17 Oct 2023
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Peripheral Neuropathy in Cancer Patients

Chronic Pain Conditions, Nerve Pain, Peripheral Neuropathy, Therapies & Treatments, , , ,
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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11 Oct 2023
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Rheumatoid arthritis: How chronic inflammation affects the brain

Chronic Pain Conditions, Chronic Pain News
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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03 Oct 2023
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Chronic Pain Conditions, , ,
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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27 Sep 2022
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Chronic Pain Patient: Let’s Talk Pain

Chronic Pain Conditions, Nerve 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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30 Mar 2022
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Pain: Acute vs. Chronic

Chronic Pain Conditions, ,
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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03 Mar 2021
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Talking Pain to a Doctor

Chronic Pain Conditions, Lifestyle Tips for Chronic Pain, Therapies & Treatments, , , ,
How to Talk about Pain to a Doctor On a scale of 0 to 10 what is your pain? Patients who are asked to describe the level of their pain to a doctor using a numerical scale or smiley faces. Pain scales are used from diagnosis to recovery and often help guide treatment. While the pain scale helps evaluate the level of pain a patient feels, it’s not the whole story. Here are a few ways of talking to your doctor about pain, to help assess the best treatment options for you. Be Creative Descriptive words can often be helpful…
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30 Sep 2019
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

The Physical Exam

Chronic Pain Conditions, Sunday Thoughts for Monday Morning, Therapies & Treatments, , ,
by: Dr. Michael A. Castillo I have a medical pet peeve lately, physicians relying on MRIs and EMG to make diagnoses, without performing a physical exam. Medicine is an honor to have a career in because you get to touch people physically and emotionally. It comes with a great deal of responsibility. I am getting more referrals where a patient hasn’t been physically examined. The patient tells me what is wrong in the history because the MRI says so. The proper order is History, Physical Examination, and then Tests (MRI, X-rays, Nerve Tests, et al) to create a diagnosis. A…
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03 Sep 2019
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Knee Pain

Chronic Pain Conditions, Platelet Rich Plasma, Therapies & Treatments, , ,
by: Dr. Michael A. Castillo We use our legs every day, and as result knee pain is common either from wear and tear, or injury. The first thing we need to understand is what is wrong with the knee. Best practices for knee pain diagnosis are a physical exam and an MRI. As there can be injury to the internal knee as well as the external knee, sometimes both parts. There can be three approaches to treating the knee: internal injections with hyaluronic acid (roster comb), external injections with steroid or natural anti-inflammatory injections, regenerative medicine, and surgery (endoscopic and…
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15 Jan 2019
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Exercising with Arthritis

Chronic Pain Conditions, Lifestyle Tips for Chronic Pain, Therapies & Treatments, , ,
Exercising with arthritis can help reduce stiffness and improve joint mobility. High impact exercises can exacerbate the condition, so low impact gentle exercises Exercising with arthritis has been shown to help reduce pain symptoms. Arthritis can result in impaired coordination and poor posture, and it also affects balance. Exercising can help improve overall body functioning and can help improve reduce risk of falling. Exercising with arthritis has shown to be helpful in managing arthritis. Exercising with arthritis can help reduce stiffness and improve joint mobility. High impact exercises can exacerbate the condition, so low impact gentle exercises are best for…
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14 Jan 2019
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Degenerative Scoliosis Treatments

Chronic Pain Conditions, Exercises to Help Pain, Therapies & Treatments, , ,
Degenerative scoliosis, also known as adult onset scoliosis, describes a side-to-side curvature of the spine caused by degeneration of the facet joints and intervertebral discs which are the moving parts of the spine. The main goal of treating degenerative scoliosis once it becomes symptomatic, is to reduce pain as well as any accompanying neurologic symptoms. Most treatments tend not to focus on correcting the curve because typically it is not the cause of pain. Most cases of degenerative scoliosis can be treated without surgery using self-care or assistance from a physician. Strength and Mobility for Scoliosis Increasing strength and mobility…
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