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Tennis Elbow — A Painful Condition

You don’t have to play tennis to have a tennis elbow.  Lateral epicondylitis, tennis elbow, is a painful condition that occurs when tendons in your elbow are overly strained. This is commonly caused by repetitive motions of the arm and wrist.

Many people who do not actually play tennis get tennis elbow.  This condition is especially common in people whose work or lifestyle includes repetitive motions of the arm.

The most painful spot of pain is typically the point where the tendons of the forearm muscles attach to the outside of the elbow, although, the pain can radiate or travel down or sometimes up the arm.

One of the common signs that someone has tennis elbow is that they find it particularly painful to grab an object or to twist their arm, as when opening a door using a doorknob.

It is wise to consult your physician if the pain persists or is severe. There are many in office solutions that can benefit people who suffer from tennis elbow. Our office has successfully remediated this problem in many patients.

Remember to consult your healthcare provider before beginning any at home treatments.

Filed Under: Elbow Pain, Treatments for pain

6 Healing Herbs for Your Medicinal Garden

Medicinal plants (either grown in your garden or purchased) can reduce your dependence on drugs and while some plants are used for treating specific ailments, others have a generalized positive effect on our health. Many herbs belonging to the latter group have since found their way into our culinary scene as flavoring agents.

Here’s our practical guide to a few of the accessible herbs that have stood the test of time:

  1. Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is well known as a skin-friendly plant and is one medicinal plant people really make use of, since it is generally safe and requires no processing before use. It is a must-have in every garden whether you grow it in pots or in the ground.

Aloe Vera plants grow well in a sunny location in warmer areas where there is not much danger of killer frosts. Being a succulent, this drought resistant plant requires very little care and thrives in poor soil. It suckers freely, so you can start with just one or two plants sourced from a reliable supplier. Note: there are several aloes around and not all of them are edible, or have the medicinal properties attributed to Aloe Vera.

The jelly-like, colorless pulp of mature leaves can be applied to minor cuts and burns and to dry, inflamed, or damaged skin due to eczema or other skin conditions. It’s an excellent moisturizer with anti-inflammatory and mild antimicrobial effect. The leaf pulp can be eaten too. Regular use can prevent constipation and relieve other digestive problems, including ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome.

  1. Peppermint (Mentha × piperita)

This natural hybrid of spearmint and watermint is widely used in dental hygiene products, mouth fresheners, soothing balms and candies. Quite possibly the oldest medicinal herb to be used by man, there’s evidence that peppermint has been used for thousands of years. Grow it in a part of the garden where the plants are assured of water and give it plenty of room to spread.

Sip a tea made of a handful of peppermint leaves to calm stomach upsets and relieve pain and discomfort due to gas. Carry a few sprigs of peppermint when you travel.  Sniffing on it every now and then will prevent nausea and vomiting associated with motion sickness.

The active ingredient found in abundance in peppermint is menthol (as well as in many other aromatic members of the mint family) and has a cooling effect on the skin. Make a poultice of the leaves and apply it on the skin to relieve itching and burning resulting from skin allergies and inflammatory conditions. (A poultice is a soft, moist mass of plant material applied to the body to relieve soreness and inflammation and kept in place with a cloth.)

  1. Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)

This perennial herb with tiny, aromatic leaves is easy to grow in a sunny location and thrives between rocks and boulders, braving summer heat and winter freezes. The characteristic scent of thyme comes from the volatile oil containing thymol, which gets released at the slightest touch. Many herbs contain this powerful antiseptic phenolic compound, but thyme oil has more than 50% thymol content.

Use an infusion of thyme as a gargle to get rid of bad breath and mouth sores. It can help with tonsillitis and laryngitis. Crushed fresh thyme applied on the neck is said to reduce throat infections. Inhaling the vapors reduces nervous exhaustion.

The most important use of thyme is to treat respiratory tract infections. Thyme extract is taken orally to relieve symptoms of bronchitis, chest congestion and mild asthma.

