CHRONIC PAIN
• Common Pain killers Don’t Ease Back Pain: Commonly used
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, used to
treat back pain provide little benefit, but cause side effects, according to
new research. The findings of the systematic review reveal only one in six
patients treated with the pills, also known as NSAIDs, achieve any significant
reduction in pain. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
• Quicker treatment of low back pain leads to faster improvement and lower healthcare costs andutilization: Researchers have created a new protocol that gives patients with low back
pain quicker access to treatment, and this protocol is showing signs of better
patient outcomes and lower healthcare costs and utilization, according to new
research. The rapid access protocol (RAP) created by the researchers allows
patients whose insurance covers physical therapy without a physician referral
to undergo screening with a physical therapist and begin treatment as quickly
as possible. Science Daily
•
Try Drug-Free Options First for Low Back Pain,New Guidelines Say: People with low back pain should try drug-free remedies -- from simple heat wraps to physical therapy -- before resorting to medication, according to new treatment guidelines, released by the American College of Physicians (ACP). The recommendations put more emphasis on nondrug therapies than previous ones have. They stress that powerful opioid painkillers -- such as OxyContin and Vicodin -- should be used only as a last resort in some cases of long-lasting back pain. Another change: When medication is needed, acetaminophen (Tylenol) is no longer recommended. Annals of Internal Medicine
• Personalized physical therapy brings relief for lower back pain: Impaired movement control may result in chronic lower back pain. A new study shows that the combination of manual therapy and exercise is an excellent way to combat movement control impairment in the lower back. This combination reduced the disability experienced by patients and significantly improved their functional ability. A personally tailored exercise program was more beneficial for patients than a generic one, and the treatment results also persisted at a 12-month follow-up. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
• Rotator Cuff Pain?Genetics Might Be to Blame: A new study shows rotator cuff disease might be a
heritable trait. Rotator cuff disease is a common disorder that affects 30 to
50 percent of people over the age of 50. The disease often leads to shoulder
pain and loss of function. While many think of this as a ‘tear’ due to an
injury or sustained over/misuse, some studies suggest genetics might play a
role. Science Daily
• Is the pain
coming from your hip, spine or both?: Many patients live with low back pain that
radiates to the buttock, groin, thigh, and even knees. The challenge for
patients, and often their doctors, is determining the origin of the pain -- the
hip, the spine or both. A new article outlines the identical symptoms
associated with hip and spine pain and discusses the diagnostic steps and tests
required to treat them appropriately. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
• Bacteria links
Crohn's disease to arthritis: Patients with Crohn's disease, a type of inflammatory
bowel disease (IBD) that causes abdominal pain and diarrhea, can also
experience joint pain. In Crohn's disease, which affects about 800,000
Americans, the immune system can attack not only the bowels, but the
musculoskeletal system as well, leading to spondyloarthritis, a painful
condition that affects the spine and joints.
Science Translational Medicine
• Pain during alcohol withdrawal Electroacupuncture may help: Hyperalgesia refers to an increased
sensitivity to pain. It can occur during alcohol withdrawal, and may contribute
to a relapse to drinking. Alternative therapies such as acupuncture and electroacupuncture
(EA; which combines acupuncture with electrical stimulation) are effective in
reducing pain and, possibly, alcohol-withdrawal symptoms. This rodent study
investigated whether EA can alleviate hyperalgesia during alcohol withdrawal,
potentially reducing the risk of a relapse to drinking, and whether it achieves
this effect via action at mu opioid receptors (MORs) located in a brain region
called the lateral habenula. Alcoholism:
Clinical and Experimental Research
COMPLEMENTARY & ALTERNATIVE
MEDICINE
•
Drinking Peroxide as ‘Natural’ Leads to Dangerous Blood Clots: Alternative
drinking "therapies" that proactively promote the health benefits of
potent peroxide. These so-called "super water" cures are anything but
curative, researchers said, with ingestion leading to heart attack, stroke, and
in some cases, death. Annals of Emergency Medicine
• Low Back Pain? Relax, Breathe and Try Yoga: For people
experiencing low back pain, yoga may be a natural fit in the quest to relieve
an aching back, a new review indicates. The findings come from an analysis of
12 studies that included more than 1,000 participants with lower back pain. The
studies compared yoga to physical therapy or patient education. There was some
evidence that yoga led to small improvements in pain, and small to moderate
improvements in back function at three and six months. Cochrane Library
FDA ACTION
• Trulance Approved for Chronic Constipation
• Reports 5 dog deaths due to ingesting small amounts of fluorouracil,
a skin cancer cream.
