Previous scientific studies have suggested that women who use a copper IUD for contraception suffer from worse period pain, but a study at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, that followed 2,100 women over a [...]
Tag Archives | pain
Experiencing existential dread? Tylenol may do the trick
Thinking about death can cause us to feel a sort of existential angst that isn’t attributable to a specific source. Now, new research suggests that acetaminophen, an over-the-counter pain medication, may help to reduce this [...]
Targeting mental defeat in pain patients could prevent depression
A new study of Hong Kong chronic pain patients suggests that targeting feelings of mental defeat could prevent severe depression, anxiety and interference with daily activities. The concept of mental defeat has previously been associated [...]
Chemists build an ‘off’ switch for pain
The notion of a pain switch is an alluring idea, but is it realistic? Well, chemists have now shown in laboratory experiments that it is possible to inhibit the activity of pain-sensitive neurons using an [...]
Gene discovery explains how fruitflies retreat from heat
A discovery in fruit flies may be able to tell us more about how animals, including humans, sense potentially dangerous discomforts. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center uncovered naturally occurring variations of a gene named [...]
Chronic pain in children and adolescents becoming more common
Children who suffer from persistent or recurring chronic pain may miss school, withdraw from social activities, and are at risk of developing internalizing symptoms such as anxiety, in response to their pain. In…
Joint pain in children: Is it just a sore knee, or … ?
While lab tests and imaging can sometimes help diagnose juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), a physical examination and thorough patient history are the most valuable tools in identifying this disease. According to a new literature review from the J…
Hamstring grafts prove more effective in ACL knee reconstruction, study says
SAN DIEGO, CA – Patients receiving anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee reconstruction with a hamstring tendon graft rather than a knee tendon graft were less likely to suffer from pain and mobility issues15 years after surgery, say researchers pre…
Poor sleep quality is associated with greater disability in rheumatoid arthritis patients
DARIEN, Ill. — A study in the Feb. 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that poor sleep quality correlated with higher levels of depressive symptoms, greater pain severity, increased fatigue, and greater functional disability i…
Narcotics and diagnostics overused in treatment of chronic neck pain
Duke University and University of North Carolina (UNC) researchers report in the November issue of Arthritis Care & Research that narcotics and diagnostic testing are overused in treating chronic neck pain. Their findings indicate clinicians may ove…
OHSU research suggests yoga can counteract fibromyalgia
PORTLAND, Ore — According to new research conducted at Oregon Health & Science University, yoga exercises may have the power to combat fibromyalgia — a medical disorder characterized by chronic widespread pain. The research is being published …
Physical symptoms prevalent no matter what stage of cancer including remission
INDIANAPOLIS — Twenty-two physical symptoms associated with cancer — symptoms often unrecognized and undertreated — are prevalent in all types of cancers regardless of whether the patient is newly diagnosed, undergoing treatment or is a …
No pain in the hospital — wishful thinking or reality?
More than 80% of hospitalized patients suffer more severe pain than necessary. This is the conclusion of Christoph Maier (Bochum University Hospital, Bochum, Germany) and his coauthors in their interim report of the Pain-Free Hospital Project (“Schm…
Hormel Institute study reveals capsaicin can act as cocarcinogen
The September cover story of the nation’s leading cancer journal, “Cancer Research,” features a new study from The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, that links capsaicin, a component of chili peppers, to skin cancer. While the molecular mec…
Common pain relief drug may improve skin cancer tretment
Researchers from Ohio State University found that a common pain relief medication seems to increase the effectiveness of a drug used to treat skin cancer. Experiments in mice showed that the combination of celecoxib — a prescription-only non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) — and a cream commonly used to treat nonmelanoma skin cancer was up to 35 percent more effective in reducing the number of skin cancer tumors than treating such lesions with the cream alone.
Managed care plans generally refer patients with pain symptoms to specialists
Primary care physicians under a managed care system were more likely to refer patients to a pain specialist than other physicians were, according to a University of Washington study. The findings run contrary to common beliefs that managed care systems limit access to specialists in order to save money. But if that was true before, it is not true now, according to the findings, which are being published in the February issue of Health Services Research.
Bone marrow cell transplant treats clogged leg arteries
Bone marrow cells implanted into blood-starved legs formed new blood vessels, increased blood flow and prevented amputation in people with peripheral artery disease, researchers have reported. “This is the first multicenter and double-blind clinical study to prove the clinical efficacy of growing new blood vessels using bone marrow cell transplantation,? says the study’s lead author Hiroya Masaki M.D., Ph.D. He hopes that transplanting bone marrow cells will establish a new therapy for peripheral artery disease (PAD).
Cannabis-based drugs possible next year in U.K.
Cannabis-based drugs could be prescribed in the United Kingdom as early as 2003 following word from a British pharmaceutical company that four Phase III clinical trials showed the drugs successfully treated symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis and neuropathic pain. In the trials, the pot-based medicine achieved statistically significant reductions in neuropathic (nerve-damage) pain, as well as statistically significant improvements in other symptoms of MS, most notably spasticity and sleep disturbance.