  1. Rosemarymisp_blog17b_533425873

Rosemary is more of a woody shrub and although it doesn’t look anything like other mint plants, it belongs to the same plant family. In your medicinal garden, rosemary is stocked for general health and wellbeing rather than for specific problems.

  1. Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)

Chamomile flower heads can be made into a soothing tea that can calm a troubled mind as well as a colicky baby. Its widespread use across many cultures and for myriad ailments is time-tested, safe and effective.

There’s more than one type of chamomile, but we’re going to focus on the Roman chamomile, Chamaemelum nobile. This hairy plant has finely divided leaves and white daisy-like flowers with bright yellow centers, and looks similar to German chamomile, which is why scientific names are important for identifying medicinal plants.

You can make a tea from fresh flower heads or dry them for later use. Take a handful of flowers in a bowl and pour boiling hot water over them. Allow steeping for 15-20 minutes and drain. Have a cup of this soothing brew when you feel anxious or unsettled, or before bedtime in case you have difficulty falling asleep.

Use it as gargle to relieve mouth ulcers. Bathe the skin affected with eczema several times a day with cooled chamomile tea.

  1. Pot Marigold (Calendula officinalis)misp_blog17a_534027754

Pot marigold with its yellow and orange flowers is a delightful addition to any garden. Not very finicky about soil fertility or pH, it can be grown easily from seeds and can be treated as an annual or perennial depending on your growing zone.

The edible flowers can be used to treat almost any problem related to skin. Use a poultice of the petals to relieve sunburn and to clear up acne and blemishes on the skin. Use it as an antiseptic on cuts and bruises. It stops bleeding and reduces inflammation when applied on nicks and cuts. Many skin ointments contain pot marigold extract as the active ingredient.

A tea made of the flowers can be ingested to ease digestive problems.

While none of these herbs should supplant your medicinal regimen prescribed by your physician, it’s always nice to know Mother Nature can be a source for some home remedies.

 

NOTE: Speak with to your physiatrist to make sure none of the above herbs inadvertently have an antagonistic effect on current medications you may be taking.

Filed Under: News, Treatments for pain Tagged With: herbs, home remedies, managing pain, natural remedies, pain and diet

Common Myths About Pain Management

 


misp_blog-15a_524367667As our population ages, many people need short-term rehabilitation as they transition from the hospital to home. This post-hospital period can be challenging. However, the transition can be much easier if the patient is cared for in a sub-acute rehabilitation setting with close supervision from physicians, nurses, therapists, social workers and other specialists.

Whether a patient has had an elective surgery or an unplanned hospitalization, pain management is often the determining factor in the success or failure of these outcomes.

In general, the first two weeks after injury are the most intense from a pain standpoint and are crucial for optimal pain management. Patients may need pain medications, often narcotics, in order to maximize their therapy.

Improving therapy progress and minimizing comorbidities such as pneumonia and/or skin breakdown are focal points of sub-acute rehab. Comorbidities happen when patients are too sedentary because pain limits mobility.

Luckily, most patients are able to significantly cut back on their pain medications and many no longer need pain management after six-to-12 weeks. Most people return to their previous activity level by about six weeks. In most cases, a narcotic given at the beginning of rehab allows the patient to actually do more and go home more quickly.

There are several myths regarding narcotics, which make patients hesitant to take these pain medications.  One of the biggest worries is the concern for addiction. While narcotic addiction is a very serious issue, narcotic use can be safe in an environment supervised by a physician trained in pain management.

In sub-acute rehabilitation, narcotics are used as a short-term medication to get over a specific injury with the goal of weaning off the drugs as soon as appropriate. Careful screening is considered when prescribing narcotics.

misp_blog15b_524233591Patient history, physical exam, side effects of medications, history of any personal or direct family addictions are all evaluated. Where addiction has been present, patients will need more education and other pain management techniques to avoid further addiction potential.

As board-certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) physicians, Drs. Bleiberg and Ruiz monitor patients constantly to ensure minimal side effects.  Our team also discusses cases with the patient and, if desired, family members to ensure they are getting the maximum benefit from medication and therapy.

