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Category Archives: psychology
Emotional and Physical Pain Might Be a Memory Engram and How to Prevent It
Dr. AV Apkarian has pioneered the idea that brain changes occur following pain injury that leaves a pain memory. Mansour, A. R., M. A. Farmer, M. N. Baliki, and A. Vania Apkarian. “Chronic pain: the role of learning and brain … Continue reading
Posted in Neck, pain mechanisms, psychology
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Is It Worth Checking For Anxiety – Depression in Osteoarthritis?
Cost-utility Analysis suggests not. I am not a big fan of attributing chronic pain to anxiety-depression – (sorry Dr. Sarno)… Recent analysis suggests in osteoarthritis it is not cost -effective to spend special time on anxiety depression
Posted in psychology, Uncategorized
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Does Ritalin Help Traumatic Brain Injury Mental Fatigue and Mental Functioning? -Yes
Two year study found methylphenidate, average 60 mg /day, improved mental functioning in TBI.
Posted in psychology, Uncategorized
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Complex Grief or PTSD – New Treatment – Mirror Neuron Network Activation
It is proposed that PTSD and abnormal grief reactions are due to mal-wired brain connections that loop painful recollections. In phantom limb, abnormal circuit changes potentiate the pain. Some of these connections can be over-written by “mirror therapy” where a … Continue reading
Posted in psychology
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Depression in Chronic Back Pain? – Twin Study Suggests More Familial Than Related to Pain
Spine J. 2017 Jul;17(7):905-912. doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2017.02.009. Chronic low back pain and the risk of depression or anxiety symptoms: insights from a longitudinal twin study. Fernandez M https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28267634 “The relationship between chronic LBP and the future development of depression or anxiety … Continue reading
Posted in Back Pain, Depression, psychology
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Pain News – Short Snaps June 2017
June 2017 Pain News: I put them up as short snaps because not going to blog note them – hope you like. You will probably not find many in news elsewhere.
What Determines Depression – A Bad Diagnosis or the Pain? – the Pain of Course
Study did not find a history of cancer affected depression scores – what did was “a painful somatic symptom”. I have always contented that pain was the prime driver in chronic pain where the fear avoidance crowd like to put … Continue reading
Posted in psychology
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Hurt until Pain = Overdoing; Avoiding Things That Hurt = Avoidance – Can’t Win
Study found many overdo things resulted in significant pain flareups after. However, if they have periods where they avoid things that hurt, they are then categorized as avoidant – can’t seem to win though a paced life would be obvious.
Posted in psychology
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Suffering is a Distinct Pain Feature
Simple study zapping volunteers drew distinction between unpleasantness ratings and suffering to point it considered it a distinct pain factor. This is not new news to anyone whose life has been changed by pain.
Posted in psychology
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Does Musculoskeletal Pain Cause Stress or Stress Cause the Pain -Studying People over time
A longitudinal – study – studying people before and subsequent to pains is the most reliable study format for figuring out what is going on.. What this study found was that it was the Musculosketal pain that caused the stress … Continue reading
Posted in pain mechanisms, psychology
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Irritable Bowel – Hypnosis helps
Hypnosis is a useful adjunct to IBS treatment.
Posted in Abdominal pain, psychology
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Monotherapy Mediocre in Treating Fibromyalgia (FM)
New Acceptance and Commitment therapy – 8 sessions of 2.5 hours reduced pain by 20% in 1/2 cases but only 50% in 1/48 cases. Fairly maximal drug therapies with pregabalin +/- Duloxetine alone was not great
Posted in Fibromyalgia, psychology
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Hypnomanic Checklist
Once had a psychiatrist phone me very irritated because I had diagnosed a teeanger as potentially bipolar. Fortunately, I had seen her hypomanic, and run a hypomanic questionnaire at time – adequate documentation despite his hostility (guy needed a holiday). … Continue reading
Posted in Depression, psychology
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What Determines Severity of Neuropathic Pain – The Neuropathicity, Not the Mood – and Good-Bye Fear Avoidance Model(FAM)
Factors such as pain on light touch (allodynia) and excessive pain on pinprick (hyperpathia) were strong indicators of pain severity. “Female gender, age, and history of serious mental disorders were found to be weaker indicators.” Psychological factors are played up … Continue reading
Posted in Insurer issues, neuropathic, pain mechanisms, psychology
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Fibromyalgia(FM) – Guided Imagary Treatment Not So Good By Self
Though results have varied, latest studies show little benefit of guided imagery in FM.
Posted in Fibromyalgia, psychology
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With Prior History of Substance Abuse, What is Likelihood of Substance Abuse on Opioids For Chronic Pain?
Substance abuse issues in chronic pain sufferers is always a concern – and doubly so, if there is an abuse history. Chance of abuse in high risk cases was 32%.
Posted in Drugs, psychology
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Benefits of Group Laughter – Endophins and Social Bonding
Recent study suggests social laughter stimulates endophins and encourages social bonding. This makes a case for Laughter Yoga
Posted in psychology
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Unlearning Fibromylagia Pain
Quite some years ago, John Sarno, an orthopedic surgeon wrote book on how chronic widespread pain might be a manifestation of emotional pain – people whose bodies are on overdrive and knotted up with body armour. He called it Tension … Continue reading
Posted in Fibromyalgia, psychology
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Mindfulness Therapy Not So Great in Fibromyalgia -Possible Reasons
Though an earlier uncontrolled study suggested Mindfulness medication could be helpful in FM, a randomized trial did not. Maybe becoming aware of surroundings, some of which you don’t like, is not helpful?
Posted in Fibromyalgia, psychology
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Pain Worsening From Opioids Rare
Pain Hyperalgesia is a condition where “allegedly” you become more sensitive to pain once on opioids. This is used by opioid-haters that tell of doom to those on opioids. A Stanford associated study couldn’t find any and another failed to … Continue reading
Posted in Drugs, pain mechanisms, psychology
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Idea Chronic Pain Is Psychological Dispelled by Recent Studies
Several studies presented at the International Association for Study of Pain at Montreal 2010, all find the association of psychological problems and Chronic pain to be weak.
Posted in Insurer issues, psychology
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Music Therapy in Chronic Pain May Drop Pains by 50% 0ver 2 Months
Program of twice daily 20 minute of specific music therapy dropped chronic pains from 6.3 to 3.2/10 over 6 weeks.
Posted in Fibromyalgia, Mechanical aids, psychology
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Mortality in Fibromyalgia
There is some good new and bad news in a recent study
Posted in Fibromyalgia, psychology
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Doctors Embracing Biopsychosocial Model For Chronic Pain Still Missing Boat?
Recent British study found doctors using Biopsychosocial Model For Chronic Pain were actually concentrating on psychological approaches even when it was inappropriate
Posted in psychology
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Hypnotherapy and Biofeedback For Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) – and for Functional Abdominal Pains in Kids
Both Hypnosis and heart rate variability biofeedback are useful in irritable bowel and, in children and adolescents, functional bowel disease
Posted in Abdominal pain, psychology
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