Pain

Reaching for an over-the-counter (OTC) pain reliever might be the easiest thing to do when dealing with pain, fever, or even the flu, but pregnant women may want to think twice. New research has traced children’s autism spectrum disorder symptoms to their moms’ use of OTC painkillers.

Although designed to make taking medications simple and easy to remember, pill organizers could spell trouble for older adults.

Doctors treating patients for a variety of conditions may all have the same goals in helping the patient but may have difficulty communicating those goals with their colleagues.

You may have seen reports on the “treatment” on TV or heard that some of Beverley Hills’ richest citizens are raving about it, but whole body cryotherapy (WBC) doesn’t yet have the data to back up the many health benefits claimed by its boosters.

People with traumatic brain injury (TBI) often times suffer from serious headaches. But if the patient wants to take potentially addictive opioids off the table, what’s another option?

Veterans are twice as likely to become chronically homeless as other Americans. People who have been in military service make up about 11% of the US homeless population. The good news is that people are trying to help.

What happens when someone with psoriatic arthritis also has fibromyalgia? Researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel were determined to find out.

Medical sternotomy is a highly accessible route of entry into the chest cavity but apt to introduce infectious microbes.

The increase in opioid prescribing for non-cancer pain has drawn attention to the corresponding increase in unintentional overdose deaths.

The MD Magazine editors rounded up the 10 best stories from June – did you read them all?

State opioid laws strive to reduce prescription painkiller use, but a new study found that they have no impact in a population with high usage rates.

The Fibromyalgia Rapid Screening Tool (FiRST) can help physicians make the determination, but just how reliable is it?

Patients with heart rhythm problems likely to develop strokes are often incorrectly prescribed aspirin instead of necessary blood-thinning medications.

Many children and young adults with migraine have mild vitamin deficiencies – but does this mean that a causational relationship exists between the two conditions?

This probably won’t come as shocking news, but long-acting opioids significantly increase the risk of death compared to other pain therapy options.

Opioid addiction is a national problem. But should nursing home patients be given more access to these drugs? An AMA panel debated the issue today in Chicago.

Over-the-counter diarrhea drug loperamide (Imodium/Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc.) has recently been in the news because opioid abusers have been using it to self-treat symptoms of opioid withdrawal. Others abuse it for its euphoric properties.

A migraine diagnosis in women could mean an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease, as well as a higher risk of dying from such conditions.

A University of Queensland (Australia) researcher appears to have overcome a substantial hurdle in harnessing the potential of marine snail venom as a means for pain medicine.

Opioid abuse in the form of fentanyl killed Prince, the Minnesota rock star and composer.

Marijuana and alcohol – studies suggest that one of these substances helps patients with multiple sclerosis while the other can contribute to comorbidities.

The MD Magazine editors rounded up the 10 best stories from May – did you read them all?

Pain medications can often cause side effects such as dizziness and sleepiness; but little do pregnant women know that they could be at risk for birth defects when taking pregabalin.

As more women take leadership roles in gastroenterology and , it can go a long way in helping to bridge the gender gap in that other specialties in medicine.

As with many areas of medicine, the ratio of male doctors in gastroenterology to female counterparts is considerable – although work is being done to lessen that gap across the field.

The new Rome IV criteria classify the functional bowel disorders into five distinct categories, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), functional constipation, functional diarrhea, functional abdominal bloating/distention, and unspecified functional bowel disorder. A new category for opioid-induced constipation, which is distinct from the functional bowel disorders, has been added.

Rome IV updates include more specific definitions and diagnostic criteria for functional gastroduodenal disorders such as functional dyspepsia, belching disorders, and nausea and vomiting disorders.

The body’s reaction to a surgical incision is completely understandable - scars are unavoidable.

Abnormal scarring is troublesome for patients, for both its cosmetic inelegance and pain.

Although light is known to exacerbate migraines and make them more unbearable, researchers recently discovered that a particular color of light can reduce the severity of the headache.