Archive for the ‘Back Pain’ Category

Benefits of Hot Tubs

Today, the stress and keep a pace of life are the main responsible for the occurrence of diseases such as chronic back pain, contractures, tension, migraines and other headaches, digestive disorders, etc …

To counteract the accumulation of broad we try to make a hole in our schedule and be pampered. A relaxing bath, aromatic showers and massages with essential oils can bring comfort and a quiet hard to achieve.

In this case we focus on the whirlpool. They can work with different water temperatures causing different effects on the body.

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Vegetative state: a minimally conscious state often passes unnoticed

About 40% of people with a diagnosis of vegetative state are actually in a minimally conscious state, according to a recent study published in the journal BMC Neurology.

In a vegetative state, reflexes are intact and the person can breathe unaided, but there is no conscience. The minimally conscious state is a gray area, recognized recently in which people can feel some physical pain, experiencing certain emotions and connect to a certain extent. But, because consciousness is intermittent, it can be very difficult to differentiate the two states.

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In 2002, Joseph Giacino of the JFK Rehabilitation Institute (New Jersey, USA) and colleagues have developed the first diagnostic criteria for minimally conscious state. In 2004, Giacino published the revised scale of the Coma Recovery (CRS-R) which consists of a series of behavioral tests based on diagnostic criteria used to distinguish the two states.

To check whether the new scale improved diagnostics, and Caroline Giacino Schnakers the Coma Science Group at the University of Liege (Belgium) spent two years in use to diagnose people who have suffered head injuries resulting in disruption of consciousness.

Of the 44 people who had previously been diagnosed as being in a vegetative state by clinicians, 18 (41%) were diagnosed as being in a conscientious mininale with the new scale.

“We may have become too comfortable about our ability to detect consciousness”, says DR. Giacino. “I think it is appropriate that there be some level of concern about that.”

However he concedes that, because there is no objective way to measure consciousness, the possibility that the scale-diagnoses the minimally conscious state can not be excluded.

But Dr. Schnakers argues that the scale should be more accurate than other diagnostic tools used because it specifies how often each test should be repeated and how many responses are required to give an indication of consciousness. This, she says, prevents to miss someone of consciousness in which the latter is not constant, or be mistaken in taking a reflex response to a response based on consciousness. It also helps control the preconceived idea of the evaluator.

The difference between a vegetative state or minimally conscious state can make a huge difference to the individual and the family. Drug treatments, including painkillers, physical therapies designed to stimulate the brain and techniques to encourage communication are more likely to be offered to someone who is in a minimally conscious state. In some jurisdictions, the withdrawal or absence of food may depend on the diagnosis. “It is very important to be sure of the diagnosis,” said Schnakers.

Acupuncture causes the release of natural painkillers

acupunctureAcupuncture promotes the release of natural painkillers in the body, suggests a new study, published in the journal Nature Neusroscience, providing a possible physiological explanation of how this treatment. Adenosine has anti-inflammatory and helps regulate sleep. It also relieves pain by blocking nerve signals.

He had already been shown that acupuncture has an effect on the production of endorphins (natural painkillers) into the brain. This study demonstrates its impact on the peripheral nervous system (consisting of nerves outside the brain and spinal cord), the researchers said.

Maiken Nedergaard, neuroscientist at the University of Rochester (New York) and colleagues have performed acupuncture treatments on mice suffering from pain in one leg. They were treated for 30 minutes to an acupuncture point known around the knee.

In mice genetically engineered to lack adenosine receptors, acupuncture had no effect, whereas in normal mice, it reduced the discomfort of two thirds. During and after treatment, levels of adenosine in the tissues near the needle were 24 times higher than before treatment. The increased level of adenosine, even without acupuncture, also led to the reduction of pain.

The effects of acupuncture were amplified by a drug against cancer, deoxycoformycin, which makes more difficult the removal of adenosine tissue. The drug tripled the accumulation of adenosine in the muscles and the duration of efficacy was more than tripled.

Chronic back pain: cognitive-behavioral therapy is effective

mid-back-painPeople with chronic pain in the lower back can reap the benefits of a long-term cognitive behavioral therapy, according to a study published in The Lancet. Because the way a person thinks about this disease changes the way it adapts.

Zara Hansen and his colleagues at Warwick University have conducted the study with 701 people suffering from daily pain and stiffness in the lower back.

They were randomly assigned to receive standard therapy (medications against pain, advice to stay active) or the same treatment plus a cognitive-behavioral therapy (individual sessions and six group sessions focusing on behavior and beliefs about physical activity as well as negative thoughts).

After three months, the impact of therapy was comparable to that reported with other conventional treatments for back pain such as exercise, acupuncture, manipulation and treatment. After a year, however, those who received therapy reported improved twice as much of their pain (59% versus 31%).

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