Pain is more than a physical process...

Pain is more than a physical process...

"Pain is partly a neural process that signals tissue damage from a harmful stimulus. But we also know that it is highly subjective, and that a whole range of psychological and social factors can impact on how pain is perceived and experienced. Thoughts, feeling and expectations can influence pain, and even contribute to how people respond to pain killing drugs."

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Mindfulness may help ease low back pain

Mindfulness may help ease low back pain

First off let me preface this by stating that patients should consult with their doctors about both pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to help manage their pain. Mindfulness is not a panacea, it is an option for patients who are willing to explore non-pharmacological options for pain management. A number of recent scientific publications confirm that simple mindful actives help people manage their pain. Mindfulness meditation is a practice premised on directing nonjudgmental attention to arising sensory events, this reduces pain by distracting the mind from the pain sensations. 

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What is carpal tunnel syndrome and what happens if I get it?

What is carpal tunnel syndrome and what happens if I get it?

"It often begins as an easily dismissed tingle in the thumb or an ache in the wrist. Building slowly but persistently to a searing, tearing pain from the wrist to the fingers. Culminating in sleepless nights, workless days and a numb but simultaneously excruciating, useless hand. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a painful and disabling condition. It’s also very common."

Image Credit - Blausen.com "Blausen gallery 2014". Wikiversity Journal of Medicine. DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010. ISSN 20018762. - CC BY 3.0.

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Massage therapy and non-specific low back pain

Massage therapy and non-specific low back pain

Non-specific low back pain is a difficult to treat global health burden, one of the reasons for this is that like the name suggests, there is often no clear identifiable cause. A multimodal therapeutic approach was found by the Cochrane Group to be one of the best approaches to managing low back pain. This involves a number of management strategies that include but are not limited to education, reassurance, analgesic medicines and a number of non pharmacological therapies

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