[Wing42]

in the latest Newsweek magazine. Both acute and chronic pain are discussed. Because of the Iraq war, pain is a hot research topic now and the article reports new findings. There are currently no treatments for chronic pain that are totally safe and effective, but there are many helpful treatments and approaches discussed in the article.

The article is too long to quote here. The link to an online copy is http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18881802/site/newsweek/ .

Feel free to share this in any forum you think appropriate.

[jakatak]

From the old Brain days......that is a great article. You know.....as we age, it really is tough. As a child...and even a young adult...I felt invincible. I never had any pains...oh..the occasional shin splints from running 15 miles...or the muscle pull from over exertion...but now.....the mysterious aches and pains that are so overwhelming.....each day is a struggle. The pills...the doctors....the feedback....there is no magic pill...no brass ring. It is what it is.....in the 1800's we all were dead by 60, so these issues never really took over...but the aging baby boomers are experiencing so many aches and pains. Anyway...I always have enjoyed your posts...they have been definitive and right on the money.

[Silverlady]

Thanks David,
This was very interesting and stirs hope.

I'm passing this one along. It taught me some things about pain too.
Billye

[jarrett622]

Wow! That was a very enlightening article. Thanks for posting that!

[dahlek]

Pity it's taking a war to get anyone try to define pain tho... - j

[Sydney]

Having severe FM for 23 yrs and now RSD I truly appreciate the article. FM 23 yrs ago was almost unheard of - even at top teaching hospitals. They may have heard of it but had no ideas how to really treat it. Only certain drs at those hospitals knew and you were luck to get to them.
thanks,
Sydney

[dahlek]

circuits click ON they forget how to click OFF? There have been times I've really considered pain-blocks to give me a break, but the nerves are the ones that can be blocked effectively...SIGH! - j

[Wing42]

The article addresses in layman's language many of the issues brought up the past week in this board. From the many postings the past few days, it's obvious than only a few of the posters have read the article.

Our worst enemies in dealing with chronic health issues are ignorance, strong negative emotion, inactivity, cynicism and resignation. Knowledge is the first essential step in effectively living with and eventually ameliorating a chronic health problem if amelioration is possible. That's especially true with chronic pain.

The article, without offering solutions, explains what chronic pain is and how it differs dramatically from acute pain. It speaks directly to all of us in this board. Unless you understand the basis of your chronic pain, you're just guessing on what will magically make it better, and are bound to usually be unsuccessful.

Don't expect your doctors to be effective. If they knew what to do with our chronic conditions, the conditions wouldn't be chronic. My experience, duplicated by many on this board, is that our doctors don't have a clue how to diagnose and treat PN, and that includes neurologists. Most of their diagnosis consists of naming our problem, but not diagnosing to heal. Instead, they listen to drug salesmen's pitches and then throw drugs at us. All drugs for PN and chronic pain as yet offer only partial relief at best, no cure, and loads of side effects.

Whether we take drugs or not, we can do a lot to help ourselves. It's up to us. Most of the people on this board who have taken responsibility for their health and healing have either gotten better, or have learned to be at peace with their condition so they could live a good life.

[Wing42]

Originally Posted by dahlek

circuits click ON they forget how to click OFF? There have been times I've really considered pain-blocks to give me a break, but the nerves are the ones that can be blocked effectively...SIGH! - j

I'm toying with the idea of adding a small amount of anticonvulsant drugs to my daily pile of supplements. Maybe something like 100 mg. of Neurontin twice a day would be about right.

Neurontin alone wouldn't be healing, but in combination with all the supplements I take, diet, exercise, happy thinking, etc., it might tip the balance enough to calm the hyper excited brain receptor areas and end the chronic PN pain I've lived with for 14 years now.

I've got to think this through more before actually asking my doctors.

[dahlek]

I just want to warn you to explore ALL the choices and what benefits vs. side effects each can provide.

I am just curious about one aspect you state: 'Hyper-excited Brain receptor areas'....Are you sure THAT is where the excitement begins? It's like tracking any electircal short circuit...it's not necessarily in the BRAIN...it could be damage, continual or healing from the periphery to the spinal and on up...

The current mis-programming, or reaction from the brain to the stimuli it's getting from those external malfunctioning nerves...well, I don't know about you, but at times, some 'nerve-block' experiments do sound kind of nice, were they not so invasive. Anything that could change, block or simply turn-off the circuits for some bit of time, sounds delightful...even at times to the extent of actually KILLING the nerves so nothing is felt. I think Kmeb could have volumes to say about this if she's up to it..Think she posted that she'd be having some major tests this week.

Each step we take to control or deal with our pain, well, as you well know...has to be more than well informed. At times I feel as if we're swimming in a sea of medical and pharmacological ignorance.

In that, I mean we take an informed leap, only to find out later...no matter how hard we try to keep up with trends and problems...that what we've done was ultimately harmful... I feel like Seams Like Stitches...I do really want a CAVE! - j