Pain
Friday, May 02, 2008
Princeton University survey finds ‘pain gap’
A novel study that attempts to paint the most accurate and detailed description yet of how Americans experience pain has found that a significant portion of the population—28 percent—are in pain at any given moment and those with less education and lower income spend more of their time in pain. Those in pain are less likely to work or socialize with others and are more inclined to watch television than the pain-free.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Anatomy of pain can bring relief
Queensland researchers have made a discovery that sheds important new light on how the brain processes pain, and how central emotions are in the pain experience. This very reliable connection means that any signal that reaches the brain’s pain centre is almost guaranteed to set off a signal in the central amygdala. And the cells there trigger emotional responses—emotions, hormones, blood pressure increases and so on.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Patients with larger social networks may fare better after an operation
A new study published in the February issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows that patients with a large support network of family and friends report feeling less pain and anxiety prior to having a surgical procedure, which can have a substantially positive impact on their postoperative recovery. The findings suggest that it is important for clinicians to be aware of the close relationship between patients’ social networks and their impact on preoperative pain and anxiety, and how these relationships can affect patient recovery after major operations.
Anxiety • Pain • Relationships • (0) Comments • Permalink
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Chronic Pain Harms the Brain
People with unrelenting pain don’t only suffer from the nonstop sensation of throbbing pain. They also have trouble sleeping, are often depressed, anxious and even have difficulty making simple decisions.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Women with irritable bowel syndrome unable to regulate pain effectively
UCLA researchers have found that women who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome are unable to effectively turn off a pain-modulation mechanism in the brain, causing them to be more sensitive to abdominal discomfort than women without the condition.
Monday, August 20, 2007
AP analysis finds U.S. pain medicine use has skyrocketed 88 percent
People in the United States are living in a world of pain and they are popping pills at an alarming rate to cope with it. The amount of five major prescription painkillers sold at retail establishments rose 88 percent between 1997 and 2005.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Old Memory is Key Source of Chronic Pain
Why do so many people continue to suffer from life-altering, chronic pain long after their injuries have actually healed? The definitive answer—and an effective treatment—has long eluded scientists. Traditional analgesic drugs, such as aspirin and morphine derivatives, haven’t worked very well. A Northwestern University researcher has found a key source of chronic pain appears to be an old memory trace that essentially gets stuck in the prefrontal cortex, the site of emotion and learning. The brain seems to remember the injury as if it were fresh and can’t forget it.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Biofeedback Reinvented - New Discoveries Show that the Heart Pulses Messages that Reveal Feelings
HeartMath essentially reinvented biofeedback in 1999 when they introduced the first affordable consumer stress-reduction product using their patented heart rhythm feedback. Their focus on heart rhythm feedback provided a refreshing departure from conventional biofeedback practices, and has since been adopted by more than ten thousand health professionals worldwide as an effective and invaluable tool for patients suffering from stress-related issues. Internationally respected for their research-based stress solutions, HeartMath peer-reviewed studies have demonstrated the critical link between emotions, heart function, and cognitive performance.
ADHD • Anger • Anxiety • Appreciation • Autonomic Nervous System • Brain • Cardiovascular Health • Cognition • Creativity/Innovation • Education • Emotions • Happiness • Heart Rate Variability • HeartMath • Hypertension • Pain • Productivity/Performance • Psychology • PTSD • Science • Stress • Technology • (0) Comments • Permalink
Sunday, May 27, 2007
The Changing Science of Pain
Millions of aging boomers and the latest generation of wounded soldiers hope the secrets of our most enduring medical foe can finally be unlocked.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
HeartMath’s emWave Personal Stress Reliever
Our emWave Personal Stress Reliever is on sale until the end of the April for $20.00 off. If you’re interested in realtime stress reduction and peak performance, please take a look at the two-minute demo.
9/11 • Addiction • ADHD • Aging • Amygdala • Anger • Anxiety • Appreciation • Autonomic Nervous System • Books • Brain • Burnout • Cancer • Cardiovascular Health • Children • Circadian Rhythms • Cognition • Creativity/Innovation • Depression • Diabetes • Disasters • Drugs • Education • Emotions • Events • Forgiveness • Genetics • Happiness • Health at Work • Healthcare • Heart Rate Variability • HeartMath • Hormones • Hypertension • Immune System • Intuition • Media • Memory • Mood • Music • Nature • Nurse Retention • Obesity • Optimism • Organizational Climate • Pain • Panic • Parenting • Pharmaceuticals • Placebo Effect • Productivity/Performance • Psychology • PTSD • Relationships • Reproduction • Science • Sleep • Stress • Technology • Teenagers • Women • (0) Comments • Permalink
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Arthritis pain, the brain and the role of emotions
Arthritis pain is processed in brain areas concerned with emotions and fear, finds study, indicating target for pain-relieving therapies
How does the brain process the experience of pain? Thanks to advances in neuroimaging, we now know the answer lies in a network of brain structures called the pain matrix. This matrix contains two parallel systems. The medial pain system processes the emotional aspects of pain, including fear and stress, while the lateral system processes the physical sensations—pain’s intensity, location, and duration.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Living with the scars of war
Thousands have come home from Iraq injured, sometimes severely. Here are the stories of three Marines’ struggle to heal.
Anger • Cognition • Depression • Pain • PTSD • Stress • (0) Comments • Permalink
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Burn Patients Need More Help Coping With Depression, Study Suggests
A new study reveals the full extent of psychological problems among people who have spent years recovering from serious burns. About half of those surveyed showed signs of clinical depression, with women being most vulnerable. While the study findings may not be surprising, specialists are calling them a valuable tool that could spur burn centers to devote more resources to mental healing.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Patients With PTSD Experience Less Pain Sensitivity
Patients with posttraumatic stress disorder show reduced pain sensitivity, a pattern that may be related to altered pain processing in the brain.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
High-Quality Marriages Help to Calm Nerves
A University of Virginia neuroscientist has found that women under stress who hold their husbands’ hands show signs of immediate relief, which can clearly be seen on their brain scans. “This is the first study of the neurological reactions to human touch in a threatening situation, and the first study to measure how the brain facilitates the health-enhancing properties of close social relationships,” says Dr. James A. Coan.
Amygdala • Brain • Pain • Relationships • (0) Comments • Permalink