WELCOME to the June 1-30, 2008 edition of Pain-Health-News, your very best resource for tips, techniques and information on dealing with PAIN. Whether you suffer from chronic, temporary or transient pain, you'll find helpful information right here. I collect links to news and resources all over the internet, sort out what I think may be most useful and post it in monthly listings. And I'll occasionally write an article or send a special email about things I think are important.
	Hi, I'm Bonnie Boots, publisher of Pain-Health-News. Ordinarily, the very first approach to pain management comes in the form of a pill. Television  and magazine ads and even our doctors tell us that all we need to do to find sweet relief is swallow a tablet or capsule. Sometimes that works, especially when the pain comes from a stiff muscle or mild headache. But for people dealing with  long-term or chronic pain, pills alone seldom bring complete relief.. Worse, yet, relying on nothing more than prescription drugs to control long-term pain can easily lead to overdosing and addiction. That's why I'm such an avid proponent of nontraditional treatments. I'll look at anything and everything that shows the potential to help people, no matter how unorthodox or outlandish it may initially seem. I always remind myself that the first doctor to suggest that infection was caused by germs was laughed out of his profession. Today's nutty idea has a strange way of turning into tomorrow's standard treatment. Twenty years ago, many doctors scoffed at the idea of a mind-body connection and pooh-poohed any supposed effect brought about by thought by labeling it "placebo."  But scientists are showing us the way to a chemical form of pain relief that's proving better than any pill. Today, scientists are seriously studying how our thoughts affect our health. It's long been known that the human brain is capable of releasing many chemicals. The number was once thought to be in the hundreds. But new studies in neurology are showing that the number may actually be beyond calculation. Scientists are looking into these myriad natural chemical combinations in hopes of discovering what the brain produces, and thus prefers, for pain relief. Drug manufacturers naturally hope such a discovery will lead to the production of a new generation of pain pills. But some researches hope the ultimate result will be to uncover how we humans tap the natural chemicals we come equipped with and use them to cure ourselves. Some of the most amazing research is being done in the field of mental illness. Tests done on people suffering from schizophrenia have shown that the simple act of smiling may be the trigger that induces the brain to release a rush of chemicals that are natural mood enhancers, stress reducers and pain relievers. Schizophrenia is one of the most tragic mental illnesses, and perhaps the most difficult  to treat. Drugs must often be prescribed in such high doses that the patient is left lethargic and barely able to function. As a result, people suffering from this disease often refuse to take medication. But a study done on a small group of schizophrenic patients revealed that smiling for just 15 minutes a  day altered their brain chemistry to the extent that prescribed medications could be greatly reduced. This reduction in medications would, it was hoped, lead to patients having better relief of their symptoms with fewer negative side effects. Participants in the study were instructed to set a timer, then look into a mirror in order to monitor their expression and make sure they were actually smiling for the full 15 minutes. They were not told to pretend they were happy, to think happy thoughts. All they had to do was physically turn the corners of their mouth up into a big smile for a quarter of an hour. Blood samples before and after the smiling exercise showed that the mere act of smiling lead to significant beneficial changes in the patient's blood chemistry. It was noted in the test that the chemicals being released by smiling were mostly endorphins, the body's natural opiates. Amazing as it may seem, we humans come equipped with our own natural form of pain relief. And all we have to do to release it is laugh! Some thoughts on INNER STRENGTH If you can start the day without caffeine, If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains, If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles, If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it, If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time, If you can take criticism and blame without resentment If you can ignore a friend's limited education and never correct them, If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend, If you can conquer tension without medical help, If you can relax without liquor, If you can sleep without the aid of drugs...   ....then you are probably the family dog! .   This

Links to current news on the internet ...the following links were current for June 1, 2008. Bookmark this page now so you can easily return.

Sad to say, until very recently it was widely believed by medical practitioners that children do not feel pain.

New Thinking on Whether Adult Pain Stems from Childhood Trauma
MedHeadlines - Chicago,IL,USA
When children have frequent pain, though, they are three times more likely to have chronic pain as adults, he says. Also, the study shows babies who were in ...

Curing Chronic Pain In Kids
Boston Channel.com - MA, USA
“Instead of pain getting better afterward, as is normal, pain keeps going and doesn't shut off.” RSD is a chronic pain that causes the nervous system to go ...
 

Chronic pain as a child?
The writer mentions how doctors have recently become aware of a phenomenon that chronic severe pain in childhood can totally screw up the child's neural development, so that he or she perceives sensations wrong (ie, a normal touch can ...
 

Arthritis is always in the news. It's good to pay attention to it, even if your pain has another source, because so much research is done in this field that applies to other kinds of pain.

Beyond the Pill Bottle: Alternative Arthritis Therapies
Pensacola News Journal - Pensacol,FL,USA
Non-medicinal treatments — from supplements to specially designed gloves — can help improve pain relief and quality of life for many arthritis sufferers. ...

