Sheldon P. Blau, M.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.R. and Elaine Fantle Shimberg
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 Two booklets you can order on pain control are:
• "Anesthesia &You .. .The Management of Pain," from the American Society of Anesthesiologists, 520 N. Northwest Highway, Park Ridge, IL 60068-2573
^Adapted from "Pain Control After Surgery: A Patient's Guide," February 1992,AHCPR Pub. No.92-0021, Rockville, MD 20852.
3 "Anesthesia &You . . .The Management of Pain," prepared by the American Society of Anesthesiologists through the cooperative efforts of the Society's Committee on Communications and the Committee on Pain Therapy, 1994. |
Walter Last
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 It is slow acting and used for long-term pain control. Topically apply propolis, cayenne ointment, and oils of clove or winter-green. Take white willow bark, cloves, winter-green, pansy, or feverfew for headaches. additional therapies: With cancer, migraines, and other diseases, pain and discomfort are often the result of liver congestion. This is usually relieved by a coffee enema and other measures to cleanse the liver. Improve the lymph circulation in a painful area; see part 1 for details. |
Dorothea Hover-Kramer, EdD, RN
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 Pain Control
For pain control, instruct the client in self-care techniques, such as unruffling or moving the energetic Ultrasound around painful areas. Discuss how the patient can ask for pain medication if needed and how to refuse medication if it is not needed. Hospital personnel sometimes medicate using protocols for the general public rather than addressing the individual needs of the patient. Family members can help by using the Chakra Spread for relaxation, transferring energy to painful areas, and massaging the feet. |
Joseph E. Mario
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 Dr. Lefkowitz, Brooklyn Heights, N.Y.).
•MYASTHENIA GRAVIS An auto-immune nerve disorder where antibodies block Acetylcholine receptors at the nerve-muscle synapse. Brain to muscle order is lost, usually in the head, face, eyelids, muscles, neck, and diaphragm (doctors prescribe prednisone steroids, 100 mg. every other day; even 30 mg. makes the skin very fragile). |
Patrick Holford
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 Sulfur is involved in a multitude of key body functions, including pain control, regulation of inflammation, detoxification, and tissue building. Extraordinary results are starting to be reported in terms of pain relief and relief from arthritis from supplementing around 3 g of MSM daily. One possibility is that sulfur deficiency is far more common than has been realized.
Some pain is due to pressure changes in cells, which in turn affect the nerves that sense pain. If cells inflate as a result of excess buildup of fluid or a drop in the pressure surrounding them, the nerves register the pain. |
Richard Gerber, M.D.
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 Applying external electrical currents to the skin presents a safer and simpler procedure for pain control than having to perform a neurosurgical procedure. The TNS electrostimulators provide purely energetic treatment for symptoms of physical pain in a way that goes beyond conventional drugs and surgery.
A curious discovery arose from basic research into TNS control of pain. Researchers reported that the weak electrical currents which were applied to the skin could give more efficient pain control if the electrodes were applied to specialized areas of the skin. |
Neal Barnard, M.D.
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 When patients who are taking anti-inflammatory drugs add vitamin B6 to their regimen, they get better pain control with less medication.21
It may also be useful in preventing a relapse. Researchers using B6, along with other B vitamins, in patients with acute back pain found that it cut the relapse rate in half over the following six months.22 Large-scale clinical trials have not yet been conducted.
A safe dose of B6 is 50-150 mg per day. Daily doses of 200 mg or higher should be avoided, however, as they are associated with nerve damage.
The amino acid tryptophan may also help. |
Sheldon P. Blau, M.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.R. and Elaine Fantle Shimberg
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| Scientific studies have shown the positive effect music can have on pain control. Even anesthetized patients undergoing surgery while music is being played reportedly require less pain medication during their recovery. The reason for this is that music—both its sound and vibrations—releases endorphins, powerful chemicals produced in the brain that help to relieve pain and trigger relaxation. Music affects our body's respiration rate, blood pressure, heartbeat, and hormonal level. |
Robert Becker, M.D., and Gary Selden
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 There's every reason to suppose that pain control through biofeedback or yoga likewise works by using an innate circuit for attenuating the pain signal, which releases a shot of the body's own pain-killers. When the signal is appropriately modulated, it releases endorphins (internally produced opiates), as shown by experiments in which an injection of the opiate-antagonist naloxone negates the anesthesia of acupuncture. I predict that research on this system will eventually let us learn to control pain, healing, and growth with our minds alone, substantially reducing the need for physicians. |
Janet Zand, LAc, OMD, Allan N. Spreed, MD, CNC, James B. LaValle, RPh, ND
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 An acetaminophen and codeine combination can be very effective and is sometimes prescribed for pain control. Acetaminophen works at the site of the illness or injury, lessening pain and inflammation, while codeine works in the central nervous system and blocks the perception of pain. Needless to say, this combination can also have the side effects of both acetaminophen and codeine.
