Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

New vaccine against whooping cough is effective in teens and adults

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has announced that a study to be published in the June 22/29 issue found that a new vaccine against whooping cough is effective in teens and adults, carriers of the contagious respiratory disease so dangerous to infants.

3 Jun 2005

Pilates and yoga appear to relieve the symptoms of menopause

Pilates and yoga, often referred to as “mind-body” activities, show promising benefits which include increased flexibility, improved quality of life, relief of the symptoms of menopause, and some reduction of lower back pain.

2 Jun 2005

Study suggests continuous NSAID treatment more effectively reduces X-Ray progression than intermittent treatment

A widely under-recognized form of arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic, progressive disease targeting the spine.

2 Jun 2005

Stronger version of chickenpox vaccine cuts incidence and severity of shingles in older adults

In one of the largest adult vaccine clinical trials ever, researchers have found that an experimental vaccine against shingles (zoster vaccine) prevented about half of cases of shingles--a painful nerve and skin infection--and dramatically reduced its severity and complications in vaccinated persons who got the disease. The findings appear in the June 2 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

1 Jun 2005

Scientists develop a way to block the signals responsible for neuropathic pain

Remember how it felt the last time you burned your finger on a hot stove? Imagine what it's like to have that burning pain in your hands or feet all the time and know there's virtually nothing you can do about it.

1 Jun 2005

Doctors in the U.S. gravitate to states that cap malpractice awards

According to two studies released this week many doctors are gravitating to states that place caps on malpractice awards, despite the fact that such awards are not the primary cause of skyrocketing insurance premiums.

1 Jun 2005

New study linking pain relievers and breast cancer fails to convince experts

Research in recent years has consistently linked the use of aspirin and other anti-inflammatory pain relievers with a lower risk of colon cancer, but findings about the drugs' effect on breast-cancer risk have been very mixed with some studies suggesting that the pain relievers protect against breast cancer, while others have found no link.

1 Jun 2005

Shorter course of 8 gray radiotherapy effective for palliation of painful bone metastases

A single treatment of 8 gray (Gy--a unit of measure of absorbed radiation dose) of radiation appears to be as effective in palliating painful bone metastases as the current U.S. standard treatment course of 30 Gy delivered in 10 daily treatments, according to a new study in the June 1 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

31 May 2005

Ibuprofen use is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer

Ibuprofen use is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, and long-term daily use of aspirin is associated with an increased risk of estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor (ER/PR)-negative breast cancer, according to a new study in the June 1 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

30 May 2005

Latest patterns of medication use in the U.S.

In 2004, 82 percent of adults and more than 50 percent of children took at least one prescription, over-the-counter (OTC), or herbal/natural medication in any given week, Boston University researchers revealed recently.

30 May 2005

A sudden increase in the number of British cases of Lyme disease

Lyme disease, an infection carried by ticks causes a rash and stiffness in the joints and, if left unchecked, it can affect the central nervous system, causing tingling in hands and feet, or facial palsy. In the worst cases the disease can also affect the heart, liver and spleen and even lead to encephalitis, which can kill.

29 May 2005

Common over-the-counter cough medication dextromethorphan may help people with fibromyalgia

About 10 million Americans, most of them women suffer from fibromyalgia, an incurable illness that causes stiffness, fatigue, muscle aches and sleep disturbances.

29 May 2005

Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) affects 48.2 percent of women

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine have found that female sexual dysfunction (FSD) affects 48.2 percent of women in a new study and that these women had decreased sensation in the clitoris, which increased the risk of sexual dysfunction.

26 May 2005

Stimulating innate immunity helps ease Crohn's disease symptoms

Like throwing oil on a fire or prescribing a high cholesterol diet for heart patients, gastroenterologists traditionally have believed that it would not be a good idea to stoke up the body's immune system to treat Crohn's disease.

26 May 2005

HIPAA privacy rule makes it harder, costlier to do research that improves the quality of medical care

New research reveals a clash between two of the biggest issues in health care today: protecting individual patients' privacy and improving the quality, safety and cost of medical care for all patients.

26 May 2005

Protein TRPA1 essential for hearing also vital for pain perception

The same protein that "translates" sound into nerve signals to the brain and enables individuals to hear is also required for pain perception, researchers from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine have found.

25 May 2005

Medical imaging costs at a steady percentage of overall hospital costs

The substantial increase in the use of medical imaging during recent years has fueled speculation that imaging costs were a major factor behind the rise in overall health care costs.

24 May 2005

Study tackles aging issues of adults with developmental disabilities

Some 4.5 million Americans have a developmental disability. As people live longer, adults with developmental disabilities are no exception, yet their conditions also bring aging-related challenges. A new study by UCLA and Casa Colina Centers for Rehabilitation reports that a geriatric evaluation and follow-up visits by a nurse practitioner can detect and reduce health problems in this population that often go unaddressed by the healthcare system.

23 May 2005

Activation of thermoreceptors mediates raw garlic's burning pungency

The worldwide popularity of garlic as a food ingredient and its therapeutic stature in folklore both stem in part from the distinctive pungency associated with its raw, uncooked state.

23 May 2005

Narcotic medications can safely and effectively ease severe, chronic pain in older people

Narcotic medications can safely and effectively ease severe, chronic pain in older people with little risk that these patients will seek ever-increasing doses, UCSF medical scientists have found. Younger patients, however, are likely to want to rapidly increase their medication dose, the researchers found, posing serious potential health consequences.

23 May 2005