Pain Treatment Topics—e-Notification

> Latest News/Research UPDATES
A Chilling Concept: Chronic Pain as a Brain Disease!
There has been ongoing debate over whether chronic noncancer pain is a syndrome or a disease entity unto itself. Compelling research evidence now suggests that no matter what brought on the condition initially—acute injury, precipitating disease, or unknown factors—chronic pain ultimately manifests as a distinct brain disease, which impacts all aspects of the individual’s life and may become irreversible. Appropriate clinical response to this alarming notion would require prompt diagnosis followed by aggressive, multimodal pain management early in the course of disease progression to forestall or ameliorate potentially serious and incapacitating brain damage.
http://updates.pain-topics.org/2010/06/chilling-concept-chronic-pain-as-brain.html
 
Meditation May Help to Calm the Turmoil of Pain
Meditation is part of a growing list of noninvasive complementary and alternative practices that may benefit patients with pain. Results from a new study suggest that people who meditate regularly may find pain less unpleasant because their brains can better manage the stress of anticipation and the distress of pain itself.
http://updates.pain-topics.org/2010/06/meditation-may-help-to-calm-turmoil-of.html
 
Previously Noted UPDATES…
> Meds for Fibromyalgia Compared & Contrasted—Click here.
> Vitamin D for Pain: Dosing & Testing Suggestions—Click here.
> Value of Opioid Agreements and UDT Challenged—Click here.
> A Better Way to Diagnose Fibromyalgia Proposed—Click here.
> Which Patients With Pain Are Likely Drug Abusers?—Click here.
> Older Patients Denied Adequate Pain Relief—Click here.
* You can see ALL present/past UPDATES indexed with links—Click here.

> New CME Course Posted
Management of Chronic Pain in the Setting of Medical and Psychiatric Comorbidities
From: MedscapeCME Family Medicine; author Bill H. McCarberg, MD, 2010.
This program focuses on the functional impact and patient quality-of-life issues that result when chronic pain is coupled with medical and psychological comorbidities. Appropriate multimodal treatment options, including pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic approaches are discussed. Click here.

> Please Rate Pain-Topics.org—Take Our Survey
We need your help! It has been 18 months since our last site-rating survey, and we need to know what our audience—that’s YOU—think of Pain-Topics.org. Answering the 7 short, multiple-choice questions will take but a half-minute of your time.  Go to survey here.

> AAPM Conference—September 21-24, 2010
Registration for the AAPM (American Academy of Pain Management) 21st Annual Clinical Meeting in Las Vegas, NV, is now available online. This is the only educational conference that truly addresses multimodal and integrative approaches for pain management and attracts healthcare professionals representing diverse disciplines. It is a genuinely unique learning and networking opportunity. Click here for more info.

> New Pain Management Resource Online
Purdue Pharma L.P. has launched their Medical Education Resource Catalog Online (MERCO), a web-based resource providing access to free educational materials addressing important aspects of pain management.  See info in our Newsroom.