#102: Reign Over Pain, Installment #8 [15:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (259)

Commanding news you can use to benefit your hurting patients - Part 2 of a 2-part mini series.

Hear these reports:

• Fibrates and Statins Cut Peripheral Neuropathy Risk: in a subgroup of 530 people, fibrates reduced the risk of neuropathy by essentially 50%, and statins reduced the risk by 35%.
• Monofilaments for Peripheral Neuropathy Testing Often Inaccurate: current monofilaments are rarely accurate – with up to 100% false positives (for some monofilaments). A new, more reliable monofilament device was described and endorsed in the story.
• Fibromyalgia Pain May Be Caused by Neuron Mismatch: unexplained pain experienced by patients with fibromyalgia is the result of a mismatch between sensory and motor systems.
• Opiod System Controls Pain, Reward and Addictive Behaviors: The report supports the idea that any further research on - and development of - morphine-related drugs may necessarily result in more addictive analgesics; also that blocking the mu-receptor may hold promise for the treatment of drug abuse and addiction. Another key point was made regarding the delta opiate receptor: that delta-agonists may be useful to alleviate affective disorders, to improve emotional states.
• Morphine: should it be a comfort measure for the dying or pain control for the living? Between 40-70% of cancer patients may not have sufficient pain control, and misconceptions about morphine may be a contributing factor.
• Postpartum Headache Requires Stepwise Approach: We present the breakdown of the diagnoses in 95 cases of post-partum headaches. The original story provides a detailed algorithm for the workup.

Next week’s show: It will be our 9th installment of Defeating Dementia - Promising news and approaches for progressive brain disorders. During the first of another 2-part mini series we’ll cover important dementia-related news on Alzheimer’s disease markers, genetic discoveries around dementia, how stress may contribute to developing Alzheimer’s and a lot more.

 

 #101: Reign Over Pain, Installment #7 [29:46m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (249)

Commanding news you can use to benefit your hurting patients - Part 1 of a 2-part mini series.

Hear these reports:

• Migraine patients are at high risk for Serotonin Syndrome: consider the syndrome in any migraine patient with flu-like signs and symptoms, who is also taking combination of triptan plus an SSRI (or plus another serotonin agonist drug). Also: Seratonin Syndrome, and Libby Zion are what let to the changes in US residency training (from the Libby Law).

• One-third of migraineurs can expect complete pain relief. This is promising news. Also in this study, over a12-year follow-up period only 1.6% of migraineurs developed chronic migraines.

• Role of the Stem Cell Factor (SCF) gene (for the factor and it’s receptor) in our sensitivity to pain: the discovery may lead to new approaches for treating pain, the drug Gleevac for example, which blocks the SCF receptor.

• Evidence is lacking that shoe insoles prevent general back pain: better methodologies and studies needed to study whether insoles useful in treating existing backpain or in secondary prevention.

Next week’s show: Our 8th installment of Reign Over Pain - Commanding news you can use to benefit your hurting patients. This will be Part 2 of the 2-part mini series on pain medicine. A few of the news topics we’ll cover: Fibrates and statins appear to cut the risk of neuropathy; fibromyalgia may be caused by a sensory-motor neuron mismatch; insights into the opiod pain control system; morphine as a comfort measure for the dying - or should it be for pain control for the living? And finally, the stepwise approach to managing postpartum headache.

 

 #86: Reign Over Pain - Commanding News You Can Use to Benefit Your Hurting Patients. Installment #6 [21:43m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (501)

Web links:

• Refractory Migraine Diagnostic Criteria Proposed
• Meta-Analysis Suggests Link Between PFO, Migraine
• Peripartum Migraines Linked To Increased Risk For All Vascular Events
• Combination Treatment Reduced Migraine Activity
• Refractory Migraine Diagnostic Criteria Proposed
• Venous Stenting Leads To Long-Term Reprieve From Exertional Headache
• Pregabalin Is First Drug To Get Fibromyalgia Approval
• Providers Unaware Of Shifts In Opioid Rx Rules
• Pain Treatment Centers Recognized

 

 #72: Reign over Pain, Installment #5 [31:53m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (609)

Reign over Pain - Commanding news you can use to benefit your hurting patients. Installment #5

Publication Date: May 25th, 2007.

Jeff Evans - we welcome you as STAT reporter! Jeff is a neuroscientist, and an International Medical News Group Senior writer.

Focus: Opioid analgesia - controversies and potential solutions.

1. Point/Counterpoint - Are opioids an appropriate treatment for chronic nonmalignant pain?
2. Matching Drug to the Pain Can Limit Opioid Abuse
3. NIH Launches Addiction Study - using Suboxone
4. Combination Therapy Relieved Neuropathic Pain in Close to 80%: antidepressant + antiepileptic.
5. Steroid Injections Have Limited Role in Lubosacral Care.

And last but not least: A mysterious golden earring called “Zerosmoke”

 

 #49 - Reign Over Pain Precis - synopsis of our first 3 installments of Reign Over Pain [31:52m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (369)

Reign Over Pain Precis - synopsis of our first 3 installments of Reign Over Pain (STAT episodes 22, 30 and 38).

Publication Date: 12/22/06.

Show Notes:

Join the STAT ‘podonauts’ to refresh your memory on the new Headache specialty; how to treat — and how NOT to treat — migraines; the guidelines for treating pain from diabetic peripheral neuropathy; and the link between migraines and hear disease (might PFO be related?). Also, neurology professionals and doctors of all types have had a bit of ‘pain’ in their hearts over the proposed cuts in Medicare payments - listen and learn how Congress has provided at least a little legislative analgesia for 2007. And learn how to ‘just say no’ to patients, and how to take a step back from overused migraine drugs.

 

 #38 - Reign Over Pain, Installment #3 [38:01m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (380)

This is installment #3 of Reign Over Pain — Commanding news you can use to benefit your hurting patients — with focus on headache.

Publication Date: 10/06/06.

Show notes: It’s all things headache-related today. Shortchanged by Medicare in your treatment of headache? We have some secrets, which may help you get paid what you deserve. And would you send your pediatric migraine patient to an adult ED? And much more, like, what are your thoughts on using placebos in clinical practice? Also, who is “Cranium Commando”?

Show Links:
http://www.chinadaily.com/
http://www.medicalnewspodcasts.com/

 

 #30 - Reign Over Pain: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (646)

Commanding news you can use to benefit your hurting patients.

Publication date: August 11, 2006

 

 #22 - Reign Over Pain [27:29m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (428)

Commanding news you can use to benefit your hurting patients.