Left to their own choices, many elderly patients will fall behind in their pain medication cycle, limiting their progress in therapy. Combined with a change from their normal environment and uncontrolled pain, worsened dementia is also seen frequently in this population. Often, the patient cannot distinguish between pain and other aging issues (loneliness, depression or failure to complete basic tasks in a timely fashion). When patients are in pain, everything comes to a grinding halt; movement becomes extremely limited. Pain medications are sometimes necessary to allow for a maximum effect on patients when they are moving, allowing progress in therapy.

When we talk about pain, we must always distinguish between neuropathic pain (pain coming from nerve damage) and nociceptive pain (pain from the injury or surgery). Nerve pain does not always require a narcotic, so a history from the patient is critical in determining the correct medication.

A thorough physical exam is also key, as important findings often arise. For example, a thorough exam of a patient complaining of rib pain may lead to finding a rash, resulting in a diagnosis of shingles rather than suspected rib fractures. In a case like this, shingles pain responds better to a nerve pain medication rather than a narcotic.

Another important factor to remember is that just taking pain medications doesn’t mean a patient will be completely pain free.

Pain management is based on the condition and is best managed by a pain specialist, often times a rehab doctor or a physiatrist. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) physicians, also known as physiatrists, treat a wide variety of medical conditions affecting the brain, spinal cord, nerves, bones, joints, ligaments, muscles and tendons. Physiatrists maximize what a patient can do and in coordination with therapy, assist the patient in adapting to what they cannot.

Filed Under: Patient Experience, Treatments for pain Tagged With: physiatry

Why Do Your Ankles Hurt?

Known as chronic lateral ankle pain, the recurring or chronic pain you feel on the outer side of the ankle often develops after an injury such as a sprain. However, several other conditions may also cause chronic ankle pain.

What are the symptoms of chronic lateral ankle pain?

  • Pain, usually on the outer side of the ankle, may be so intense that you have difficulty walking or participating in sports. In some cases, the pain is a constant, dull ache.
  • Difficulty walking on uneven ground or in high heels
  • A feeling of giving way (instability)
  • Swelling
  • Stiffness
  • Tenderness
  • Repeated ankle sprains

What causes chronic lateral ankle pain?

According to ThMISP_Blog_12_No 111690407e American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society, the most common cause for a persistently painful ankle is incomplete healing after an ankle sprain. When you sprain your ankle, the connecting tissue between the bones is stretched or torn. Without thorough and complete rehabilitation, the ligament or surrounding muscles may remain weak, resulting in recurrent instability. As a result, you may experience additional ankle injuries.

Other causes of chronic ankle pain include:

  • An injury to the nerves that pass through the ankle. (The nerves may be stretched, torn, injured by a direct blow or pinched under pressure, known as “entrapment.”
  • A torn or inflamed tendon
  • Arthritis of the ankle joint
  • A fracture in one of the bones that make up the ankle joint
  • An inflammation of the joint lining, called “synovium.”
  • The development of scar tissue in the ankle after a sprain. The scar tissue takes up space in the joint, thus putting pressure on the ligaments.

How is chronic lateral ankle pain diagnosed?

The first step in identifying the cause of chronic ankle pain is taking a history of the condition. Your health care provider may ask you several questions, including:

  • Have you previously injured the ankle? If so, when?
  • What kind of treatment did you receive for the injury?
  • How long have you had the pain?
  • Are there times when the pain worsens or disappears?

Because there are so many potential causes for chronic ankle pain, your health care prodider may  need to conduct several tests to pinpoint the diagnosis, beginning with a physical examination. S/he may feel for tender areas and look for signs of swelling, and may have you move your foot and ankle to assess range of motion and flexibility. Your provider may also test the sensation of the nerves, and may administer a shot of local anesthetic to help pinpoint the source of the symptoms.

Your health care provider may also order X-ray views of your ankle joint. If needed, you may also need to get X-rays of the other ankle so the doctor can compare the injured and non-injured ankles. In rare cases, additional tests such as a bone scan, computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance image (MRI) may be needed.

