Pain

First identified in cancer patients in the 1970s, breakthrough pain is also a clinical challenge in other pain modalities, including neuropathy and back pain. With new information and more effective treatments now available, physicians are changing the way they approach this puzzle.

This 10-part series will expose why consumers and doctors are getting the short shrift in all healthcare reform proposals.

MDNG editorial board member Larry Chu, MD will cover the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show live via this page on HCPLive.com. Sign up below for a reminder to come back after 11:00AM (EST) on January 7.

Research on TENS for chronic low-back pain has produced conflicting results.

It looks like 2010 is starting off with some changes in healthcare on the horizon – from a number of angles.

Several recent studies have demonstrated that text messaging can produce measurable clinical benefits such as improved glucose test rates and a decrease in acute liver rejection episodes.

The year 2009 will be remembered as a year of many firsts for lupus, including the launch of a public awareness campaign, a report on the barriers to lupus drug development, and the first successful phase III clinical trial of a potential new treatment for lupus.

The ABPAT is a standardized assessment "designed to characterize various clinically relevant elements of breakthrough pain" and support "improved research on the tolerability, safety and efficacy of novel breakthrough analgesic interventions."

This interview with Dr. Carol Campbell of Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates, explores how patients suffering from chronic pain who discuss their pain often and freely can frustrate and alienate family and friends.

The Facial Pain Association's Learning Center provides numerous patient-focused guides, one of which aid individuals fighting insurance coverage denials and another that helps neuropathic facial pain sufferers better understand their rights as disabled individuals under various state and federal laws.

The American Society of Anesthetologists addresses numerous concerns that patients might have regarding acute, chronic, cancer, pre- or post-operative pain.

Timothy Moynihan, MD, a cancer specialist at Mayo Clinic, authors this article on cancer pain, the most important aspect of which focuses on how patients can work with their doctor to ensure that it is controlled.

I became a blogger 4 months ago, a gig that I find fascinating and refreshing. A place for me to vent, pontificate, and generally hold forth with a jaundiced view of my profession and the industrial Goliaths that support it.

In a University of Kentucky study, acetaminophen reduced neural responses to social rejection in brain regions associated with the distress of social pain and the affective component of physical pain (the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula)

We spoke with Dr. Kent Willyard about his experience using Epocrates since it was introduced to healthcare professionals.

Sen. Joe Lieberman is officially working to block health care reform in the Congress; he especially desires de-postponing any kind of "health care reform" until the economy has recovered.

University of Michigan researchers found that several coxibs interfere with aspirin's ability to discourage blood clots, if the aspirin is taken in low doses. Celebrex (celecoxib) is the only coxib currently on the market.

I watched a student reading her text from a hand-held device not too long ago in class, and wondered how she could read print that it fit such a small screen. Soon I'll find out for myself I've just been informed by a family member that a Nook is coming my way after the holidays.

Last week, Biogen Idec announced that its oral compound BG-12 (dimethyl fumarate) achieved key milestones in clinical trials for multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy has issued a new set of guidelines for using aspirin and other NSAID medications during endoscopic procedures.

Arthritis of the cricoarytenoid joints is not as rare as is commonly believed. Many sources still consider cricoarytenoid arthritis to be an atypical symptom of rheumatoid arthritis in spite of evidence to the contrary.

A physician's recent experience with two patients suffering from congenital insensitivity to pain has led to the discovery of an extra layer of "sensory feedback" in the skin.

This podcast interview with Dr. Carol Campbell, focuses on Campbell's study which explores how patients suffering from chronic pain who discuss their pain often and freely can frustrate and alienate family and friends.

The Virtual Anesthesia Textbook seeks to "organise all Internet resources on anaesthesia into one concise, textbook style website." Browsing medical professionals will benefit from chapters covering statistics, research, legal and ethical issues, post-operative pain management, and more.

The World Health Organization has developed this three-step pain ladder to guide proper administration of medication in order to "maintain freedom from cancer pain."

This activity covers a German report in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders that found of 448 patients reporting at least one episode of neck pain between March 2005 and April 2006, "depression and anxiety were highly significantly correlated with increasing levels of neck pain."

This two hour-long podcast comprises two CME activities with accompanying slides, based on presentations made at Palliative Medicine 2008.

Yale School of Medicine provides this coloring book that doubles as a guide for children to understanding MRIs and spinal taps.

A majority of providers felt that hydroxyurea was effective for the prevention of pain, but some still did not prescribe the drug to eligible children because of apprehension about future reproductive issues, despite insufficient evidence to support this concern.

The development of clinical medical-practice guidelines is a difficult and arduous process. Experts in various disciplines volunteer many hours of their time for medical research reviews and analyses and meetings with fellow guidelines-panel members, and painstakingly writing and reviewing the final report. However, there are many concerns about the quality of medical research serving as a basis for those guidelines.