This is a comprehensive manual containing all the necessary information for making the best of living with a devastating disease and its miserable symptoms and side effects.
Drug overdose, driven largely by overdose related to the use of opioids, is now the leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States. The ongoing opioid crisis lies at the intersection of two public health challenges: reducing the burden of suffering from pain and containing the rising toll of the harms that can arise from the use of opioid medications. Chronic pain and opioid use disorder both represent complex human conditions affecting millions of Americans and causing untold disability and loss of function. In the context of the growing opioid problem, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched an Opioids Action Plan in early 2016. As part of this plan, the FDA asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to convene a committee to update the state of the science on pain research, care, and education and to identify actions the FDA and others can take to respond to the opioid epidemic, with a particular focus on informing FDA's development of a formal method for incorporating individual and societal considerations into its risk-benefit framework for opioid approval and monitoring.
This invaluable, no-nonsense handbook for those with cancer and their families and caregivers explores all the pain-relieving options available in the modern medical arsenal--from drugs and high tech medical procedures to psychological and cognitive techniques and home nursing tips. Illustrations.
Most women who die from cervical cancer, particularly in developing countries, are in the prime of their life. They may be raising children, caring for their family, and contributing to the social and economic life of their town or village. Their death is both a personal tragedy, and a sad and unnecessary loss to their family and their community. Unnecessary, because there is compelling evidence, as this Guide makes clear, that cervical cancer is one of the most preventable and treatable forms of cancer, as long as it is detected early and managed effectively. Unfortunately, the majority of women in developing countries still do not have access to cervical cancer prevention programmes. The consequence is that, often, cervical cancer is not detected until it is too late to be cured. An urgent effort is required if this situation is to be corrected. This Guide is intended to help those responsible for providing services aimed at reducing the burden posed by cervical cancer for women, communities and health systems. It focuses on the knowledge and skills needed by health care providers, at different levels of care.
Trigger point therapy is one of the fastest-growing and most effective pain therapies in the world. Medical doctors, chiropractors, physical therapists, and massage therapists are all beginning to use this technique to relieve patients’ formerly undiagnosable muscle and joint pain, both conditions that studies have shown to be the cause of nearly 25 percent of all doctor visits. This book addresses the problem of myofascial trigger points—tiny contraction knots that develop in a muscle when it is injured or overworked. Restricted circulation and lack of oxygen in these points cause referred pain. Massage of the trigger is the safest, most natural, and most effective form of pain therapy. Trigger points create pain throughout the body in predictable patterns characteristic to each muscle, producing discomfort ranging from mild to severe. Trigger point massage increases circulation and oxygenation in the area and often produces instant relief. The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook, Third Edition, has made a huge impact among health professionals and the public alike, becoming an overnight classic in the field of pain relief. This edition includes a new chapter by the now deceased author, Clair Davies’ daughter, Amber Davies, who is passionate about continuing her father’s legacy. The new edition also includes postural assessments and muscle tests, an illustrated index of symptoms, and clinical technique drawings and descriptions to assist both practitioners and regular readers in assessing and treating trigger points. If you have ever suffered from, or have treated someone who suffers from myofascial trigger point pain, this is a must-have book.
The first authoritative and comprehensive guide for treating chronic pain with medical marijuana from a holistic family physician who has treated more than six thousand chronic pain patients with cannabis. While the number of patients using medical marijuana increases every year, misconceptions about cannabis and whether it’s harmful or dangerous still exist. In Cannabis for Chronic Pain, Dr. Rav explains the potential of marijuana’s capacity for healing anyone afflicted with chronic pain. Medical marijuana is a safe, non-addictive alternative to dangerous opiate pain pills. Along with sharing his own story of using medical marijuana to heal from a severe case of shingles, Dr. Rav guides you through the cannabis and holistic treatment for your specific chronic pain condition. If you are suffering from arthritis, back pain, migraines, fibromyalgia, menstrual cramps, IBS, Crohn’s Disease, anxiety, depression, or pain from cancer or its treatment, this may be the book for you. Dr. Rav offers step by step instruction on the benefits and appropriate use of medical marijuana. And he dispels many of the misconceptions. Did you know that you don’t have to smoke or eat cannabis for it to be effective? There are now patches and drops. We are entering a new age of acceptance and perhaps most importantly, as Dr. Rav highlights, it is now possible to create a distinct cannabis prescription for different types of chronic pain. Find what works for you and finally get the relief you need. Cannabis for Chronic Pain is the new, definitive guide for anyone who suffers from chronic pain.
With support from the Open Society Institute International Palliative Care Initiative, Human Rights Watch released a groundbreaking report on the lack of access to pain relief medicines for millions of patients worldwide. The report, "Please Don't Make Us Suffer Anymore": Access to Pain Treatment as a Human Right, finds that countries can significantly improve access to pain medications by addressing the causes of their poor availability, which include the following: *Failure to put in place functioning supply and distribution systems *Absence of government policies to ensure medicine availability *Insufficient instruction for health care workers *Excessively strict drug-control regulations *Fear of legal sanctions among healthcare workers. "Please Don't Make Us Suffer Anymore" notes that international law requires states to make narcotic drugs available for the treatment of pain while preventing abuse, but that the strong international focus on preventing abuse of such drugs has led many countries to neglect that obligation. The full report is available in PDF format. French, Russian, and Spanish versions are available on the HRW website.