Pain is so pervasive and enmeshed into our lives that it has now become classified by medical providers to be a fifth vital sign. Pain is a perceived unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with a stimulus that may or may not be immediately present. Dorsal horn neurons receive sensory Continue Reading

Things that may help: Therapists, psychiatrists, treatment centers, support groups. Finding treatment doesn’t have to be hard; two local examples- Phoenix house, luxury style at The Dunes . Resources: For school districts Heroin and opioid overdose prevention training centers and prevention programs. Southampton Task Force Talk2Prevent Harm Reduction Coalition HOPELINE: Continue Reading

Addiction is a form of psychological dependence and refers to the extreme behavior patterns that are associated with getting and taking the drug despite detrimental consequences. Addiction may involve the use of substances such opioids. There is scientific evidence that the addictive substances and behaviors share a key neurobiological feature—they Continue Reading

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 70,237 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2017, of which 47,600 were opioid related. Also, in 2017, 11.1 million people reported the misuse of prescription opioid pain medications. CDC’s Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain, as well as other Continue Reading

Pharmaceuticals, although convenient, timely, and affective- are not always the best option. The practitioner must use clinical reasoning and critical thinking skills in the administration of pain medications in a critically ill patient to prevent serious side effects and adverse reactions. Likewise, they have both the ethical and legal responsibility Continue Reading

Given that most patients with acute or subacute low back pain improve over time regardless of treatment, individuals should select nonpharmacologic treatment with superficial heat, massage, acupuncture, or spinal manipulation, amongst proper diet and exercise.7 Pharmaceuticals are correlated with many adverse effects. Therefore, the dose of supplemental analgesic should provide Continue Reading

Pain can be related to many different factors including; the nociceptive features of oxidative stress, trauma, surgeries, poor movement habits, improper body alignments, and diseases such as fibromyalgia and endometriosis. In regard to chronic pain, generally, patients have tried several treatments feeling desolated and without hope of being pain-free. The Continue Reading