Researchers: Some Foods Can Relieve Arthritis Pain
NBC6.net - Miami,FL,USA
Dorfman said one solution for this pain could be what you cook in your kitchen. “We could maybe avoid some of the need for some pain relief medication,” ...

Staying Active Best Way To Control Arthritis Pain
eMaxHealth.com - Hickory,NC,USA
“Arthritis really hurts, and it’s very difficult for people to endure chronic pain and stiffness on a daily basis,” said Dr. Sheri Johnson, State Health ...

Backers see big potential in injection for arthritis
Atlanta Journal Constitution - GA, USA
The pain was terrible. The doctors tried everything, but nothing worked." Most people who develop arthritis in the ankle do so from normal wear and tear. ...
 

Sooner or later, back pain is almost everyone's problem...

Finland-based company offers solution for back pain
Malaysia Star - Malaysia
Despite the availability of various over-the- counter remedies, a quick relief is all it could provide. However, a Finland-based company that had been ...
 

Coping with chronic back pain
KTUU - Anchorage,AK,USA
The device is primarily for those who suffer from chronic pain related to nerve injuries. But Dr. Hinman told us they are seeing more patients these days ...

Does TENS Work For BACK Pain?
By mod
There are a variety of treatment practices that have had some success but are not as commonly used to deal with back pain. One of these is transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, also known as TENS. TENS uses an electrical current ...

Procedure lessens pain from backaches
CBS 42 - Austin,TX,USA
... share her story of chronic lower-back pain, she's also brave enough to be the first patient in Austin to get the Sinergy System Pain Relief Treatment. ...
 

Gabapentin For Back Pain
By backpainrelief1
An new old approach to back pain the ancient chinese back pain stress and hindu civilizations both used therapeutic exercise (positions and movements) in their systems of medicine. Secondary symptoms such as numbness, temperature of the ...
Back Pain Relief - http://backpainrelief1.wordpress.com

Back Pain Medications for Back Injury Relief
By Sharlene NOLTON(Sharlene NOLTON)
There is a general understanding within the medical community that pain relief is an important part of the healing process. For this reason the chances of being prescribed a drug for back pain when you visit the doctor are rather good. ...

Are you taking your vitamins?....

Low vitamin D tied to back pain in older women
Reuters India - Mumbai,India
"Given that low vitamin D status is fairly prevalent in older adults and that there are significant functional consequences to untreated chronic pain, ...

Vitamin D: Good for More than Bones
By plaintruthtoday(plaintruthtoday)
Vitamin D helps control pain. A fascinating study from the Mayo clinic published last month online in the journal Pain Medicine looked at vitamin D levels in people with chronic pain. They found that patients who had low vitamin D ...

Additional links to news and articles abut pain...

BDSI's pain patch does well in human trial
Bizjournals.com - Charlotte,NC,USA
The patch, which is affixed to the lining of the cheek, met the study's primary goal of providing significantly more pain relief than placebo at all time ...

Quick-Freeze Procedure To Heal a Heel in Pain
Wall Street Journal - USA
It's brought to a freezing temperature, which destroys nerve fibers -- giving relief from pain, says Taylor, Mich., podiatrist Lawrence M. Fallat, ...

Hitting the reset button
By juniorprof
In many ways chronic pain is very much like memory. To establish memories the current consensus among neuroscientists is that there must be a form of persistent plasticity in the way that neurons connect to one another such that ...
JUNIORPROF - http://juniorprof.wordpress.com

Why aren't all pain remedies 'rapid release?'
The Province - Vancouver,BC,Canada
Shouldn't all pain remedies be released as rapidly as possible? No one buys pain relief medicine thinking "I want the pain to linger a little longer, ...

5 more diseases that cause chronic pain
By Marijke Durning, RN
I really want Help My Hurt to encompass all types of pain and how to live with it or manage it. That being said, there are so many disorders and diseases that cause chronic pain, that I’d like to continue my posts on what some of them ...

List of non-medicinal pain management techniques
Summary: Pain Management Techniques ... relaxation techniques (progressive muscle relaxation, soothing music, ... listening to talk radio ...
newsgroups.derkeiler.com: alt.support... - http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Alt/alt.support.chronic-pain

Pain Medication Options
The treatment of chronic pain is a difficult problem -- for both patients and doctors. The most effective treatment of chronic pain utilizes a long-term approach and efforts to attack the pain with different types of treatments. ...

BC residents fly south for controversial Lyme disease treatment
CBC.ca - Toronto,Ontario,Canada
Untreated, Lyme disease can affect the joints, the heart and nervous system, with chronic pain and numerous symptoms that are hard to treat.

New Research and Treatment Options for Millions Suffering ...
Earthtimes (press release) - London,UK
42% of adults report pain that lasted longer than one year. -- About 1.2 million Michigan adults experience ongoing chronic pain. ...

