A procedure that uses radio waves to treat chronic low back pain provided long-lasting relief to a small group of patients, researchers report. Called intradiscal biacuplasty (IDB), the procedure uses two water-cooled needles to blast radiofrequency energy at the nerve fibers within and around a spinal disc that’s begun to degenerate but has not ruptured, explained lead researcher Dr. Michael Gofeld. “Basically you’re destroying the nerve fibers, which will lead to the elimination of pain,”…
chronic illness
Raise awareness about chronic illnesses by understanding their impact, symptoms, and the importance of support and education.
9 Questions to Ask About Postsurgical Pain Management
One of the best ways to ease anxiety about a major event, like surgery, is to plan ahead. Conversations about postsurgical pain management need to happen before your procedure, so you can focus on your recovery after surgery is complete. Here are 9 questions you should ask your attending health care professional before having surgery. What should I do before my surgery? Make sure you understand your health care provider’s instructions about eating and drinking.…
46 Million Americans Suffer From Arthritis
Arthritic disease is the most common cause of disability in the United States and now affects 46 million Americans, or more than 21 percent of the adult population, a major new report finds. That number is expected to rise even higher as baby boomers age, so that by 2030, 40 percent of American adults will suffer from some form of arthritic disease, the researchers said. Click Here to Visit the Store and find Much More….…
Pain: Another Gender Gap
Like many other things in life, pain discriminates by gender. Women, studies show, feel pain more intensely than men, suffer disproportionately from conditions like chronic pain and migraines, and are more likely to be undertreated for pain than men. More pain, no gain More than 70 percent of people who report suffering chronic pain are women, according to a 2003 report in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America. Compared with men, women…
Two-thirds of those with fibromyalgia also have depression
New research was carried out by healthizes in order to better understand it’s fibromyalgia community members. The online poll sampled 671 people, all diagnosed with fibromyalgia and the results have provided a valuable insight into the connection between fibromyalgia, depression and anxiety. The healthizes survey revealed that the majority of fibromyalgia patients are also diagnosed with depression. Figures show that more than 63% of those surveyed stated they had been diagnosed with depression and 58%…
Did your chronic illness insist that you spend your vacation in bed?
Before fibromyalgia, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and other chronic illness took over my body, I would return home from a vacation feeling relaxed or energized. At first, my illnesses would require a little more rest while away. Because I pushed through pain and fatigue in hopes of keeping up with my family, I always returned home feeling like death. It was not unusual for my body to need days, weeks, and a few times months to…
Why I Fear Doctors, Hospitals, and Test Results
Some people have an irrational fear of doctors. While some of us have been victimized so severely, that we may never trust one again. Since my first chronic illness diagnosis in 2001, my life, has been nothing short of a nightmare. I know my body well. In fact, I know better than any test or doctor. Tweet Not to sound conceited. But not one test or scan has ever shown the destruction that has been…
In Fibromyalgia, Some Days Are Just Tough
In past posts, I’ve written about feeling ill-equipped to handle the role of spouse, the (still ongoing) process of learning that I can’t fix everything, and just being there for my loved one. Those are all key components of becoming the best you can be as a partner, spouse, relative, or friend of a loved one who suffers from a chronic illness such as Fibromyalgia. However, some days are just tough… Click Here to Visit…
10 Mother’s Day Gift Ideas For Moms With Fibromyalgia
Mother’s Day is just around the corner and many people are scrambling to find the right gift for Mom. If the Mom in your life has fibromyalgia choosing the right gift can be even more difficult. Typical Mother’s Day gifts such as flowers, perfume, or scented candles may not be appropriate. So I have put together a list of gifts that a Mother with chronic pain would love to receive. If you know a Mom…
Why is chronic pain so bad?
When it comes to chronic pain syndrome, there is no universal definition, but it is often explained as pain that has persisted for longer than 12 weeks, or beyond what would be expected to have been a normal healing period. What is pain? When you are suffering from pain it is hard to explain to others how you are feeling. But chronic pain is very real and can be complex. The Brain and the spinal…