What are treatment options?

Treatment will depend on the final diagnosis and will be personalized to your individual needs. Both non-operative and surgical treatment methods may be used.

Some conservative treatments include:

  • Anti-inflammatory medications such as aspirin or ibuprofen to reduce swelling
  • Physical therapy, including tilt-board exercises, directed at strengthening the muscles, restoring range of motion and increasing your perception of joint position
  • An ankle brace or other support
  • An injection of a steroid medication
  • In the case of a fracture, immobilization to allow the bone to heal

If your condition requires it, or if conservative treatment doesn’t bring relief, your doctor may recommend surgery. Many surgical procedures can be done on an outpatient basis. Some procedures use arthroscopic techniques; other require open surgery. Rehabilitation may take six to 10 weeks to ensure proper healing. Surgical treatment options include:

  • Removing (excising) loose fragments
  • Cleaning (debriding) the joint or joint surface
  • Repairing or reconstructing the ligaments or transferring tendons

Prevention

Almost half of all people who sprain their ankle once will experience additional ankle sprains and chronic pain. You can help prevent chronic pain from developing by following these simple steps:

  • Follow your doctor’s instructions carefully and complete the prescribed physical rehabilitation program.
  • Do not return to activity until cleared by your physician.
  • When you do return to sports, use an ankle brace rather than taping the ankle. Bracing is more effective than taping in preventing ankle sprains.
  • If you wear high-top shoes, be sure to lace them properly and completely.

Filed Under: Foot and Ankle Pain, Treatments for pain

Not Just Hot Flashes…Joint Pain During Menopause

woman-797390_1280 pixabayAmong the many symptoms of menopause, an underlooked one is joint pain.

Women in menopause transition (perimenopause) and actual menopause often have more pervasive complaints: hot flashes and night sweats as well as pain or discomfort during sexual intercourse.

In addition, however, a significant segment of this population also experiences increased pain in joints like ankles and hips as well as back pain. Aches, stiffness and swelling around the joint and sometimes heat are typical symptoms of menopausal joint pain. These may be worse in the morning, improving as the day continues.

Why?

The presence of estrogen protects joints and as estrogen decreases in the body, it can contribute to some of this discomfort.

Prevention and Treatment:

  • Non-steroid anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen and naproxen sodium may provide relief but should be taken as sporadically as possible.
  • Stress increases all pain experiences, including these pain episodes. Decreasing life stress (sometimes impossible) can improve these pain outbreaks.
  • Drink enough water. Again, women who wake up in the night and go to the bathroom perceive that they should decrease their water input, but that is not the case.
  • Get enough sleep. Unfortunately, many menopausal women have interrupted sleep due to night sweating. This subset also became more susceptible to pain. Sleep is restorative, not only psychologically, but allows you to tolerate and even ignore minor pain outbreaks.
  • Women who exercise more actually had greater complaints about back pain. So, the answer is to change your exercise regimen to stave off back pain. Move away from running on hard surfaces and even treadmill work for a time and add in swimming and yoga and Pilates, at last temporarily.
  • Maintain an ideal body weight. Extra body weight puts more strain on all your joints. Menopause is a typical age when women gain weight. It is critical to eat nutritional food that doesn’t contribute to weight gain during this time.
  • Consider a calcium supplement.
  • Discuss hormone replacement therapy with your health care provider. This should only be considered if your symptoms are severe, as HRT adds a risk of breast cancer for many women.
  • Massage may provide significant relief to overall body pain.

Talk to us as you traverse the transition into menopause so we can help craft safe solutions to your everyday pain.

Filed Under: Back Pain, Fitness and Exercise, Treatments for pain Tagged With: menopause back pain, menopause joint pain, menopause symptoms

What Do Chiropractors Do?

Pain Management

We feel very strongly that chiropractic treatment offers opportunities for pain reduction for many of our patients. That is why we consider chiropractic care to be an important part of the multi-dimensional care options we provide.

Many of our patients are curious about chiropractic treatment and want to know what it is and what chiropractic treatment can offer.

