Pain

Benzodiazepines are commonly prescribed medications, and there are a number of misconceptions among laypeople about their proper use, so they deserve a thorough discussion.

According to an article in the online news organization Huffington Post, physicians are increasingly bringing their views on healthcare reform into the examination room.

Even though many believe that everything possible was being done to help them and that they were given the most appropriate treatment, few patients believe thier medicines strong enough to provide relief.

Psychosocial work stress has been previously associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. New research now reveals that high work stress may actually decrease an individual's chance of developing inflammatory conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has released new guidelines for testing patients with suspected rheumatoid arthritis when more standardized tests have not conclusive.

Study results indicate that patients are having an average of three pain episodes per day, but a typical medication does not take effect until halfway through an episode.

Check out these rheumatoid arthritis-related online resources.

An Ameritox study found that of 938,586 urine toxicology tests administered to chronic pain patients over a three-year period, 11% detected major illicit drugs and 29% had a medication in their system that the patient's doctor was likely unaware of.

The FDA is now requiring that stronger product warnings be included in the prescribing information of tumor necrosis factor-alpha blockers because of an increased risk of cancer in the children and adolescents who take them.

Researchers from the Jefferson Headache Center have completed a multi-center, phase 3 clinical trial demonstrating that Levadex, an orally-inhaled migraine therapy, provides “significant relief” from migraine symptoms.

New research has found that patients with rheumatoid arthritis are likely to suffer from depression, which can, in turn, increase levels of pain associated with the disease.

Vertebroplasty, the percutaneous injection of a cement into a vertebral fracture, has become a widely used procedure for the treatment of spinal compression fractures.

New research from Ohio State University has found that patients with irritable bowel syndrome are more sensitive to pain than controls without IBS.

Research from the Hospital Universitario Doctor Peset in Valencia, Spain has led to a new minimally invasive procedure for treating vertebral compression fractures that increases mobility and reduces pain.

Researchers at the University of New Orleans are developing a method to produce large-scale batches of a new form of acetaminophen that may be safer than the current drug.

Patients who are depressed suffer from somatoform pain more often than non-depressed patients, according to new research from scientists at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.

A proposal that would limit the maximum over-the-counter dose of Tylenol and ban the narcotic painkillers Vicodin and Percocet is currently under consideration by the Food and Drug Administration.

This week the news is abuzz with the potential FDA crack-down on some over-the-counter pain medications like Tylenol, as well as Tylenol-containing prescription medications.

New research from the Imperial College London may lead to the ability to turn off an immune system signaling molecule that can contribute to the chronic joint inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis.

Researchers at the University of Heidelberg have discovered two signal substances released by tumors that may explain why cancer patients suffer from pain that cannot often be relieved with conventional medication.

A new study shows that the traditional cupping technique, an external suction technique, is effective in offering short-term relief for carpal tunnel syndrome pain.

Ever since the Surgeon General warned of the dangers associated with smoking nearly 50 years ago, special interest groups have pressed Congress to grant the FDA authority to regulate or ban tobacco products.

Research confirms that surgery is an effective tool for treating pain associated with degenerative spondylolisthesis.

A new study has found that using morphine patches as a substitute for other habit-forming pain medications, may actually be more dangerous than helpful.

A new study shows that Actemra, used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, is beneficial in preventing joint structural damage and promoting remission.

A recently completed Phase II proof-of-concept trial demonstrated that patients with rheumatoid arthritis given methotrexate were more likely to report an improvement in signs and symptoms than those given a placebo.

New guidelines issued by the American Pain Society address clinical practices for use in treating lower back pain.

Pundits, analysts, and other industry observers have been weighing in with their thoughts on what the President's proposals will call for, what effect they may have on the nation's healthcare system, their chances of being enacted, and how we're going to pay for it all.

Though healthcare is often considered a recession-proof industry, the cost of healthcare is never far from patients� minds in trying financial times.

A new tissue scaffold built by MIT researchers, in collaboration with colleagues from Cambridge University, stimulates bone and cartilage growth and may be a potential new target for treating arthritis.