All posts tagged: pain relief

Contributor: Furnishings for Your Home to Help Ease Pain

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    Dealing with chronic pain is a challenging battle, especially as it is an extremely individualistic one. With more than 25.3 million Americans experiencing chronic pain every day for the last three months, it is a widespread issue that leads many people to seek the best methods for handling their pain. However, there are better solutions to managing joint pain that you can add to your home. In addition to treating chronic pain with proper nutrition and plenty of sleep, you can also adjust your furnishings and the layout of your home to ease and reduce inflammation. By adjusting your home in the following ways, you can benefit from an environment that is centered on comfort and wellness. Creating a soothing sanctuary for rest One of the most crucial ways to care for your body when dealing with chronic pain is to get plenty of rest. Having a relaxing space at home where you can go to kick up your feet, snuggle under a warm blanket, and listen to calming music is essential to managing both stress and …

Contributor: Managing Chronic Pain in Seniors

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More than 100 million American adults have chronic pain, which is more than the total number of people with diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer combined, according to figures provided by the American Academy of Pain Medicine. As the population ages, the issue of chronic pain in senior adults becomes more prevalent. Pain management and awareness are becoming more common. One such venture is Pain Awareness month, which is run by the American Chronic Pain Association. Why Chronic Pain is Such a Big Issue In 2016, there were approximately 46 million U.S. adults aged 65 and older, with this number expected to rise to 98 million by 2060. Unfortunately, research published by the National Library of Medicine confirms that 50% of adults who live alone and 75 – 85% living in elderly care homes have some form of  chronic pain. Causes of Chronic Pain There are many conditions that lead to chronic long term pain in seniors; however, in a survey conducted by the National Institute of Health Statistics, they noted that there are four conditions contributing to the majority …

How to Succeed on Your Terms When Life Interferes

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Success is only what you put into it. The harder you work for something, the better the success will be. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The harder I work, the more luck I seem to have. I Googled “stupid quotes about hard work and motivation.” How pithy are these quotes? How out of touch with reality are they? My reality, anyway. I think about quotes like this often, especially now, because I thought I was done with this blog. I thought it had taught me all I needed to know. Except… I had another MRI that shows degeneration above and below my two fusions, which explains the pain down my arms and up into my head that grows with intensity every day. Breakdown isn’t supposed to happen after a fusion for at least 10 years. My surgeon said that, unfortunately, I have “bad connective tissue.” Yay. This could lead to what is called the “ladder effect,” which is when you have fusion after fusion, laddering up and down the spine until there …

Contributor: Herbs for Helping with Chronic Back Pain

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It can be tempting and convenient to reach for the pills when it comes to chronic pain, especially in the back. However, strong medication often has its adverse side effects that sometimes outweigh the benefits. There are numerous natural alternatives when it comes to pain relief that can be worth checking out. For thousands of years, native plants like herbs have been used in aid of relieving bodily pain and discomfort. Let’s take a look at some herbs that can help with chronic back pain. Ginger Ginger is known for its numerous healing properties, including the ability to calm an upset stomach and subside overwhelming feelings of nausea. But recent research has shown that it just might be the perfect remedy for chronic pain issues as well. Another property that ginger has shown promise is inflammation. While there haven’t been too many studies that can conclusively state how effective ginger is in relieving inflammation, it is known that it has some benefits. The presence of phytochemicals in the ginger extract help with this. The other …

Pain Awareness Month 2017

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Hello there, my lovelies! It’s September 1st, and you know what that means — and if you don’t, let me drop some knowledge on you. It’s Pain Awareness Month!   *Sound the trumpets* Yes, it is the month that those of us with chronic conditions have taken as our own to raise awareness of our maladies. Naturally I won’t be here for the Boston Abilities Expo (gotta celebrate my dad’s birthday!), but there are plenty of things happening this month, and the U.S. Pain Foundation is keeping track of many goings-on, like fundraisers, the 30-day challenge (follow @US_pain on Twitter and @USPainAwarenessMonth on Instagram for this year’s challenge), proclamations, etc. You can even change your profile picture on Facebook to raise awareness, since many of the most common pain conditions are invisible to the eye. So that’s cool! Keep on the lookout for Pain Awareness Month-related things and see if there is a family member or friend you can help. Also, side note, I was featured on Dr. Melissa Cady’s “Pain Out Loud” blog, though …

Abdominal Migraines — Did You Know They Were a Thing?

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Hi, kids. I wanted to take a moment to talk about migraines today. Did you know that “migraine” is an all-inclusive term for a host of terrible, nauseating headaches? For instance, my headaches closely resemble migraines, enough that my doctor just calls them by that term. I get headaches a few times a week. I can work with headaches. I can function. I get migraines a couple times a month. Those put me out of commission and land me in the recliner with the heavy meds. The migraines, technically, are post-traumatic stress headaches, which — as I have been so kindly informed by my doctor — fall into the category of “very unpleasant, would like to reschedule, please.” These PTS headaches begin in the base of my head and travel around, vibrating upward along nerves to the top of my head and downward into my shoulders. Fun! The more popular kind of headaches have been listed out below. Diamond Headache Clinic sent me this slideshow of common types of migraine headaches, some of which I didn’t even …

I am Not the Reliable One — Also, a Book Review: “Kicking Sick” by Amy Kurtz

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I am not the reliable one. I recently made friends with a guy who has stage 4 colon cancer. By chance, we were sitting next to each other while waiting for a flight back to Boston from Atlanta. The flight was delayed by two hours, and his soul spoke to mine. We became friends in less than 20 minutes. Just one of those things, I guess. When his phone rang, it said, “God’s gift to women, pick up!” It was his mom, an older lady with a glorious halo of gray hair. She was delightful. She knows my name, knows all about me now. His whole family knows who I am. He wants to talk more often than I talk to most people. More than I talk to my family, even. I’m not used to it. And the thing is, he might literally die before I get the chance to speak to him again. He slipped into a coma and came out of it while I was in a pain flare, and I had no …

5 Work-At-Home Businesses That Can Work Around Pain

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We have a contribution today from the lovely Victoria Greene, a brand marketing consultant and freelance writer. Put your hands together!  *** People who suffer from chronic pain sometimes worry that they won’t be able to have a successful career. While this concern is understandable, it’s also something that can be overcome. There are lots of jobs you can do at home and in your own time. If you’re having a particularly difficult day, you can rest and save all of your energy for when you’re having a better day. You can fit your work around you and you won’t have to worry about commuting either. If you need to find a work solution like this, here are five work-from-home business ideas that could be ideal for you. 1. Writing Can you string a few words together with at least a modicum of cohesion and elegance? If so, you might just have what it takes to become a writer. There are a lot of opportunities out there for somebody to start working from home as …

The Quell Pain Relief Device: Entering the Third Year

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Here we are again, folks. We’re entering the third year (since I can’t do math), and I am still using the Quell pain relief device (give or take two weeks when I forgot to wear it because my schedule was so disrupted that I forgot). Five bands, who knows how many electrodes — both normal and the new sport model, which I very much prefer in these extremely humid summer months — and two Quell models later, we’ve made it to this point. Well, I still like the Quell! At one point before I upgraded to the new model, I feared that either my pain was getting worse or I was becoming sensitized to the electric current. Turning it up didn’t help, but I still couldn’t go without wearing it for very long before I was overcome with pain. That has been my overall plan, you know. To eventually go without wearing it, trying to set myself to absolute zero to see what my pain really is. I’ve been throwing medication at my pain since …