By Rachel Nall MSN CRNA Reviewed by Cameron White, MD, MPH Many people think of chickenpox as a childhood disease, but adults can get it, too. In a healthy person, the varicella-zoster — or chickenpox — virus usually causes mild symptoms. However, in adults with chronic medical issues, especially those with weakened immune systems, more severe symptoms are possible....
Tag: <span>chronic pain</span>
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Scorpion toxin that targets ‘wasabi receptor’ may help solve mystery of chronic pain
by University of California, San Francisco Researchers at UC San Francisco and the University of Queensland have discovered a scorpion toxin that targets the “wasabi receptor,” a chemical-sensing protein found in nerve cells that’s responsible for the sinus-jolting sting of wasabi and the flood of tears associated with chopping onions. Because the toxin triggers a...
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Brain Inflammation in Patients with Fibromyalgia
By Osman Shabir, M.Sc. Reviewed by Dr. Jennifer Logan, MD, MPH Fibromyalgia is a condition in which there is extensive chronic pain across the body with an increased pain response to pressure, which would normally not be painful. Central to the pathogenesis of fibromyalgia is impaired nociceptive (pain) signal processing in the nervous system. Therefore, fibromyalgia in its pure form is...
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One step closer to chronic pain relief
Posted Today While effective drugs against chronic pain are not just around the corner, researchers from Aarhus University have succeeded in identifying a protein as a future potential target for medicinal drugs. Basic research shows that blocking a protein named sortilin prevents pain – initially in laboratory mice. Chronic pain can occur all over the body, and the patients have in...
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Researchers build ‘mirror therapy’ VR game to improve NHS patient experience
by Birmingham City University Dr. Andrew Wilson and colleagues from Birmingham City University built the CRPS app in collaboration with clinical staff at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust for a new way to tackle complex regional pain syndrome and to aid people living with musculoskeletal conditions. Using a head mounted display and controllers, the team...
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Identifying barriers to care for women with endometriosis
Women face a multitude of barriers to receiving quality care for endometriosis, a chronic, often painful disease that affects approximately 10% of reproductive-age women, an estimated 200 million women and teens worldwide. Endometriosis is a systemic, inflammatory disease that occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows elsewhere in the body. With symptoms like infertility, chronic pelvic pain, painful periods, painful sex,...
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Tiny, implantable device uses light to treat bladder problems
A team of neuroscientists and engineers has developed a tiny, implantable device that has the potential to help people with bladder problems bypass the need for medication or electronic stimulators. This CT scan of a rat shows a small device implanted around the bladder. The device — developed by scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the University of Illinois and Northwestern University — uses light....
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Digital Pain Reduction Kit Against Chronic Pain
A new digital pain reduction kit was designed in a partnership between Samsung Health, the German pharma giant, Bayer, healthcare start-up appliedVR, the Travelers insurance company and the Cedars Sinai Medical Center, announced Dr. Brennan Spiegel. The set will be tested in a randomized trial to reduce opioids and speed up the return to work...
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Can stimulating the brain treat chronic pain?
An EEG of a naturally occurring alpha oscillation in a human brain. Enhancing these electric oscillations may help treat people with depression. Credit: University of North Carolina Health Care For the first time, researchers at the UNC School of Medicine showed they could target one brain region with a weak alternating current of electricity, enhance...
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Medical marijuana a hit with seniors
July 5, 2018 by Serena Gordon, Healthday Reporter In a new survey, those who turned to it for treating chronic pain reported it reduced pain and decreased the need for opioid painkillers. (HealthDay)—Seniors are giving rave reviews for medical marijuana Nine out of 10 liked it so much they said they’d recommend medical pot to others. “I...