Posts tagged back pain
Some Painkillers Increase Heart Attack Risk: Study
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Advil and Celebrex can raise users’ risk of having a heart attack, a new study has found. This finding came after scientists looked at the results 31 trials involving the drugs. Researchers say their study’s results suggest that a patient’s cardiovascular risk needs to be considered before doctors prescribe the painkillers.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/news-564705-98.html
Zen Meditation May Help Pain Control
Researchers have found that people who practice Zen meditation continue to feel pain, but they do not think about it as much as people who don’t engage in the activity. Using MRI scans, the scientists found that though meditators were aware of pain, the sensation wasn’t processed in the parts of their brain responsible for reasoning, appraisal, or memory formation. The researchers believe this means that meditation cuts the process of pain sensation More >
12 Health and Safety Tips for the Holiday Season
Experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are urging Americans to pay special attention to their health and to be safe this holiday season. That’s why they’ve come up with this list of 12 health and safety tips for the holiday season. The list is available as a downloadable holiday song, as a podcast, and as an easy-to-use holiday e-card.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/cold-flu/news-543300-98.html
Opioid Pain Meds Linked to Increased Health Risks
Results from two new studies suggest that Medicare patients who take narcotic painkillers such as Vicodin, Oxycontin, or codeine have increased health risks, including heart problems, fractures, and death compared to people who take other kinds of painkillers. But one pain expert says this finding does not reflect the experiences of doctors who prescribe the meds, and researchers admit they are uncertain if the opioid pain meds are directly responsible More >
Children’s Motrin, Benadryl and Rolaids Softchews Recalled
Johnson & Johnson has issued a recall of 4 million Children’s Benadryl Allergy Fastmelt Tablets, 800,000 Junior Strength Motrin Caplets, and 71,000 Extra Strength Rolaids softchews. Company officials say this latest recall is at the wholesale and retail levels, but that consumers can still use the medications and they are still effective. The company said it found “unspecified problems” with the Motrin and Benadryl products, while the Rolaids were More >
Nearly Half of Elderly Report Pain in Final Months
A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine has found that pain is a common symptom during many elderly people’s last years of life, and reports of pain increase during the final few months. In their study, investigators discovered that a little over 25 percent of people reported being “troubled” by moderate to severe pain in the two years before their death. But this rate jumped to nearly 50 percent in the four months before death. The scientists More >
FDA Approves Cymbalta for Chronic Joint, Muscle Pain
The antidepressant Cymbalta (duloxetine hydrochloride) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain from such conditions as osteoarthritis and lower back pain. Cymbalta has previously been approved to treat generalized Anxiety disorder, fibromyalgia, and diabetic pain.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/news-540531-98.html
Implanted Drug May Ease Opioid Addiction
According to a new study, implanting the addiction drug buprenorphine in people who are addicted to narcotic painkillers or heroin appears to reduce their cravings, at least for a short time. Researchers say that delivering a low, continuous dose of the drug may help reduce the risk that patients who are addicted to these drugs will relapse after missing doses of or stopping the addiction-treatment med.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/news-540465-98.html
Many Spinal Fractures Go Undiagnosed: Study
According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, about two-thirds of spinal fractures go undiagnosed and untreated. Experts say many of these fractures are misdiagnosed as arthritis or simple back pain, and that properly diagnosing the fractures is important to helping patients avoid complications later in life. Spinal fractures can lead to such problems as stooped back, chronic back pain, immobility, depression, and loss of height.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/news-540462-98.html
Romantic Love Helps Ease Pain: Study
Being “head-over-heels” in love can act as a natural painkiller, a new study has found. Researchers enrolled a group of Stanford University undergraduates for their study and found that being in love activates the same dopamine-oriented brain centers that are affected by illegal drugs such as cocaine. The scientists say these pain-relieving systems are tied to the brain’s reward and craving systems, similar to those involved in addiction. They hope More >
Some Lots of Tylenol 8-Hour Caplets Recalled
Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson is voluntarily recalling approximately 128,000 lots of Tylenol 8-Hour caplets because of reports of a moldy odor. The company states that the recall is only a precaution, and that the possibility of adverse reactions from taking the over-the-counter painkillers is remote. Johnson & Johnson is currently facing a congressional probe over quality-control lapses that have led to recalls of Tylenol, Motrin, and the Allergy med More >
FDA Wants More Data on Extended Release Tapentadol