The goal of chiropractic treatment is to provide relief and comfort, as well as to educate patients on better ways to care for their bodies, preventing further injury and pain. Furthermore, chiropractic treatment is safe and non-invasive.

The most important part of our care at Michigan Spine and Pain is our initial set of visits with you, when we as a health care team determine a diagnosis and develop a treatment plan. Based upon that plan, we may determine that you would benefit from chiropractic treatment. Certain conditions are not appropriate for chiropractic treatment. Patients with cancer and those who take blood thinning medications may not be be candidates for chiropractic therapy.

Chiropractic adjustment, manipulation and therapy have been found to be highly effective complementary treatments for:

  • back pain
  • neck pain
  • headache
  • fibromyalgia

Our chiropractor uses these primary tools to aid in your rehabilitation and recover, as well as pain reduction:

Chiropractic Adjustment and Manipulation consists of manual therapy, performed by hand to the spinal joints or other articulations of the body, including the back,neck, ribs and extremities. Adjustments may also be rendered using the advanced Impulse Adjusting instrument. Chiropractic adjustment is designed to relieve pain, diminish muscle spasms, restore joint function, increase mobility and increase range of motion.

Disc Compression/Flexion Distraction/Cox Therapy/Traction are related manipulation treatments that are utilized to decompress spinal joints and discs. We use specialized equipment to coordinate hands on treatment with decompression traction to the spine. These techniques are used for treatment of disc problems, facet joint syndrome, lumbar stenosis, scoliosis and spondylolisthesis.

Massage Therapy/Trigger Point Therapy/Myofascial Release, Active Release Technique: These hands-on techniques are applied to areas of muscular pain and tension. They are used to help mobilize the soft tissues and adhesions, and  include deep pressure and stretching procedures applied to sensitive points that are commonly found in the muscles.

Joint Mobilization Therapy: This therapy involves a deep stretching movement applied to the joints, ligaments, muscles, tendons and discs. These treatments work to restore mobility, range of motion, relax tight muscles, and help limit disability and pain.

McKenzie Technique: This patient education regimen includes teaching patients back care basics, correct posture principles and specialized stretching and exercises to help prevent and care for neck and back-related pain. Through individualized instruction patients learn ways to apply self-care treatments at home to help facilitate their rehabilitation and recovery.

Spinal Core Stabilization: These are exercises and stretches, prescribed to help strengthen the muscles that support the spine for improved control of body movements. Stabilization exercise works to help relieve pain, improve flexibility and limit the chance for re-injury and further bouts of pain.

Filed Under: Back Pain, Fibromyalgia, Headaches, Treatments for pain Tagged With: chiropractic benefits

Is Laughter the Best Medicine?

laughing catYou’ve heard it before: Laughter is the best medicine. But is this a cliché and what does it mean?

Ultimately,”laughter is the best medicine” means that being able to laugh makes nearly everything bearable.

Now, scientists are discovering that this is not just an old proverb, but a scientific fact.

Laughter actually causes the following good changes to your body:

  • Laughter brings oxygen into your lungs, which is distributed throughout your body.
  • Laughter causes an increase in endorphins. Endorphins are the “happies” in your body; they provide a feeling of contentment and even joy. Endorphins are also increased with vigorous exercise and sexual activity.
  • Laughter can actually be a form of exercise, increasing your heart rate.
  • Laughter can decrease stress, which can then ease the physical responses to stress like muscle tension, headaches and nervous digestive issues.

So, now that you know that laughter is the best medicine, you need to add some into your daily routine. Take time to:

  • Watch and read funny stuff. Whatever it is that causes you to actually laugh out loud, take time during the day to do it, whether it’s a late night talk show bit, looking at your best friend’s Facebook posts, or watching cat videos. Take time out to giggle.
  • If you face difficult times including acute or chronic pain, seek comfort from others who manage to deal with these issues, while maintaining some semblance of humor. Hanging around depressed people and those who have poor coping skills is not conducive to your mood.
  • Search for more sources of humor. Borrow a great library book written to entertain. Pick up a favorite comic strip collection. Listen to any of the comedy channels on XM-Sirius.
  • Don’t feel that you always have to be “on”. Yes, laughter is healing, but you are allowed to feel sadness and grief over losses and challenges.

