Peripheral Neuropathy in Cancer Patients

Identifying the causes of peripheral neuropathy in cancer patients can be difficult. There are many common causes of peripheral neuropathy in cancer patients. Neuropathic pain is defined as pain caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system. Peripheral neuropathies arise from disorders associated specifically within the peripheral nervous system. Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy can include numbness, tingling, pins and needles sensations, sensitivity to touch, or muscle weakness. There are multiple causes of peripheral neuropathy in patients with cancer, identifying the culprit may be complicated by a plethora of etiologies. The peripheral neuropathy can originate from the cancer…
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Rheumatoid arthritis: How chronic inflammation affects the brain

A recent study demonstrates how the chronic inflammation that characterizes rheumatoid arthritis affects the brain. The results of the study may explain the cognitive symptoms described as "brain fog." More than 1.3 million people in the United States live with rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder. In which the body's immune system does not recognize the synovial fluid in the joints. And then attacks the fluid in the joints, causing chronic inflammation. But can this chronic inflammation also affect the brain? And if so, how? This question prompted researchers — co-led by Andrew Schrepf and Chelsea Kaplan, from the University of…
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Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Breast cancer develops when cancer cells from in the breast. For women, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in the United States. It can also occur in men, but it's far more common in women. Support for breast cancer awareness and research funding has helped advance the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Survival rates have also increased, and the number of deaths associated with breast cancer is steadily declining. Largely due to factors such as earlier detection, a new personalized approaches to breast cancer treatment and a better understanding of it. Symptoms & Causes Symptoms of breast…
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Are Regenerative Therapies Effective?

It’s an age-old question in medicine, is this safe? Is it effective? With the rise of regenerative medicine and stem cell therapies, people wonder if therapies such as Platelet Rich Plasma, Exosomes/Stem Cells, and Ozone Therapies are safe and effective for chronic pain conditions such as arthritis.   Platelet Rich Plasma and Stem Cell treatments can be effective regenerative therapies for arthritis and other conditions. Regenerative medicine is considered to be safe because most regenerative therapies use cells collected from the patient (platelet rich plasma, or stem cells from bone marrow or fat tissue), which minimizes adverse reactions. Or use…
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Fix Pain After Back Surgery

Dr. Castillo's thoughts about intrathecal pain pump management for treating back pain after surgeries. Intrathecal pain pump management is a proven safe and effective therapy for chronic pain control after back surgery. I send a lot of patients for back surgery, when they have chronic back or neck pain. There are patients in danger of hurting a nerve in their spine which allows them to function. The purpose of back surgery is to fix a problem with the spine and stabilize the spine. Some people have no back pain after surgery, and we don’t talk about these outcomes. A lot…
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Healthy Eating for Pain Management

Sticking to foods at the perimeter of the store like fruits and vegetables can help with healthy eating. What we eat is a huge part of our health. If all we consume is junk, we won’t be very healthy. Healthy eating is about variety and moderation. And in the case of chronic pain patients, what you eat can affect pain symptoms; processed foods, non-healthy fats, and greasy food can actually exacerbate pain symptoms. Some food sensitivities can also cause inflammation and increase pain, so it’s important to know what may cause a flare-up. One of our goals this year is…
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Chronic Pain Patient: Let’s Talk Pain

I was told September is “Pain Awareness Month.” Pain is strictly an individual concept, especially for chronic pain patients. Medicine uses a blank line that is 10 centimeters long, numbered 0 to 10 with smiley faces to crying faces, as well as other methods to measure pain. None of these methods are really appropriate for measuring pain across all patients. Or have been shown the ability to cross reference to another person’s pain. There is no consistent way to deal with an individual’s chronic pain, because what can be an 8 to one person is a 3 to another. Pain,…
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Recreation Therapy Into Pain Management

Improving strength and flexibility does not have to be all work and no play. Learn how to get patients to pick up fun sports and hobbies. Especially sports and hobbies that also strengthen their core, lighten their mood, and reduce their pain. Deconditioning and immobility are 2 major affects of chronic pain. Therefore, it's important for physicians to encourage patients to participate in a sport or hobby, and have fun again. According to the American Therapeutic Recreation Association, recreation therapy is a treatment service. Recreation therapy is designed to restore, remediate, and rehabilitate a person’s level of functioning and independence…
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Pain: Acute vs. Chronic

Broken bones are an example of acute pain Acute and chronic pain have important differences that can give physicians important clues for diagnosing and treating pain. And the types of pain are different, in some cases acute pain can develop into chronic pain. Acute Pain By definition it is temporary, and it may occur suddenly usually associated with an injury or illness. However with time it can heal with recovery from injury or illness. Acute pain serves as the body’s alarm system to prevent further trauma. Like a strained muscle, resting the muscle prevents further injury, giving the muscle time…
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Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy How Does it Work?

PRP Therapy How Does it Work? Platelet Rich Plasma therapy (PRP) is a growing area in pain management. It is a regenerative medicine that uses a patient’s own blood cells to treat pain. According to the American Association of Orthopedic Medicine, PRP shows promise for treating ailments such as osteoarthritis. As well as treating conditions in joints, rotator cuff tears, plantar fasciitis, ACL injuries, and much more. Platelet Rich Plasma is a minimally invasive procedure, that can be performed in office. Platelet rich plasma can help many conditions, including knee pain. How PRP Works The process of platelet rich plasma…
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