Are Doctors Being Trained Enough to Treat Chronic Pain?

Not enough doctors have been adequately trained to treat chronic pain, according to a new review of studies.

Published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, researchers from Henry Ford Hospital reviewed studies and standards regarding the management of chronic pain in patients, as well as training in treating chronic pain among doctors.

Among their findings was the fact that for every medical specialist in pain, there are 28,500 people who experience chronic pain. In addition, a past study showed that pain management courses were only offered at four of 117 medical schools in the U.S. and Canada that were reviewed in the analysis. Read Full Article Below ↓

My Pain, My Brain

Who hasn't wished she could watch her brain at work and make changes to it, the way a painter steps back from a painting, studies it and decides to make the sky a different hue? If only we could spell-check our brain like a text, or reprogram it like a computer to eliminate glitches like pain, depression and learning disabilities. Would we one day become completely transparent to ourselves, and — fully conscious of consciousness — consciously create ourselves as we like?

The glitch I'd like to program out of my brain is chronic pain. For the past 10 years, I have been suffering from an arthritic condition that causes chronic pain in my neck that radiates into the right side of my face and right shoulder and arm. Sometimes I picture the pain — soggy, moldy, dark or perhaps ashy, like those alarming pictures of smokers' lungs...

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Promoting Mind-Body Approaches to Pain Self-Management

CBT addresses how a patient's thoughts, feelings, and behavior are interwoven. A patient may think, “If I move, I'll hurt more” (thoughts), which leads to anxiety (feelings) and avoidance of movement and deconditioning (behavior). This train of thought subsequently progresses to “No one cares. No one can fix me” (thoughts), anger and fear (feelings), and muscle tension and irritability (behavior). The objectives of CBT are to move a patient from being overwhelmed with pain to feeling it is manageable; from a passive to an active role in care; and to reduce symptoms while increasing function and quality of life.

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The Possible Dangers of Zohydro

Did you know that 80 percent of the world’s pain medications are consumed in the US? Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Dr. Oz weigh in on the newest opioid based prescription drug that is feared to be a simple gateway to Heroin: Zohydro.