Try to fit in laughter and see if it helps you. If it does, make room for more and more of it in your daily and weekly routine.

Filed Under: Healthy Living, Treatments for pain Tagged With: laughter is the best medicine

The Most Important Element of Pain Management? An Accurate Diagnosis

cat scanWhat is causing your pain?

The question seems so basic, yet it’s not such a simple answer. Arriving at the correct answer is the most important component to helping you reduce and manage your pain.

That’s why the most significant step you as a pain patient are taking is having a physician who specializes in pain examine you and evaluate you thoroughly. The evaluation phase should include:

  • a hands-on physical examination
  • a discussion of your pain, including how long you have been in pain, a description of the pain you suffer and its severity, if anything makes your pain worse or improves it somewhat
  • crafting a record of your health history including previous surgeries and procedures, pregnancies and birth control methods, and chronic or recurring health conditions
  • creating an accurate list of all medications that you take or have taken recently, including prescription medication, over-the-counter drugs and herbal supplements
  • an accurate description of your life, including how active you are, whether you have stairs in your home, what your work commitments are like, how much you drive daily
  • an inventory of the social and psychological stressors in your life, including past psychiatric issues, relationship worries and recent or recurring life events

After this first meeting, the doctor may order a battery of exams, including X-rays, MRI’s, CT scans, digital motion X-rays, VAT testing, ultrasound imaging,  neuropsychological exams, physical therapy evaluation and even more.

It takes time and reflection on the part of Dr. Bleiberg to evaluate you and to arrive at a diagnosis. But the most important thing to remember is that no treatment can begin until the diagnosis is pronounced. In order to not cause more pain or even accelerate a disease process (like a growing tumor), the order is immutable: DIAGNOSIS, THEN TREATMENT!

Lots of pain patients want a quick fix or to start treatment right away. But rushing the diagnosis by a medical doctor not only does not help, it can cause harm. Only after a thorough and complete evaluation, can the health care team proceed with beginning to mitigate your pain.

 

Filed Under: Treatments for pain Tagged With: pain evaluation

The Placebo Effect in Pain Management

postmemes.com/meme/when-you-need-placebos-for-your-placebos/

postmemes.com/meme/when-you-need-placebos-for-your-placebos/

Have you ever heard of the placebo effect?

A placebo is a pill that has no medicinal value. It is essentially an “empty” medicine. A placebo is a substance that has no therapeutic effect, used as a control in testing new drugs. The placebo effect is that improvement in symptoms of medical research participants, despite their receiving only the placebo.

An interesting phenomenon is occurring in United States painkiller drug trials: the placebo effect is increasing. In fact, the placebo effect has gotten so high that many new drugs are not progressing to the next level of research, because their effectiveness at reducing pain does not significantly exceed the effectiveness of study participants who received the placebo.

Jeffrey Mogil, who directs the pain-genetics lab at McGill University in Montreal conducted analyses of 84 American clinical drugs that were used to treat neuropathy. These drug trials’ results were published between 1990 and 2013.

Mogil’s team discovered these amazing facts:

  • Beginning in 1996, American study participants indicated that the drug being studied relieved their pain 27% more than a placebo.
  • By 2013, American study participants indicated that the drug being studied relieved their pain just 9% more than a placebo.

Researchers are wondering why so many Americans receive nearly the same benefit from a placebo. It must be noted that the placebo effect in the US is significantly higher than other countries. Some possibilities include:

  • American consumers are bombarded with drug advertisements promising beneficial results. This may encourage Americans to feel that pills will bring them relief.
  • American drugs in the trial stage are often administered by a nurse as opposed to other nations’ less personal lab settings. The development of the relationship between the study participant and the nurse may increase the placebo effect.
  • Just the act of taking a pill, even a placebo, may be triggering biological functions, specifically the release of endorphins, which dull pain.

