#102: Reign Over Pain, Installment #8 [15:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (481)

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.

 

 #86: Reign Over Pain - Commanding News You Can Use to Benefit Your Hurting Patients. Installment #6 [21:43m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (684)

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

 

 #57: Infection - Inflammation, Installment #4 [31:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (587)

Infection - Inflammation: Calor, Dolor, Rubor, Tumor for the 21st century Neurologist. Installment: #4.

Publication Date: Feb 16, 2007.

Show Notes: Prions - the creepy culprits causing Mad Cow Disease in England, and Kuru in Papua New Guinea cannibals. Thanks to contaminated blood products from silent carrier-donors, they are back in the news. Given the possible 30-year incubation time frame for prions, there may be reason for concern.

And neuroimaging shows fibromyalgia is not just ‘all in the head’ - it’s affecting the peripheral nervous system too.

Links:

• www.blog.wired.com - Is transmissible spongiform encephalopathy really caused by a virus, not the prion?
• www.endfatigue.com - A doctor claims to provide relief to over 90% of his fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue patients.