A Compelling Look at Pain Relief


If your back aches when you're loading groceries in the car or your hands cramp up with arthritis when you sit down at the computer, you're not alone. Although the nature, cause, and complaints vary, over one-half of Americans experience chronic or recurrent pain, a recent survey conducted by the Stanford University Medical Center found.

Pain is your brain's signal that there is trouble a brew in your body, akin to the 'Check Engine' light in your car ? a warning mechanism prompting you to take care of a situation that will otherwise worsen. And while its advantages are obvious in situations of acute pain ? like when you accidentally cut your finger chopping vegetables or twist your ankle playing soccer, sufferers of chronic pain cannot easily remedy the source of their ailment. The pain takes a toll on their quality of life - impairing mood, sleep, and the ability to perform enjoyable activities like sports and necessary tasks at work. It is hardly surprising, then, that Americans spend $1 out of every $7 dollars they earn seeking pain relief.

Pain relief treatments are as varied as the types of pain we suffer from, the most popular being prescription medicines and over-the-counter treatments. Other commonly used therapies include massage, chiropractic visits, time-tested home remedies and simple bed rest. Many also find that light exercise and stretching help alleviate their pain.

As physicians, researchers, and the public have become increasingly interested in exploring the link between mind and body, yoga, meditation and even laughing clinics - where patients, led by a "laughing coach", attempt to giggle, snort, and chortle their way to pain relief ? have seen a corresponding upsurge in popularity. These treatments, along with acupuncture and homeopathic and herbal remedies, are also beginning to gain credibility within the medical community, as medical study findings seem to validate their beneficial effect on those suffering from pain.

At the other end of the spectrum, surgery still remains an appealing option for some, hoping that drastic measures will result in dramatic pain relief.

With all these treatments, it's a wonder we're not all skipping down the street, whistling a happy tune, right? The thing is, for some reason, these treatments often aren't having the effect those who tried them had hoped. While the majority of respondents in the Stanford survey cited above report that the various therapies they have tried work at least "somewhat well", few say any treatment has worked "very well".

Physicians and many patients note that the most effective treatment is a combination of various remedies, the exact mixture varying from person to person. Although it can be frustrating to continually alter and tweak your course of treatment, you must remember that pain relief is more often the result of a process than a magic pill.

Pain Relief Info provides detailed information on arthritis, back, joint, lower back, natural, chronic, neck, sciatica, knee, fibromyalgia, and muscle pain relief. Pain Relief Info is the sister site of Acid Reflux Web.







Related News



Most Patients Should Be Screened for HIV, Physicians’ Group Says - New York Times

SmartAboutHealth

Most Patients Should Be Screened for HIV, Physicians’ Group Says
New York Times, United States -3 hours ago
Just 50 to 100 of the nation’s 5000 emergency rooms routinely test for HIV, said Dr. Richard Rothman, associate professor of emergency medicine at Johns ...
World AIDS Day Calls For HIV TestingeMaxHealth.com
Doctors: Test All Patients Over 13 for HIVWebMD
Guideline Urges HIV Tests for All Patients 13 and OlderWashington Post
MedPage Today - MarketWatch
all 56 news articles

Effort in Senegal to Join Traditional & Conventional Medicine - Voice of America

Voice of America

Effort in Senegal to Join Traditional & Conventional Medicine
Voice of America -9 hours ago
By Scott Bobb Traditional medicine was once thought of as sorcery or quackery. But the craft is slowly gaining the respect of conventional medical ...
Modern West African Market Offers Traditional Remedies for IllnessVoice of America
all 2 news articles

New Marketing Coaching and Consulting Firm for Physicians ... - MarketWatch

New Marketing Coaching and Consulting Firm for Physicians ...
MarketWatch -10 hours ago
"There are a growing number of physicians making the switch to concierge medicine, but they either don't know how to effectively convert their existing ...

FDA continues gathering information on cough medicine use in children - AAP News (subscription)

FDA continues gathering information on cough medicine use in children
AAP News (subscription) -7 hours ago
Cough and cold products are among the most widely used medicines in children. These drugs, which treat symptoms not the underlying disease, fall into four ...

Cardiologists Debate Expensive Heart Scans - New York Times

Cardiologists Debate Expensive Heart Scans
New York Times, United States -7 hours ago
In the latest study, published last week in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers assessed the accuracy of CT angiography in identifying ...
Heading off heart attacks in womenChicago Daily Herald
all 3 news articles

Three FAAPs elected to Institute of Medicine - AAP News (subscription)

Three FAAPs elected to Institute of Medicine
AAP News (subscription) -7 hours ago
Three AAP Fellows were among 65 new members elected to the Institute of Medicine, one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine that ...
FELLOWS IN THE NEWSAAP News (subscription)
Lake Tahoe hosts Practical Pediatrics, offers range of seminarsAAP News (subscription)
all 3 news articles

Spirituality, Evidence-Based Medicine, and Alcoholics Anonymous - Am J Psychiatry (subscription)

Spirituality, Evidence-Based Medicine, and Alcoholics Anonymous
Am J Psychiatry (subscription) -7 hours ago
For example, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), a self-designated "spiritual fellowship," is a useful adjunct to the practice of evidence-based addiction medicine. ...

Pediatricians and the Promotion and Support of Breastfeeding - Archives of Pediatrics

Pediatricians and the Promotion and Support of Breastfeeding
Archives of Pediatrics -4 hours ago
Author Affiliations: Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Cooper University Hospital, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New ...
Adult medicine enters the medical homeAAP News (subscription)
all 2 news articles

China Medicine Corporation Awarded GSP Certification - MarketWatch

China Medicine Corporation Awarded GSP Certification
MarketWatch -10 hours ago
("China Medicine" or "the Company"), a leading developer and distributor of prescription and over the counter pharmaceuticals, traditional Chinese medicines...

Organogenesis Receives Two Prestigious Awards for Economic Impact ... - MarketWatch

Organogenesis Receives Two Prestigious Awards for Economic Impact ...
MarketWatch -8 hours ago
Organogenesis was the first company to successfully mass produce living regenerative medicine products -- reaching hundreds of thousands of patients in the ...