New Cure For Migraine
By headachecure
Treatment of all other migraine pain relief forms of encephalitis is entirely supportive. Is migraine pain relief chiropractic just for back pain. The faculty also teach courses on various aspects of headache at regional and nationally ...

Chronic Pain and Hypnosis
An April 2008 study published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis evaluated 26 people with chronic pain. The participants in the study used hypnosis treatment and...

Chronic Pain & Miracle Pets! You're invited to join us for Life ...
Can your pet be one of the "miracle pets" helping ease chronic pain? Listen in, call in, or chat online with us about life trekking & bring your pets! :)

Demystifying Hands On Healing
By andrejskantor
my most difficult chronic pain patients people with 20 or 30 years of constant chronic pain who have not been helped by any traditional or alternative modality. If you can help these people, then I’ll be impressed. ...
wam andrejs - http://read100.com/andrejskantor

Mindfulness meditation: Lotus therapy
International Herald Tribune - France
Kabat-Zinn taught the practice to people suffering from chronic pain at the University of Massachusetts medical school. In the 1980s he published a series ...

 Pains lead woman to help others
Redlands Daily Facts - Redlands,CA,USA
... a chronic inflammatory condition caused by an autoimmune disease, she was told she also had fibromyalgia, a chronic pain disorder characterized by pain ...

 Muscle syndrome may go undetected
NewsOK.com (subscription) - Oklahoma City,OK,USA
But how to explain the mysterious chronic pain in her legs and shoulders that some mornings prevented her from getting out of bed? "Some doctors would tell ...

Curing Knee Pain with Acupuncture Chronic Pain Treatments
If you are active in sports then you have probably experienced knee pain of some kind. Patellofemoral pain syndrome is a common type of knee pain; it is especially common in young adults who are active in sports. ...

Do not ignore pain, warns doctor
Thaindian.com - Bangkok,Bangkok,Thailand
“Chronic pain does not have to be an ongoing cycle of non-scientific band aid treatment. Unrelieved, undiagnosed pain leads to 5-D syndrome,” said Singh, ...

Friendship through the fog
Galesburg Register-Mail - Galesburg,IL,USA
In addition to chronic pain, people with fibromyalgia have to deal with doctors, family, bosses and friends who think they’re just being dramatic. ...

Functional Fitness Method for Pain Relief
PR-CANADA.net (press release) - Murino,Montenegro
Each person has the inner power to relieve chronic pain. The PAST® (Posture, Adaptability, Strength, and Total Body Integration) Functional Fitness Method ...

Brain experts charge for work 'outside their area'
Business Report - Johannesburg,South Africa
Alan Hunter, an anaesthetist, said this was done if a patient was going to have an operation or suffered from chronic pain. Patients who have chronic pain ...

Experimental Bone Surgery Relieving Pain
KFYR-TV - Bismarck,ND,USA
"And we think that the heat that the cement gives off kills the little nerve endings in the bone itself, which is why patients get pain relief," says Dr. ...

Musculoskeletal disorders: No pain, no gain
SHPonline - London,UK
Individuals in the ‘problem minority’ group do not have a musculoskeletal problem so much as a chronic pain problem. Pain was once considered simply a ...

Anticipatory Pain and Chronic Pain Management
By admin
I believe it is important for people living with chronic pain to understand that sometimes what you most fear your actually create. When you live with chronic pain you hurt. Doing certain things can make you hurt worse. ...

Permanent Pain Relief
By Robert Scholl(Robert Scholl)
I have not been able to sit without relying on pain killers and the aide of a cushion since October. Nor have I been able to walk long distances or stand in place for more than a minute or two without pain since October. ...

When Pain Takes Over Your Life
By caustin1
I was thinking recently that for people who deal with chronic pain on a daily basis, there comes a time when pain can completely take over your life. When nothing you do, no drug imaginable, can relieve the discomfort. ...

A 'pain in the neck' may be a thing of the past
BCM News - Houston,TX,USA
Patients who suffer from muscle pain don't always find immediate and lasting relief, however, a new treatment option may be the solution.

Pain sufferers find relief in 19th-century practice
Minneapolis Star Tribune - Minneapolis,MN,USA
The result is less pain and muscle tension. "My body has made its own corrections," he said. "There's still some pain; it's not totally gone. ...

I do not  presume to give medical advice to anyone. I simply present information that may be helpful. I know, from my own experience with chronic pain,  that you can never tell in advance where you will find the one bit of news that will help you turn a corner and make progress.

Please use this information to further your search for your own best health care. Be pro-active, be persistent --and be careful. There will always be people looking to take advantage of your need for relief.  Remember, using Google to check a person or product's background is your best defense against scams and frauds.

If you have questions or concerns about anything you find on my web site, you can contact me at any time by clicking here to open a pre-addressed email form.