From the category archives:

Feel Better

15 Tips for Painless Travel

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Going on vacation should reduce pain and relieve stress, not cause it. Traveling can bring an avalanche of hurdles when you’re living with chronic pain. As I begin planning for summer travel, one of my goals is to ensure my journey is comfortable. Here are is what I’ve learned about staying pain free on [...]

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10 Tips to Protect Your Voice When Using Speech Recognition Software

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Having chronic pain in my wrist and arms means that I had to make modifications to how I work on my computer.  I have been using voice recognition software since I developed chronic pain. 
Now that I’m using my voice instead of typing, I want to make sure that I don’t overuse my voice [...]

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8 Tips to Bring Nature Home for Pain Relief

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If you’re like me, you enjoy nature. You are keenly aware that it has many benefits for your health and you appreciate its magnificence—but recognize that you don’t get enough of it. (Except ants. I’m not a big fan of nature when it comes in uninvited.) In the last few weeks, I’ve searched ways [...]

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Relaxing with Nature Does a Body Good

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Part of coping with pain or health difficulties includes having a self-care regimen that does your body and mind good. For me, I’ve always found that being out in nature has a way of making me feel restored. This is more than just a personal opinion: research shows that nature helps us feel better.
A [...]

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PFAM Carnival: Is Help a Four Letter Word?

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Welcome to the PFAM’s Blog Carnival! I am very excited to host this edition with the theme: “Is Help A Four Letter Word?” There was an amazing response and I’ve discovered a number of blogs I’ll be sure to follow (and hope you will too).
A good place to start with our theme [...]

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Relieve Pain with Spiritual Images

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It seems my Catholic mother may have been onto something when she said religion helps with pain. According to an Oxford study, invoking one’s religious beliefs for pain relief has some scientific backing.
Researchers at the Oxford Center for Science of the Mind gave atheists and Roman Catholics electric shocks while they looked at two paintings, [...]

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The Sweet Smell of Pain Relief

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Next time you’re feeling pain, give yourself a dose of sweet smells. Your sense of smell is very closely linked to emotions and memory, and can also be recruited to help you fight pain. According to research done at James Cook University in Australia, sweet smells seem to help people tolerate pain.
Study participants were given [...]

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6 Letters to Help Your Doctor Better Diagnose Your Pain

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I like to come prepared to a doctor’s appointment to make the process easier and better for both me and my doctor.
To make sure I don’t miss any crucial information that might help my doctor to diagnose my pain, I like to use this memory aid: L-O-C-A-T-E.
L is for location of the pain.
O is [...]

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6 Tips to Help You Shop When You’re Ready to Drop

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I really hate going shopping during a pain flare-up. It requires repetitive movements and arm strength, leaves me exhausted, and amps up my pain for days. These are tips I use to make the process less painful.
1. Bring a shopping buddy. Call a friend or loved one to go shopping with you. Having company can [...]

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Feel Less Pain While Using Your Computer: Get a Virtual Ergonomic Coach

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Since my injury, I’ve had a love-hate relationship with computers. They make my life easier, but they also cursed me with chronic pain. However, neither the pain nor computers are going to go away, and I need to learn to live with both.
Repetitive strain injury is an ever-present risk when using computers. To lessen your [...]

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