Individuals facing a lifetime of chronic pain – and their loved ones—often seek new ways to cope, particularly when medical care doesn’t completely ease their pain.
In the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, the first major federal legislation to address the opioid crisis, Congress included one provision on pain management. It directed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary to appoint a panel of the nation’s foremost experts in pain management to report on the best ways to manage pain now, to pinpoint gaps in pain care—and to offer recommendations to fill them.
Most people never give a second thought to the months, years, and even decades it may take for a new drug to pass stringent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards. There are countless safeguards and testing processes involved in developing a new medication or device that ensure an approved drug works as advertised and doesn’t cause harm.
Navigating the landscape of complementary or alternative therapies for chronic pain can be overwhelming.
Nearly every person with chronic pain has been told, “You’ll feel better if you exercise.” But simply telling people to be physically active when they have untreated pain or unaddressed trauma often isn’t helpful. It can make people feel like they’re not seen and, often, the activities suggested to them by providers seem daunting and implausible.
There has been a recent rise in apps and services that help people digitally manage their health – including acute and chronic pain.
By exposing the body to painful stimuli in a gradual way, desensitization therapy can help improve painful responses to touch experienced by individuals living with neuropathic pain.
When severe back pain 45 years ago rendered Cindy Perlin, LCSW, unable to function for more than three years and doctors were unable to help, she sought out biofeedback. She experienced, by her estimate, a 50% reduction in pain within a day.
More than 50 million Americans live with chronic pain. Although chronic pain is commonly defined as pain persisting more than three months, many still do not consider it to be a recognized medical condition, leading to stigmatization and a lack of treatment options for patients.
Diabetes is the number-one cause in the United States of neuropathy, which is damage to one or more nerves that results in numbness, tingling, muscle weakness, and pain.
Throughout the day, our bodies generate lots of waste. When we sleep, our lymphatic system helps drain those waste products away so our bodies can function properly.
How far will people go to stop nerve pain? Well, there’s documented evidence that ancient Romans tried stepping on electric eels for that very purpose. Long before electricity was understood, it was being used as a therapy for treating pain.