIN Rx

Generic Lyrica (Pregabalin Capsules) OK’d by FDA

FDA Tells Drug Makers to Stop Selling Unapproved Oxycodone

FDA introduces Opioid Education Plan, to instruct Doctors how to properly prescribe and Patient how to use them safely

OxyContin Maker Tests Pain Drug in Kids for Prize of Patent Extension

CDC Discloses Menacing Data on Methadone: However, the selective analysis and presentation of data in these reports may be misleading

Living with Pain: Why Rescheduling Hydrocodone is a Bad Thing (an excellent & thoughtful piece that all pain patients should read)

*SHINGLES / POST HERPETIC NEURALGIA (PHN)

Study Supports Wider Use of Shingles Vaccine

FDA Approves Horizant for Post-Shingles Pain: Drug Approved for Treatment of Postherpetic Neuralgia (PHN)

No Urgent Need To Get Vaccinated To Prevent A Second Shingles Episode

Vitamin C relieves pain induced by Herpes Zoster (Shingles)

*SICKLE CELL ANEMIA

Ohio’s new law to curb prescription drug abuse in ER’s could prevent Sickle Cell patients in excruiating pain from getting proper treatment

Children with Sickle Cell who are not well managed with increasing doses of IV opioids can be treated effectively for pain with epidural analgesia

Treating Sickle Cell Disease with L-Glutamine

Chicago Woman Cured of Sickle Cell Disease

At Children’s Hospital Oakland, a lifelong program helps people with Sickle Cell Anemia

*IBD: INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES

Travel to High Altitudes Tied to Crohn's, Colitis Flare-Ups: Symptoms more likely to spike after mountain climbing, skiing and even flying

Mouse Study Suggests Certain Fats Could Trigger Crohn's, Colitis: Concentrated milk fat increased inflammation, but polyunsaturated fat did not

Irritable Bowel, Ulcerative Colitis linked to intestinal fungi

Western Diet Linked to Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Study Finds

Treating Irritable Bowel Poses Challenges: No diagnostic test and limited meds are among hurdles faced by those with digestive disorder

California Woman Finds Ways to Control Her IBS

*FEATURED BLOG POST

How Sweet It Is!

by Sue Falkner-Wood

Fail First Update: The Good and the Bad News

If you don’t know about Fail First, you need most definitely need to! For a quick overview about what it is and why pain patients don’t want it, click to read my previous post HERE.

California update:

Thanks to all of you who wrote faxes to support the anti-Fail First bill, AB 369. Good news! It narrowly passed out of the Senate Health Committee. The bill will now move to the Senate Appropriations Committee, so we need to keep the pressure on! This is my home state and I’m very eager to get this bill signed into law. To my fellow Californians: I will certainly keep you updated and let you know when our help is needed again to tell the legislature we support AB 369 and they should too!

New York update:

Legislation regulating First Fail did not move out of the Insurance Committee in either the Assembly or Senate. However, there will be Committee hearings over the summer and early fall on this issue. Hopefully, if Committee Members are convinced that there is enough support for this legislation after hearing testimony, it can move out of committee in the next legislative session.

Other states:

To find out what is going on in your state with regard to Fail First, go to Fail First Hurts and check out the Legislative Updates. You can also check the Interactive Map to see what bills you should support in your state - or maybe you'll find that your help is needed to get legislation written. As you search around the website, you can read about how Fail First policy has impacted other patients like you and read the latest News updates about bills pending across the country. 

This issue is so important for *all* patients, whether they have chronic pain or not!

Tuesday-Newsday #71

It’s time for Tuesday-Newsday! The featured blog post this week is “You're too Young to Be That Sick, and Other Misconceptions About Invisible Illness” by Lisa Copen of Rest Ministries.

Let Me Know: If you’d like me to watch for articles on your pain condition, just drop me a note in the comments section below.

WARNING:  My goal is to provide the most up-to-date news I can, which you can then take to your personal doctor and debate the merits of before you try it. I do not endorse any of the docs, treatments, info, and meds in anything I post nor can I guarantee they are all effective, especially not for everyone. I always include the citation, source, or website so you know where it came from. As is the case with any health info, ALWAYS get your doctor's opinion first!

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*CHRONIC PAIN NEWS

Chronic Pain Predicted By Brain's Emotional Response: 

The more cross-talk between two particular brain regions, the greater the chance of the pain becoming chronic

Pediatric Pain: Despite medical advances, many hospitalized children continue to experience serious pain

Pain is more prevalent in poor populations

*PAIN Rx

Cortisone Injections Can Lead To Necrosis

Study to Evaluate Nasal Spray for Pain Management

A new saliva test to detect genetic variations in chronic pain patients could help determine what effects medications will have on them, allowing for personalization of  their treatment

GlaxoSmithKline Settles Largest Health Care Fraud Case In U.S. History

Fentanyl Patches Cited in Deaths Of 10 Children

(Note: Always be responsible in how you store and dispose of your meds. Consider using a safe or locked closet for storage especially if you have kids in your home)

The Government’s War on Pain Doctors Revisited: A Story of from One Affected Doctor

*PATIENT NEWS

Severe Sleep Loss Affects Immune System Like Physical Stress Does

(Note: Many with chronic pain suffer severe sleep loss - like myself. This an article you need read)

Studies Find Loneliness Linked to Death, Disability: Studies Show That People Who Live Alone or Feel Lonely May Have Worse Health

New testing could help spot genetic disorders in a fetus

Birth Control Pills, HRT Tied to Digestive Ills: Researchers found apparent connections between estrogen treatments and Crohn's disease, colitis

Chronic Inflammation Tied to Low Blood Levels of Vitamin B6

*DIABETIC NEUROPATHY

New Class of Drugs that Lowers Chronic Pain in Diabetes Discovered

Sleep Apnea May Be Linked to Nerve Damage in Diabetics

Tapentadol ER Effective for Moderate to Severe Chronic Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

*OSTEOARTHRITIS

Arthritis Treatment Linked to Liver Problems in Study (Limbrel)

Metal Hip Replacements Could Cause Chronic Pain, Should Be Avoided

Aging Boomers to Cause Epidemic of Hip Fractures and Joint Replacement Surgeries

Tart Cherries May Help Millions Reduce Inflammation To Manage Pain

New study nets eight new genes for osteoarthritis

Study Shows New Arthritis Drug in Development Gives Longer Pain Relief

*FEATURED BLOG POST

You're too Young to Be That Sick, and Other Misconceptions About Invisible Illness 

by Lisa Copen of RestMinistries.com