Showing posts with label Chronic pain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chronic pain. Show all posts

Friday, October 7, 2011

7 Simple Suggestions For Dealing With Chronic Pain



Chronic pain affect most of the people some way or another. It cost a lot to cure it as well. Most common chronic pain is headaches and lower back pain. Chronic pain can be defined as persisting for more than six months. It can be caused by a specific injury or medical problem. The pain could occur with no apparent reason which puzzled prescribers and patients. It is important to bear in mind that chronic pain cannot be treated in one quick solution but needed an extensive personalized plan to manage.

It is important to be able to accept pain as part of your life that need to be addressed before combating it. These are what you can do to deal with chronic pain:

1. Keep yourself hydrated as dehydration can aggravate the symptoms of chronic conditions such as headaches and back pain.

2. Load your body with nutritious foods that can help combat pain and reduce fatigue. Examples are leafy greens, foods rich with omega3, asparagus, low sugar fruits and soy products.

3. Keep a positive outlook. Thinking positively will help to overcome blocks and lessen the pain you are feeling.

4. Distract yourself with activities that are not stressful such as yoga, listening to music, watching movies. It is good to engage in activities that make you feel good.

5. Maintain proper posture. Being in C-slump which is a bend back with head in front of spine can impair nerve and blood flow. Try to keep head in a parallel line with a straight spine. This can help prevent strain on back and neck muscles.

6. Discuss your pain. You may be able to find solutions to problems that cause you stress and any helpful coping skills.

7. Keep a diary that can help you keep track of your pain and record down medications that are able to help you and any adverse effects you experience while taking them. This can help you to be in more control of your pain.

Friday, September 30, 2011

Link Discovered Between Smoking And Chronic Pain In Women

Kentucky women who smoke heavily may experience more chronic musculoskeletal pain, suggests a new study led by University of Kentucky researchers.
More than 6,000 Kentucky women over the age of 18 were surveyed on their smoking habits and symptoms of chronic pain. Syndromes included in the analysis were fibromyalgia, sciatica, chronic neck pain, chronic back pain, joint pain, chronic head pain, nerve problems, and pain all over the body.
Results showed that women who smoke, or who were former smokers, had a greater chance of reporting at least one chronic pain syndrome in comparison to nonsmokers. Former smokers showed a 20 percent increase, occasional smokers showed a 68 percent increase, and in daily smokers the odds more than doubled (104 percent).
In addition, daily smoking was associated more strongly with chronic pain than older age, lower educational attainment, obesity, or living in an Appalachian county.
There's a definite connection, but the direction of it is uncertain, says Dr. David Mannino, a pulmonary physician in the UK College of Public Health and co-author of the study.
"This study shows a strong relationship between heavy smoking and chronic pain in women," Mannino said. "But what is the direction of this association? Does smoking cause more chronic pain, or do more women take up smoking as a coping mechanism for experiencing chronic pain?"
Mannino describes acute pain as a "protective response" and theorizes that perhaps female smokers experience acute pain that develops into chronic pain because their normal protection and mechanisms are damaged by exposure to smoke.
From here, researchers should look into a link between smoking, smoking cessation, psychopathology, and management of chronic pain, says Dr. Leslie Crofford, director of the Center for the Advancement of Women's Health and co-author of the study.
"Our results show there is a dose-response relationship between smoking classification and chronic pain syndromes," Crofford said. "It's possible that patients experiencing chronic pain could benefit from smoking cessation treatment in addition to the treatment for their pain. Similarly, it's possible that appropriate treatment of chronic pain could increase a smoker's chances of successfully quitting. Right now, more research is needed on these interventions."

 
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