¦ Pain-management centers evaluate chronic pain and design individualized treatments for sufferers. |
the Editors of PREVENTION Magazine Health Books
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 Help for Arthritis Inflammation
Arthritis is a serious medical problem, and you should work with your doctor to create a total program of coping strategies and pain control. Here are a few helpful suggestions.
Put your joints under wrap. A wrap or splint using an elastic bandage will help keep a painfully inflamed joint stable, says Robin Dore, M.D., a rheumatologist in private practice in Anaheim, California. Get your doctor to show you how to put on the wrap or splint, and ask him how long you should use it without removing it.
Let those dishes sit. |
Ronald Klatz and Robert Goldman
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 Kava kava Herb acting primarily as a sedative; may be used for pain control.
Licorice root Major Chinese herb used to invigorate the functions of the heart, spleen and pancreas; contains glycyrrhizic acid that appears to block tumor growth; reported to have anti-inflammatory properties that may be helpful in treating arthritis; contains carbendoxolane that seems to be effective in treating stomach ulcers. Caution: Licorice should not be used by people with high blood pressure. |
Larry Trivieri, Jr.
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 Cold laser therapy has been successfully applied to pain control, orthopedic myofascial syndrome (inflammation of the muscles and their surrounding membranes), neurology, trauma, dermatology, and dentistry," says Dr. Prescott, who adds that "the effects on microcirculation, increased synthesis of collagen in the skin, production of neurotransmitters, and pain relief have all been documented."
Cold laser therapy is often used in patients who do not like the needles used in traditional acupuncture. W. John Diamond, M.D. |
Neal Barnard, M.D.
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| Complex carbohydrates stimulate the brain to make two chemical neurotransmitters that are involved in mood and pain control: noradrenaline and serotonin. These are the same chemicals that antidepressants are designed to increase, and as we have seen, antidepressants can be helpful in treating diabetic nerve pain. The noradrenaline boost is sufficient to measurably increase your calorie-burning speed for more than two hours after the meal. Whether or not this helpful adjustment of body chemistry gets some of the credit for the disappearance of leg pains is still unconfirmed. |
Dr. Julian Whitaker
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| Serotonin is also involved in sleep, appetite control, and pain control.
Norepinephrine, also called noradrenaline, is a stimulating neurotransmitter that keeps you alert. It is also produced in the adrenal glands in response to stress. Norepinephrine is also crucial in memory as it helps embed long-term memories. That's why we remember exciting, scary, painful events better than run-of-the-mill happenings. It's important for survival to remember that putting your hand in the fire or rushing into traffic is not a good thing. |
Neal Barnard, M.D.
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| Serotonin is a natural brain chemical that is important in pain control, sleep, and moods. Researchers at the Veterans Administration Hospital in San Diego, California, gave supplements of a related compound, 5-hydroxytryptophan, to a group of men with chronic back pain due to disk disease. They found a modest but consistent reduction in pain.23 The same effect was found in healthy subjects given two grams of tryptophan and tested for their perception of experimentally induced pain.24
However, tryptophan is not currently available in the United States. |
Dr. John Heinerman
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 Kirk, DVM, has a mere three sentences on what should be done for "Pain Control in Poisoning" situations. The real kicker, though, is the total lack of material dealing with any kind of pain in The 5 Minute Veterinary Consult: Canine and Feline (Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1997) written by veterinarians Larry P. Tilley and Francis S.K. Smith, Jr. |
Neal Barnard, M.D.
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| It causes the brain to produce serotonin, the neurotransmitter that plays a central role in sleep, moods, and pain control, as we saw in chapters 3 and 7. Fruit sugars work as well as table sugar. So have some orange juice and a cookie an hour before bed, and see Jiow it works for you.
• Avoid high-protein foods in the evening. They can block serotonin production. Of course, I never encourage the use of fish, poultry, meats, or eggs at any time, but the same goes for large servings of beans or tofu in the evening if a good night's sleep is your goal. |
| High-carbohydrate foods also increase a second brain chemical, called norepinephrine, which is also important in pain control and in moods.4
SALT
Another potentially useful food treatment emerged for use in chronic fatigue. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that adolescents with chronic fatigue tended to have low blood pressure. So, in addition to their other medications, they put them on high-sodium diets to raise their blood pressure and found that, in many cases, it led to a dramatic improvement. |
Sheldon P. Blau, M.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.R. and Elaine Fantle Shimberg
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| Anesthesiologists also may deal with pain control after surgery.
Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNA) also administer anesthetics, working with or under the supervision of the anesthesiologist. The CRNAs are not medical doctors, but are registered nurses with a minimum of two years of specialized graduate-level education in anesthesia. They also must pass a national certification exam and complete a continuing education and recertification program every two years.