A recent article in The New York Times discusses the usage of the placebo effect to help pain patients.

So many drugs are addictive or have potentially harmful side effects. Could placebo usage be the answer?

A drug trial of the painkiller Maxalt gave some interesting glimpses into the possible future of pain relief. Migraine sufferers were actually informed that they were receiving a placebo, and yet they experienced far more pain relief than those who received no placebos.  This same study also showed that those who were told they were receiving a placebo but who actually received Maxalt reported less effective pain relief. And those who were told they were receiving Maxalt, but who were actually receiving a placebo, experienced greater pain relief. Fascinating!

Perhaps the act of receiving a placebo in a caring setting with a sympathetic health care professional delivering the placebo would be a good alternative for pain relief, one that causes no side effects and no dangers of addiction.

For those who wonder why anyone would consider taking a placebo, consider all of those women who utilize 28 day packs of birth control pills. The last seven days of the packet are placebo pills and the women are told that. But the makers and the women agree to take these sham pills, because the most important component of oral birth control methods is taking the pill daily without fail. For women who wish to prevent pregnancy, a daily fake pill that keeps her routine the same every day is worth the ruse.

 For further reading:

“A Placebo Treatment for Pain”, published in The New York Times, January 10, 2016

Filed Under: Headaches, News, Treatments for pain Tagged With: placebo effect, placebos and pain relief

Mindful Meditation: Brain Imaging Proves Its Effectiveness in Combating Pain

rodin thinkerMany people have extolled the values of meditation. Several religious traditions include meditation in their religious practice. Now, medical researchers are embracing the practice as it has proven to be an actual antidote to pain.

First, what is mindful meditation?

Short answer, it is taking time to sit, breathe and think. The basic steps:

  • Choose a location where you can sit, undistracted for at least 10 minutes. No screens in the space! Some people like choosing a wall to look at, and many adorn the wall with significant images for them to focus on, whether these are religious symbols, family pictures of even a nature photograph that brings you peace and tranquility.
  • Sit on the floor, on a cushion, or in a flat chair that allows your feet to reach the ground at a 90 degree angle. Make sure that you sit up, that you are not in a position to “wiggle” too much.
  • Keep your eyes open. Mindful meditation is not a “shutting out” but a “tuning in”.
  • Breathe naturally, but without trying to control your breath. Just be aware.
  • Let the thoughts come. Don’t try to force your thinking; rather allow the thoughts to wash over you. You may process some of the thoughts or allow others to just be fleeting ideas.
  • At the end, say to yourself, “I have sat. I have breathed. I have thought”.
  • Try to do this for ten to fifteen minutes and build up to 30 or even 45 minutes.

The Journal of Neuroscience has published a research study conducted by Fadel Zeidan, Ph.D., assistant professor of neurobiology and anatomy at Wake Forest Baptist. The researchers delivered minor pain (120 degree heat) to people who do not report regularly feeling pain. The group was divided into four subsets: one group practiced mindful meditation, one practiced fake mindful meditation, another group applied a fake “pain cream” which was petroleum jelly on their skin, and a fourth group had no treatment.

All participants were then asked to rate their pain’s intensity and their emotional response to it. In addition, the participants received a brain MRI before and after the pain experiments.

The result: the mindful meditation group reported that pain intensity was reduced by 27 percent and by 44 percent for the emotional aspect of pain, much better results than any of the other subsets.

The authors believe mindfulness meditation reduced pain by activating brain regions that are associated with the self-control of pain while deactivating the thalamus, which can serve as an entry point, “telling” the brain about sensory information.

If you are struggling with pain, see if mindful meditation can be of benefit to you. We would like to hear your results and your suggestions as well.

Filed Under: Treatments for pain Tagged With: mindful meditation, pain research, pain treatment

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Dr. Marvin Bleiberg

Real People, Real Relief

Getting you back to your active life: that is the philosophy that Michigan Spine & Pain follows. Read more.

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2480 W. Campus Dr., Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858

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5059 Old 27 South, Gaylord, MI 49735

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