From the category archives:

Research

Virtual Nature to the Pain Rescue!

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People often talk about the healing power of nature, and I am a big believer of this. I love the ocean and miss walks on the beach—they always made me feel more at ease and lifted my spirits. Unfortunately, living in a colder climate makes such walks a freezing ordeal rather than a pleasant stroll.
Imagine [...]

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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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Asking For Help Can Be Hard To Do

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“Why don’t you just ask me to open it?” During the early days of my injury, this was something I hated to hear whenever I needed a bottle, jar, or even a heavy door opened. Asking for help felt like I’d be a bother and I was letting my pain win—as if I was [...]

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Pain: what does guilt have to do with it?

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Feelings of guilt are familiar to people who suffer from chronic pain. In this post I hope to update you on what science has to say about this all too common feeling.
What is guilt exactly?
Guilt is a complex emotion, and scientists have many views of it, depending their area of expertise. Researchers Hochwarter and Byrne [...]

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Pain Medication Can Compromise Your Flu Shot

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If you’re thinking of getting a flu shot, you may want to consider the impact of your pain medication on its effectivity. Professor Richard P. Phipps from the University of Rochester states, “research shows that pain relievers interfere with the effect of the vaccine.”
Many of the pain medicines examined by Dr. Phillips are anti-inflammatory, for [...]

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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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Get the Facts About Musculoskeletal Pain

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This year the International Association for the Study of Pain launched the 2010 initiative on musculoskeletal pain research and advocasy. To learn further about musculoskeletal pain and evidence based treatment options, check out their free fact sheets. You’ll find information on fibromyalgia, multiple approaches to relieving chronic pain, exercise tips, and more.

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A Cup of Tea Can Help Pain Go Away

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My grandmother used to encourage me to drink mint or lemon tea whenever I caught a cold as a child. Consequently, I came to see a warm cup of tea as a comforting way to combat the pain of a sore throat. It seems my grandmother was onto something, because recent research suggests that a [...]

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Neurofeedback for Pain Relief

You might be able to train yourself to feel less pain by looking at your own brain waves. A study in the Journal of Neurotherapy reports that neurofeedback can prove to be an effective non-invasive treatment for pain.
Although I have not tried this method, it seems to work like other biofeedback devices that help you [...]

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