All these subspecialties have their pediatric counterparts. Children are not "little adults. |
| What is your philosophy about pain control?
Surgeons, like other physicians, vary in their thoughts about controlling pain. At one end of the spectrum are those who feel a little pain is a good thing (on their patients, not themselves). At the other end, however, and often equally harmful, are those who want their patients to experience no sensation of pain at all, and in doing so, may overmedicate a susceptible patient. |
| There are many treatments for pain control today, not all of which are drugs. For this reason, the anesthesiologist usually heads a team of medical professionals including other physicians, nurses, and therapists.
Pain is not something you need to tolerate after surgery. In fact, it's important to control your pain because it:
• Makes you more comfortable.
• Helps you heal faster because with less pain you are more apt to work at your therapy and do your deep breathing exercises which prevent pneumonia.
• Allows you to get your strength back sooner. |
Larry Trivieri, Jr.
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| C.L.A. pain control Unit after using bite plates in his mouth to stop the teeth from grinding together. His last bite plate had been a metal one, prescribed by a dentist who thought it would finally solve the problem. Instead, he bit through the metal. He had severe pain in all the typical areas associated with TMJ and was quite depressed about the whole thing. He had tried everything.Working with him, we took biofeedback readings from the masseter muscle (the muscle involved in closing the jaw) and using them, trained him to relax his jaw. |
Neal Barnard, M.D.
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| The use of narcotics can be reduced with steps that help prevent crises, and the use of adjuvant nonnarcotic pain medicines and antidepressants for pain control.
*Anopheles mosquitoes transmit the protozoan Plasmodium falciparum to humans. It enters the red blood cells, causing malaria.
People who have sickle-cell anemia—that is, those who got the gene from both parents—do not have an advantage, because there are simply too many collapsing cells. In countries without adequate medical facilities, nearly all infants with sickle-cell anemia die in the first few years of life. |
Attaining Medical Self SufficiencyDuncan Long
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| It should be noted that surgery has become a rare method of stopping long-term pain control. Often it does not provide long-term relief because it fails to cure the underlying problem causing the pain. This often consists of cutting some or all nerves in an area, getting rid of the pain messages being sent to the brain. However this isn't as easy as once thought due to the possibility of phantom pains and other conditions that j send signals from farther up the spinal column rather than from the area the pain seems to originate from. |
Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
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 RECOMMENDATIONS
Use every available alternative to aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and steroids for pain control. Evidence is mounting that these painkillers have a destructive effect on cartilage. Aspirin and NSAIDs suppress the joint's ability to manufacture cartilage-building proteins, and they deactivate enzymes that are essential for making chondroitin, an important cartilage component. The more the joint has been damaged by OA, the more it absorbs NSAIDs that damage it even further, starting a spiral of pain and tissue destruction. |
Barrie R Cassileth, Ph.D.
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 Tb achieve pain control, for example, hypnosis can be self-induced by patients whenever they feel the need for pain relief. This can help them avoid narcotic dependency and the long-term expense and physical complications of narcotic medication.
Beliefs on Which It Is Based
A frequently voiced concern about hypnosis is that it involves the surrender of control, leaving the subject susceptible to the suggestion of the hypnotist. Precisely the contrary is correct, practitioners say. |
| Patients receiving injections of anesthetics for conventional pain control should receive this treatment under the care of a licensed neurologist who specializes in pain management.
Where to Get It
For more information regarding the treatment of chronic pain, contact:
? National Chronic Pain Outreach Association, Inc. 7979 Old Georgetown Road, Suite 100 Bethesda, MD 20814
Telephone: (301) 652-4948
? American Chronic Pain Association, Inc. P.O. Box 850
Rocklin, CA 95677 Telephone: (916) 632-0922
30
Therapies
Oxygen—without it we cannot live for more than a few Oxygen minutes. |
| Local injections of anesthetics are given for pain control or to stimulate adaptive physiological functions. Proponents make it clear that neural therapy can treat many medical conditions. It is applied most commonly, however, to treat chronic pain.
Beliefs on Which It Is Based
Proponents believe that most illnesses are caused by interruptions in the body's electrical system. Somewhere a breakdown of communications between cells occurs. When communication is impeded, what is known as an interference field develops. |
Stephen Wolinsky and Kristi L. Kennen
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 Erickson, being a master of pain control, noticed in his clinical practice that the experience of physical pain has three parts: past remembered pain, present pain, and fear of the pain extending into the future. Erickson noted that if he got the patient to let go of past remembered pain, and the fear of recurring future pain, he could diminish the physical discomfort by two-thirds. In the same way, in the time continuum, labeling any experience "beginning", "middle", and "end", takes you out of the time continuum so you can observe time and its fluid motion. |
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