Officials with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have asked drugmaker Johnson & Johnson for more information on a new extended release form of the Chronic Pain treatment tapentadol. FDA regulators say they want more data on the conversion of the extended release formula to one that is harder to break or crush. Johnson & Johnson is seeking approval of the medication for the management of moderate to severe chronic pain in adults.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/news-538730-98.html
‘Self-Touch’ May Ease Pain: Study
British researchers say an unusual practice of touching three fingers on one hand to three fingers on the other hand may reduce people’s feelings of pain. In a recent study, study participants were placed in a situation in which they thought they were experiencing extreme heat. The scientists found that those who touched all three fingers to the same fingers on the other hand felt 64 percent less painful heat than those who did not practice this form More >
Immune Response Linked to Post-Op Pain: Study
Nerve inflammation may be the cause of the pain, numbness, and weakness some patients experience after surgery, researchers say. These symptoms had previously been thought to be caused by compression or stretching of nerves during surgery. But in a new study, researchers found that these postsurgical neuropathies are the result of the immune system attacking the affected nerves, which leads to inflammation. Mayo Clinic researchers say their finding More >
10 Million Fisher Price Toys Recalled
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is reporting that Fisher Price has initiated an “unprecedented” recall of more than 10 million toys, tricycles, and high chairs. Seven million of the recalled products involve Fisher-Price Trikes and Tough Trikes toddler tricycles, which have a plastic key that juts out near the trikes’ seat. The key has been reported to cause injuries such as genital bleeding. Other recalled products include more than More >
FDA Approves New Drug for Gout
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug called Krystexxa to treat serious cases of gout. Statistics suggest that about three percent of the three million adults who have this extremely painful form of arthritis are not helped by standard treatments. Krystexxa is only the second drug approved to treat gout in the past 40 years.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/news-536870-98.html
Bone Meds May Double Esophageal Cancer Risk
Taking osteoporosis medications in the class known as bisphosphonates for more than five years appears to double the risk of developing esophageal cancer, a new study has found. The study’s authors say it’s important for patients taking the drugs–which include Boniva, Fosamax, Reclast, and Actonel–to realize that the overall risk for developing esophageal is still very small. Typically, 1 person per 1,000 develops the disease, which means that doubling More >
Journal Writing May Help Ease Chronic Pain
Researchers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Center for Integrative Medicine and Wellness have found that some types of writing not only help people express emotions, but can also treat physical ailments such as chronic back and neck pain. Investigators say people who suffer from the Chronic Pain condition known as Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS) can use journal writing to explore their emotions, as well as to reduce stress and tension that is More >
Long-Term Exercise May Reduce Veterans’ Muscle Pain
Researchers say that though exercising may initially worsen the aches and pains of U.S. veterans who suffer from musculoskeletal pain, exercising over a long period of time can help reduce these soldiers’ chronic pain. The scientists say their finding suggests that doctors need to encourage regular exercise for patients with Chronic Pain in order to prevent disability, and this is true despite the fact that early stages of an exercise program may More >
Smoking Marijuana May Ease Chronic Pain
Scientists at McGill University in Montreal have found that smoking small amounts of marijuana may help people who are not getting enough relief from medications better reduce their pain. Chronic Pain patients in the study who used marijuana also fell asleep more easily and slept more soundly than those who did not use the drug, researchers reported.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/news-533315-98.html
Painkillers Often How Drug Addicts First Get ‘Hooked’
According to a new study, detox patients addicted to street drugs often get hooked on legitimately prescribed medications first. Researchers interviewed 75 people hospitalized for opioid drug abuse and found that 31 of these patients first became addicted to legally prescribed painkillers. Twenty-four other patients said their addiction began when they stole drugs from their parents’ medicine supplies or used friends’ left-over prescription drugs. More >
Failure-Prone Hip Replacements Recalled
DePuy Orthopaedics Inc. is recalling two of its hip replacement products due to higher-than-expected rates of revision surgery due to improper fit of the implant. The two recalled systems are the ASR Hip Resurfacing System and the ASR XL Acetabular System. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned DePuy earlier in the week about illegal marketing practices of two other joint replacement products.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/news-533189-98.html
Tai Chi May Ease Fibromyalgia
A new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine suggests that the ancient, slow-movement practice of tai chi may be an effective therapy for fibromyalgia. Researchers found that fibromyalgia patients who did a 12-week trial of tai chi did significantly better in measurements of pain, fatigue, physical functioning, sleeplessness, and Depression than patients who did not do it.
Source: http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/news-533019-98.html