PREVENTION
• Link between weight and certain brain functions: Memory training is far less effective in older adults who are obese than
those who aren't, a new study finds. The research included about 2,800 people,
average age 74, who were followed for more than 10 years. Obese participants
gained only one-third of the benefit of memory training compared with those who
weren't obese, the study authors said. However, the study didn't find any
differences by weight in the benefits from training in reasoning and
problem-solving, or in thought-processing speed. Obesity
• Nearly Half of US Men Infected with HPV: About 45 percent of U.S. men are infected with the
sexually transmitted disease, as are 45 percent of women. Among women, the
prevalence of HPV infection drops to about 22 percent as they age, but it
remains high among men. Most people infected with HPV don't know they have it
and don't develop health problems from it, according to the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. But HPV is not a benign infection. More than
9,000 cases of HPV-related cancers occur in men each year. HPV is the cause of
63 percent of penile, 91 percent of anal, and 72 percent of oral and throat
cancers, the researchers noted. JAMA Oncology
• Too Much Sitting Ages you Faster: Researchers who assessed nearly 1,500 older women
found those who sat most of the day and got little exercise had cells that were
biologically older by eight years than the women's actual age. American Journal
of Epidemiology
• E-Cigarettes May Be
Less Toxic Than Tobacco: "Our study shows that bodily level exposure to
established and important smoking-related carcinogens and toxicants is reduced
by between 56 percent to 97 percent in long-term e-cigarette users who have
stopped smoking completely, compared with tobacco cigarette smokers.” Annals of
Internal Medicine
NUTRITION/SUPPLEMENTS/VITAMINS
• Diets High in
Barbecued, grilled and smoked meats lowers survival after breast cancer: The study involved
more than 1,500 women who had been diagnosed with the cancer in 1996 and 1997.
The study participants were followed for nearly 20 years. Eating lots of
grilled, barbecued or smoked meat before their cancer diagnosis was linked with
a 23 percent increased risk of dying from any cause during the follow-up period
compared with low intake, the researchers said. And continuing to eat lots of
meat cooked in this fashion after breast cancer seemed to increase those odds,
the findings suggested. Beef, pork and lamb, in particular, were singled out as
potentially troublesome. Journal of the National Cancer Institute
• Whole Grain Goods May Help You Stay Slim: Switching to whole-grain foods might help keep your
weight in check as much as a brisk 30-minute daily walk would, a new study
suggests. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
can reduce the
production of IgE, the antibodies that cause allergic reactions and asthma
symptoms in people with milder cases of asthma. But in patients with severe
asthma who use high doses of oral steroids, the omega-3 fatty acids are less effective
because the
corticosteroids
block the beneficial effects. Journal of Clinical Investigation
•
Cutting Salt a Health Boost for Kidney Patients: Encouraging people
with kidney disease to reduce their salt intake may help improve blood pressure
and cut excess fluid retention, at least for a while, a new study suggests.
Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology
•
Possible Drawback to Gluten-Free: America's love affair with
gluten-free foods may come at a cost: greater intake of the toxic metals
arsenic and mercury, a new study contends. Gluten-free products often contain
rice flour as a substitute for wheat, rye and barley. And rice is known to
accumulate arsenic and mercury from fertilizers, soil and water. Epidemiology
•
Vitamin D Linked to Lower Risk of Respiratory Infections: There's
preliminary evidence that adequate amounts of vitamin D might help lower rates
of respiratory infections, such as colds, bronchitis and pneumonia, the researchers
said.In a review of past trials of people taking vitamin D supplements,
researchers found that supplementation was linked to a 12 percent reduction in
the proportion of people having an "acute respiratory infection." BMJ
TREATMENT
• Think You’re Allergic to Penicillin? Check Again: According to UT Southwestern researchers, 90
percent of people who have a penicillin allergy listed in their medical records
didn't actually have a reaction when exposed to the medication during an
allergy test. Doctors can test for a penicillin allergy in a two-step process.
First, they do a skin test. If that result is negative, patients are given an
oral penicillin challenge to verify the result. HealthDay
• Common pain
relievers may increase heart attack risk during respiratory infections: Widely used pain
relievers may increase the risk of a heart attack when used during a cold or
flu-like illness, according to a new study. The findings suggest physicians and
patients should use caution when prescribing or taking the medications, known
as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, to ease symptoms of acute
respiratory infections. Journal of Infectious Diseases
• New guideline provides clinical recommendations for specific insomnia drugs: A new clinical
practice guideline is the first from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine to
provide comprehensive, evidence-based analyses of individual agents commonly
used in the treatment of chronic insomnia disorder. The clinical practice
guideline includes 14 specific recommendations for individual agents, including
prescription medications such as zolpidem and eszopiclone; over-the-counter
medications such as diphenhydramine; and dietary supplements such as melatonin
and valerian. Each recommendation suggests whether clinicians should or should
not use the individual drug for sleep onset insomnia or sleep maintenance
insomnia, versus no treatment. However, the guideline does not recommend one
drug over another since few comparative efficacy studies have been conducted
among these agents. Journal of
Clinical Sleep Medicine
• B vitamins reduce schizophrenia symptoms, study finds: A review of worldwide studies has found that
add-on treatment with high-dose B vitamins -- including B6, B8 and B12 -- can
significantly reduce symptoms of schizophrenia more than standard treatments
alone. Psychological Medicine
CAREGIVERS
• Partners Of Breast Cancer Patients Suffers too: The stress of managing breast cancer care
provokes symptoms of anxiety in more than 42 percent of partners and
caregivers. And this stress-induced anxiety can last years after their loved
one's illness, researchers found. American Society for Clinical Oncology
• Caregivers should
be screened early, often to prevent depression, anxiety: Currently, more than
34 million people in the U.S. care for terminally ill love ones, but few
resources are available to help them navigate the challenges they encounter. A
study has found that nearly one-quarter of caregivers were moderately or
severely depressed and nearly one-third had moderate or severe anxiety. The
researchers recommend that health providers remember to treat the whole family,
providing ongoing screening to family caregivers to identify early signs of
depression and anxiety.
Journal of
Palliative Medicine
OTHER
• Screen Time May Not Be So Bad for Teens: Teens who log hours of screen time every day -- on
video games, smartphones, computers, TV and the like -- may not be doing
themselves any harm, a new study suggests. A digital "sweet spot" of
screen time might even benefit teens' well-being by allowing them to develop
social connections and personal skills, according to the findings. The study
authors said the teens' mental well-being tended to peak in one of these daily
scenarios: Playing video games for about 1 hour and 40 minutes; Fooling with their
smartphone for about 1 hour and 57 minutes; Watching videos for about 3 hours
and 41 minutes; Using computers for about 4 hours and 17 minutes. Psychological
Science
• Scientists develop game-changing blood test for concussions: A new blood test can now accurately diagnose a
concussion using a form of blood profiling known as metabolomics.that
identifies with greater than 90 per cent certainty whether or not an adolescent
athlete has suffered a concussion. blood is drawn from an individual that may
have suffered a concussion as the result of a sudden blow to the head (or from
transmitted forces from a sudden blow to the body) within 72 hours of the
incident. The scientists measure a panel of metabolites -- small molecules that
are the products of the body's metabolism -- in the blood to search for
distinct patterns that indicate a concussion has occurred. Metabolomics
