http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Patients with constant pain symptoms and extreme fear of this pain can be treated effectively by repeatedly exposing them to 'scary' situations. This is the conclusion of Dutch researcher Jeroen de Jong. Patients with pain conditions such as post-traumatic dystrophy, which can affect all tissues and functions of the limbs, can benefit from this in-vivo exposure therapy. Dr. De Jong obtained his PhD from Maastricht University on 25 November. http://phys.org/news210428291.html Medicine & Health Wed, 01 Dec 2010 12:18:32 EST news210428291 New technology to help chronic pain sufferers in rural areas manage their condition is being investigated by Scottish scientists. http://phys.org/news210421229.html Medicine & Health Wed, 01 Dec 2010 10:20:46 EST news210421229 Coping with chronic pain can affect every aspect of a person's life and cause conflict between what their mind wants to achieve and what their body allows them to do, according to research in the December issue of the Journal of Nursing and Healthcare of Chronic Illness. http://phys.org/news210340052.html Medicine & Health Tue, 30 Nov 2010 12:10:01 EST news210340052 Successfully treating and reversing the effects of multiple sclerosis, or MS, may one day be possible using a drug originally developed to treat chronic pain, according to Distinguished Professor Linda Watkins of the University of Colorado at Boulder. http://phys.org/news209311586.html Medicine & Health Thu, 18 Nov 2010 14:06:43 EST news209311586 Pain is the most common symptom leading patients to see a physician in the United States, yet the most widely prescribed medications ? opioids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) ? have major drawbacks, including the potential for misuse and abuse and adverse effects that limit long-term use. While scientists have made great strides in understanding the physical and chemical processes that occur when people feel pain, new treatments with improved safety and effectiveness are still needed for the more than 76 million Americans with acute and chronic pain. http://phys.org/news207826701.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Nov 2010 10:38:39 EST news207826701 Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have discovered a major mechanism underlying the development of tolerance to chronic morphine treatment. The discovery may help researchers find new therapies to treat chronic pain, and reduce tolerance and side effects associated with morphine use. The findings are published in the July 20th issue of Science Signaling. http://phys.org/news203083902.html Medicine & Health Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:12:15 EST news203083902 (PhysOrg.com) -- A breakthrough study focusing on the benefits of soy in the prevention of chronic pain after breast cancer surgery has been launched by researchers at the Alan Edwards Pain Management Unit of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University. http://phys.org/news202643197.html Medicine & Health Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:46:58 EST news202643197 (AP) -- Federal health scientists are questioning whether the antidepressant Cymbalta is safe and effective enough to be approved for use against chronic pain. http://phys.org/news201274843.html Medicine & Health Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:20:02 EST news201274843 Black patients are prescribed fewer pain medications than whites and few women receive medications strong enough to manage their chronic pain, according to a study in the August issue of Journal of Pain. http://phys.org/news201266189.html Medicine & Health Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:10:05 EST news201266189 Researchers have made a discovery that could lead to a brand new class of drugs to treat chronic pain caused by inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and back pain without numbing the whole body. http://phys.org/news201265816.html Medicine & Health Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:50:04 EST news201265816 Is the science of diagnosing pain causing a number of pain sufferers to defend their honor? Research out of the University of Cincinnati is examining the diagnosis of pain that evades scientific testing, and the additional emotional suffering that can result for the patient. http://phys.org/news201181323.html Medicine & Health Mon, 16 Aug 2010 13:00:01 EST news201181323 Women experience chronic pain longer, more intensely and more often than men, according to a psychologist who works with both men and women dealing with diseases and conditions that leave them suffering. http://phys.org/news200845311.html Medicine & Health Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:21:59 EST news200845311 Chronic pain is a serious medical problem, afflicting approximately 20% of adults. Some individuals are more susceptible than others, and the basis for this remains largely unknown. In a report published online today in Genome Research, researchers have identified a gene associated with susceptibility to chronic pain in humans, signaling a significant step toward better understanding and treating the condition. http://phys.org/news200146793.html Medicine & Health Wed, 04 Aug 2010 17:00:14 EST news200146793 People who meditate regularly find pain less unpleasant because their brains anticipate the pain less, a new study has found. http://phys.org/news194691626.html Medicine & Health Wed, 02 Jun 2010 10:01:19 EST news194691626 Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have identified clinical characteristics associated with prescription drug use disorder (PDUD) in primary care patients with chronic pain. The study found that by identifying characteristics of prescription drug abuse, primary care clinicians can identify those at risk and provide appropriate treatment. This study currently appears on-line in Journal of Pain. http://phys.org/news193057669.html