Most of us suffer from some type of pain on a daily basis, especially as we age, and we turn to pharmaceutical drugs such as NSAIDs and Tylenol, not realizing the potential dangers they often cause. These drugs cause more than 30,000 deaths and 300,000 hospitalizations annually in the US. We should be working to discover the reasons for pain and taking action to remove them.
Integrative approaches offer more than any single treatment modality. Safer, non-invasive therapies such as chiropractic, osteopathy, acupuncture, physical therapy, massage, homeopathy, imagery and infrared light therapy should be the first consideration to manage pain. Invasive therapies that include surgery should be considered only after these less aggressive treatments are considered.
We all suffer from pain and most of the time we rely on medications that are often not safe. Integrative therapies work better than just one treatment style. New breakthroughs such as infrared light therapy are discussed. Insomnia, non-restorative sleep, poor concentration, accidents, depression, fatigue and irritability are common signs and symptoms of pain.
Infrared light therapy is a very powerful new technology that relieves pain from most conditions including neuropathic pain. The use of an infrared scanner to monitor skin thermal changes in real time is essential to achieve safe and effective treatment. This video gives examples of its application and the article below describes it. Its use in the treatment of cancer pain is surprising.
According to the February 2013 issue of the journal, Spine, epidural steroid injections (ESI) often lead to more pain and level of functioning at 4 years. In the short term, ESI can have a profound effect on pain relief. In those eventually going to surgery, compared to those not getting ESI, surgeries were shorter as was hospital stay.
A study of 351 patients over age 45 with knee pain, cartilage tear, and knee osteoarthritis were treated with arthroscopy or physical therapy and evaluated after 6 and 12 months. One third of the physical therapy group elected for arthroscopic surgery but the remainder of the group did as well at 12 months as those getting arthroscopy.
This is an introduction to what fibromyalgia is and the challenges we have in making the diagnosis. Mainstream and CAM treatments are reviewed. There is a defect in energy production that can be measured. Management of the pain is straightforward most of the time using infrared light therapy, a balance of rest and exercise, and somatic therapies.
