Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Brief Meditation Can Increase Pain Tolerance

Not many are aware that meditation can help relieve pain. The good news is, you don't have to be an expert in meditation to benefit from it. Based on research, even spending a brief meditation training can produce a positive effect on perception of pain.

The study involved college students who had never practiced meditation before and were given one hour of meditation training for three consecutive days to measure their general sensitivity to pain.

According to researcher Fadel Zeidan, one doesn't need to go through rigid training in mindfulness meditation to experience its benefits. Zeidan and his team found that meditation training appeared to have a positive effect on pain perception and tolerance even when the trained participants were not meditating. Since meditation is a form of distraction, it was not surprising that it had a positive impact on pain perception.

The study also made use of meditation and solving math equations in relation to reducing high-level pain. However, only meditation reduced both high and low-level pain at the same time.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Cigarette Ad Targets Female Teens


An anti-smoking group claims that RJ Reynolds cigarette brand Camel No. 9 may have targeted teenage girls in their marketing and advertising campaign. After it came out in leading women's magazines, 44% of the girls aged 15 were able to name a cigarette brand based on advertising.

RJ Reynolds denied directing its marketing strategy to teens. Camel No. 9 was launched in early 2007. One ad concept shows a classic little black dress in high fashion layout, with women's accessories and cigarettes packaged in black leather, bordered in magenta or teal.

In another layout, the teal-menthol and magenta-regular cigarette packs are bedecked with flowers and have a tagline that reads “light and luscious.”

The ad campaign was featured briefly in 10 national magazines, which included Vogue, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, In Style, and Marie Claire. During the launch, Camel No. 9 gave-away several freebies like cellphone jewelry, berry-flavored lip balm, and Rocker Girl wristbands.

Even if cigarette manufacturers don't admit targeting teens for their advertising and marketing campaigns, they have a long history of marketing to women since the mid-1920s, with the Lucky Strike brand ad that featured figure-conscious women to “Reach for a Lucky Instead of a Sweet.”

Knowing More About Nerve Pains


Nerve pain is a condition that can be hard to bear. Those who suffer from nerve pain may feel it in varied ways. One may feel it like a stabbing pain in the middle of the night. Another may experience it as a chronic tingling or burning sensation throughout the day.

Pain should warn a person. Like when getting too close to something hot like the stove, pain signals from the nerves to the brain allows you to pull back in time before you burn yourself. However, having nerve pain may cause system dysfunction.

When the nerves get damaged, they may send you false signals. You either feel real pain without any real cause or it may keep you from feeling anything even when you are already injured. Damaged nerve can make your body become overly sensitive. A gentle breeze on your face may cause you to feel excruciating pain. Simple daily routines like walking or even just standing in a queue can make you feel irate.

Nerve pain can make you lose your sense of touch. Such that, working with your hands may become very difficult. Prompt treatment may help you get in control of this condition. You may consult through medical consultation via online.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Caffeine For Headache

Did you know that caffeine is a treatment for headache? Caffeine is a type of drug known to increase ones alertness level. To some people, it can help relieve fatigue and rejuvenate muscle coordination.

Usually, when we speak of caffeine, coffee would easily comes to to mind. However, there are other sources of caffeine such as chocolate and tea as well as in softdrinks and over-the-counter pain relievers and medications. In fact, caffeine is an ingredient commonly found in a lot of prescription and non-prescription headache medications. Pain relievers are 40% more effective due to their caffeine additives. Because caffeine helps the body in absorbing the medication faster, sufferer experiences quick relief from the condition. It also helps in reducing the risk for potential side effects and possible drug addiction.

However, some people may have different sensitivity to caffeine. Too much of it may cause sleep problems, abdominal pain, and anxiety. When people overuse or misuse pain relief drugs containing caffeine, they could develop rebound headache. Getting rid of rebound headache means stopping the use of all medications completely.

Auhtor: Ramon Bravante


Friday, March 12, 2010

Magnetic Impulses To Ease Migraine


Even if there are over-the-counter medications available to help ease migraine attacks, many sufferers find them to be ineffective. That is why scientists have started experimenting on magnetic impulses known as single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation, or sTMS, as treatment to migraine attacks.

In the past, research studies made use of large devices that are not suitable and expensive to use outside the clinic. This time, they experimented on hand-held devices which proved to be effective in preventing migraine attacks. In addition to relieving pain, sTMS is non-invasive and doesn't have any side effect.

Migraine with aura is characterized by symptoms of bright lights or shimmering zigzag lines, a few minutes prior to an intense headache. As experts try to understand the actual mechanisms of migraine, researchers have found out that administration of sTMS during the study have effectively decreased progression of the headache in some participants.

More research, however, is needed to know what is the best dosage to establish cost-effectiveness and optimum timing of the treatment.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Suffering In Silence May Lead To Chronic Pain


The military is a place where strength and determination are the core values. In a culture that relies on persistence under adversity, acknowledgement of pain is a sign of weakness. That is why many soldiers experiencing post traumatic stress disorder and depression prefer to suffer in silence.

Veterans coming from a war assignment definitely have horrible memories of their survival. The sounds of explosions and gunfire, as well as the shrieks of friends and enemies alike may linger in their ears for a long period of time. Scenes of shooting and people dying may continue to haunt them even long after the dead bodies have been buried.

Suffering in silence can only compound the problem. The trauma of war can cause severe stress and anxiety and may lead to other serious medical conditions. Experts associate PTSD to a life of chronic pain. They usually experience severe headaches and anxiety attacks. Without proper treatment, these invisible aching wounds of war can ruin not only the soldier's life, but also the lives of the people around him. And since pain and depression usually go hand in hand, both conditions need to be treated at the same time.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Make Grooming And Hygiene Easier For Arthritis Patients

Living with chronic pain is not a breeze, but you can make it a lot more bearable if you have the following tools, gadgets, and even amenities to make daily function easier.

Definitely, people suffering from arthritis will find it hard to move around, and yet they would prefer some amount of privacy during private moments such as taking a bath. Here are a few suggestions on how to take care of your personal hygiene and grooming when there is no one around to provide help:

Equipped the bathroom with long-handled brushes or sponges to scrub hard-to-reach body parts.

Provide shower benches, not only for you to sit on, but to navigate getting into and out of the bathtub more conveniently.

Place non-skid rubber bathmats on the floor as well as grab bars to avoid accidents and easier navigation.

Install lever-type faucets instead of knobs for easier handling. A shower spray with hose attachment can make rinsing a lot easier.

For those who have difficulty bending down, a raised toilet seat can do the trick.

Author: Ramon Bravante