Medicine & Health Fri, 14 May 2010 12:20:01 EST news193057669 Chronic pain severely limits patients' quality of life and is among the cost drivers in U.S. health care. Patients can suffer pain without an apparent cause and often fail to respond to available treatments. Mayo Clinic researchers and collaborators now report that chronic pain may be caused by the inadvertent reprogramming of more than 2,000 genes in the peripheral nervous system. The research findings appear in the current issue of the journal Genome Research. http://phys.org/news192372198.html Medicine & Health Thu, 06 May 2010 17:00:03 EST news192372198 Increases in opioid prescriptions, leading to increased misuse, serious injuries, and overdose deaths have spurred Canadian colleges of physicians and surgeons to create a new guideline for opioid use with chronic non-cancer pain, states an article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). http://phys.org/news192114146.html Medicine & Health Mon, 03 May 2010 14:02:43 EST news192114146 In a University of Michigan Health System study, 1 out of 3 patients with chronic pain reported using complementary and alternative medicine therapies such as acupuncture and chiropractic visits for pain relief. http://phys.org/news191746779.html Medicine & Health Thu, 29 Apr 2010 08:20:02 EST news191746779 In most cases of chronic pain -- lingering pain that never seems to go away after accidents or prolonged illnesses ― no pill exists to dull the hurt. Billions of dollars are lost every year in sick days taken to alleviate chronic pain, and as much money is spent by the healthcare system to diagnose what's wrong. http://phys.org/news191503648.html Medicine & Health Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:27:39 EST news191503648 Black men with chronic pain related to an accident, injury, illness, surgery or other causes were more likely to experience depression, affective distress and disability than white men with chronic pain, according to a new study by the University of Michigan Health System. http://phys.org/news190560139.html Medicine & Health Thu, 15 Apr 2010 14:22:36 EST news190560139 (PhysOrg.com) -- A new study published in the journal Pain offers support for the benefits of yoga-style breathing and meditation to help control chronic pain. http://phys.org/news189951566.html Medicine & Health Thu, 08 Apr 2010 13:20:19 EST news189951566 (PhysOrg.com) -- Many women with an elevated risk for osteoporosis-related fractures fail to perceive themselves as high risk compared with other women of the same age. http://phys.org/news189430284.html Medicine & Health Fri, 02 Apr 2010 12:50:01 EST news189430284 (PhysOrg.com) -- Many pediatricians don't think it's their responsibility to treat severe, chronic pain in their patients, according to a new study co-authored by several University of Florida College of Medicine researchers and an investigator from Molloy College. http://phys.org/news186851652.html Medicine & Health Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:30:02 EST news186851652 Neurotoxins from cone snails and spiders help neurobiologists Sebastian Auer, Annika S. Stürzebecher and Dr. Ines Ibañez-Tallon of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, Germany, to investigate the function of ion channels in neurons. http://phys.org/news185020330.html Chemistry Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:50:01 EST news185020330 Scientists at the University of Liverpool have discovered that treating the immune system of patients with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CPRS) leads to a significant reduction in pain. http://phys.org/news184269793.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:40:03 EST news184269793 More and more Americans with chronic pain not caused by cancer are taking medically prescribed opioids like Oxycontin (oxycodone) and Vicodin (hydrocodone). The January 19 Annals of Internal Medicine features the first study to explore the risk of overdose in patients prescribed opioids for chronic noncancer pain in general health care. The study links risk of fatal and nonfatal opioid overdose to prescription use -- strongly associating the risk with the prescribed dose. http://phys.org/news183049118.html Medicine & Health Mon, 18 Jan 2010 17:00:01 EST news183049118 Researchers report that the human body has an entirely unique and separate sensory system aside from the nerves that give most of us the ability to touch and feel. Surprisingly, this sensory network is located throughout our blood vessels and sweat glands, and is for most people, largely imperceptible. This discovery may shed light on the causes of unexplained chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia. http://phys.org/news179482563.html Medicine & Health Tue, 08 Dec 2009 08:16:53 EST news179482563 Chronic pain is experienced by as many as two out of three older adults. Now, a new study finds that pain may be more hazardous than previously thought, contributing to an increased risk of falls in adults over age 70. The findings appear in the November 25 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). http://phys.org/news178306314.html Medicine & Health Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:50:06 EST news178306314 At the moment a newborn switches from amniotic fluid to breathing air, another profound shift occurs: nerve cells in the brain convert from hyperexcitability to a calm frame against which outside signals can be detected. http://phys.org/news177701546.html Medicine & Health Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:34:29 EST news177701546 Chronic pain patients with a history of depression are three times more likely to receive long-term prescriptions for opioid medications like Vicodin compared to pain patients who do not suffer from depression, according to new research. http://phys.org/news177614375.html Medicine & Health Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:50:02 EST news177614375