Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy

The incidence of type 2 diabetes has increased strikingly in the last several decades. Accompanying this development has been an increase in the incidence of diabetic neuropathy, leading to progressive pain, loss of sensation (primarily in the feet), weakness, and disability. Conventional therapy has consisted largely of attempts to control the diabetes and to moderate the pain. Pulsed Electromagnetic Field therapy (PEMF) is a safe, and non-invasive way to reduce pain and inflammation. It can be used to supplement and enhance currently existing healthcare modalities. The PEMF apparatus includes various devices including full body mats, localized pad applicators, and pinpointed probe or…
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Acupuncture Provides True Pain Relief

A new study of acupuncture, the most rigorous and detailed analysis of the treatment to date, found that it can ease migraines and arthritis and other forms of chronic pain. The findings provide strong scientific support for an age-old therapy used by an estimated three million Americans each year. Though acupuncture has been studied for decades, the body of medical research on it has been mixed and mired to some extent by small and poor-quality studies. Financed by the National Institutes of Health and carried out over about half a decade, the new research was a detailed analysis of earlier…
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Intramuscular Injection of Vitamin D may Relieve DPN

In patients with painful diabetic neuropathy, a single high-dose intramuscular injection of vitamin D appears to confer a significant reduction in symptoms, according to study data. Rayaz A. Malik, MBChB, PhD, professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar, and colleagues evaluated 143 adults (mean age, 52 years) with type 1 or type 2 diabetes to determine the effect of a high-dose intramuscular injection of vitamin D (600,000 IU) on painful diabetic neuropathy. Participants were evaluated at baseline and on four subsequent visits every 5 weeks, with follow-up visits taking place at 4 to 6 weeks (visit 2), 8…
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Headache Relief Fast Tracked

A migraine headache, tension headaches, sinus headaches, cervicogenic headaches, and ice cream headaches all have three things in common. Headaches never seem to end. Just as we wrap up one year the next years' nagging issues come back roaring headaches being one of them. Regardless of which type of headaches you get they are miserable. Some feel tension headaches are worse than migraines, while some commiserate that sinus headaches are the worst.The safest thing to understand is all headaches hurt. Alas help is on the horizon. A new headache treatment procedure that combines two particularly effective methods is showing promise.…
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Degenerative Disc Disease: What is it & how is it treated?

What is Degenerative Disc Disease? Degenerative Disc Disease (or DDD) is caused by degeneration of the discs in the spinal column. Age can cause this, but most of the time it is cause by some sort of trauma to the spine. People with bulging or herniated disc almost always have this disease, as well as people with Scoliosis. Symptoms range from person to person as well as the particular location of the spinal injury. People with lower back injuries can experience numbness and tingling in the legs and buttocks. The symptoms can also get as severe as temporary paralysis in…
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Using Reflexology to Treat Pain

If you're looking for an alternative to pain medication, reflexology may be an option. Find out if you could benefit from this form of massage. Sometimes pain therapy can be downright relaxing. Although getting a massage may conjure up the image of a spa rather than a medical office, reflexology, which involves the placement of the practitioner’s hands on your feet, is an approach that may ease stress and bring you pain relief at the same time. In a reflexology session, a practitioner will apply pressure using the fingers and thumbs. Some may use a specially designed tool to apply…
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Easing Pain: complementary therapies

Psychologists are exploring complementary therapies and integrated approaches to better treat the complex problem of chronic pain. If cancer is "the emperor of all maladies," as physician and author Siddhartha Mukherjee wrote, chronic pain may be the empress, affecting 100 million people in the United States and costing up to $630 billion each year in treatments and lost productivity, according to a 2011 report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM). For many, pain digs in and cuts deep. A 2012 survey funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) found that some 25.3 million U.S. adults —…
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Plantar Fasciitis: Causes and Treatments

Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the band of tissue (the plantar fascia) that extends from the heel to the toes. In this condition, the fascia first becomes irritated and then inflamed, resulting in heel pain. Heel pain may be due to other causes, such as a stress fracture, tendonitis, nerve irritation, or arthritis. Because there are several potential causes, it is important to have heel pain properly evaluated and diagnosed. The most common cause of plantar fasciitis relates to faulty structure of the foot. For example, people who have problems with their arches, either overly flat feet or high-arched…
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Peripheral Nerve Stimulation Reduces Chronic Headaches

Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) is an effective long-term treatment for managing chronic intractable headaches, suggests research published in Pain Physician. In this retrospective study, peripheral nerve stimulation reduced mean headache severity on the 11-point Numeric Rating Schedule (NRS) by nearly 50% within one-month post implantation. After 12 months, headache severity scores decreased by at least 50% in 87% (40 of 46) of the patients, with pain decreasing even more substantially the longer the device was in place. Pain intensity scores on the NRS had decreased by 68% as many as 98 months post-implantation. These findings were consistent with previous studies; however,…
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Autonomic neuropathy in diabetic neuropathy

Autonomic neuropathy in diabetic neuropathy has an effect on hypoglycemia symptoms. Autonomic neuropathy is when the nerves that control bodily functions become damaged. Blood pressure, temperature control, digestion, bladder function and sexual function can all be affected by autonomic neuropathy. Normally, nerves send messages to the brain and other organs to ensure they function properly. Because autonomic neuropathy damages these nerves, signals cannot be properly sent, thus causing complications and loss of control. The most common cause of autonomic neuropathy is diabetes but even infections have been shown to cause it. Medications, too, can contribute to autonomic neuropathy. Diabetes, a…
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