Pain Journal

Item is the journal of the final year of the life of Bob Flanagan and tells of his illness and his life with Sheree Rose.

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.

What is persistent pain? How do we communicate pain, not only in words but in visual images and gesture? How do we respond to the pain of another, and can we do it better? Can explaining how pain works help us handle it? This unique compilation of voices addresses these and bigger questions. Defined as having lasted over three months, persistent pain changes the brain and nervous system so pain no longer warns of danger: it seems to be a fault in the system. It is a major cause of disability globally, but it remains difficult to communicate, a problem both to those with pain and those who try to help. Language struggles to bridge the gap, and it raises ethical challenges in its management unlike those of other common conditions. Encountering Pain shares leading research into the potential value of visual images and non-verbal forms of communication as means of improving clinician–patient interaction. It is divided into four sections: hearing, seeing, speaking, and a final series of contributions on the future for persistent pain. The chapters are accompanied by vivid photographs co-created with those who live with pain. The volume integrates the voices of leading scientists, academics and contemporary artists with poetry and poignant personal testimonies to provide a manual for understanding the meanings of pain, for healthcare professionals, pain patients, students, academics and artists. The voices and experiences of those living with pain are central, providing tools for discussion and future research, shifting register between creative, academic and personal contributions from diverse cultures and weaving them together to offer new understanding, knowledge and hope.

Characterized by clarity and straddling the line between scope and depth of information, this concise book provides physicians a comprehensive overview of pain medicine. Chapters are written by some of the leading minds in pain medicine and feature case studies, key points and suggested readings. Multidisciplinary approaches to the clinical and financial challenges of pain with the goal of improving patient quality of life are also discussed. Additionally, the book is in is in tight alignment with the information that trainees are expected to master for the American Board of Anesthesiology’s pain medicine subspecialty certification, as outlined by the Joint Council on Anesthesiology Examinations; it covers the diagnosis of pain states, the management of pain, acute pain, radicular pain, neuropathic pain, chronic visceral pain, headaches, and special populations. This book is a must-have for anyone new to pain medicine or studying for the subspecialty certification.

Some people suffer from chronic, debilitating disorders for which no conventional treatment brings relief. Can marijuana ease their symptoms? Would it be breaking the law to turn to marijuana as a medication? There are few sources of objective, scientifically sound advice for people in this situation. Most books about marijuana and medicine attempt to promote the views of advocates or opponents. To fill the gap between these extremes, authors Alison Mack and Janet Joy have extracted critical findings from a recent Institute of Medicine study on this important issue, interpreting them for a general audience. Marijuana As Medicine? provides patientsâ€"as well as the people who care for themâ€"with a foundation for making decisions about their own health care. This empowering volume examines several key points, including: Whether marijuana can relieve a variety of symptoms, including pain, muscle spasticity, nausea, and appetite loss. The dangers of smoking marijuana, as well as the effects of its active chemical components on the immune system and on psychological health. The potential use of marijuana-based medications on symptoms of AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and several other specific disorders, in comparison with existing treatments. Marijuana As Medicine? introduces readers to the active compounds in marijuana. These include the principal ingredient in Marinol, a legal medication. The authors also discuss the prospects for developing other drugs derived from marijuana's active ingredients. In addition to providing an up-to-date review of the science behind the medical marijuana debate, Mack and Joy also answer common questions about the legal status of marijuana, explaining the conflict between state and federal law regarding its medical use. Intended primarily as an aid to patients and caregivers, this book objectively presents critical information so that it can be used to make responsible health care decisions. Marijuana As Medicine? will also be a valuable resource for policymakers, health care providers, patient counselors, medical faculty and studentsâ€"in short, anyone who wants to learn more about this important issue.

This book will enable readers to understand the principles underpinning the management of pain which a particular emphasis upon the care of the older adult. The chapters will explore concepts that are recognised to be involved in the pain experience but each author will then add their own unique perspective by applying the principles to their specialist area of practice and the care of the older adult. It is structured to include the aims and outcomes of the chapter at the beginning so that readers can track their progress, and provides chapter outlines and further reading suggestions foir this unique topic area.

The Encyclopedia of Pain includes more than 3,000 entries and provides clear, detailed and up-to-date coverage of the current state of research, and treatment of pain. In addition, detailed essays provide in-depth information on all aspects of nociception and pain, including substrates, causes, pathophysiology, symptoms and signs, diagnoses and treatment. A thousand color figures enhance understanding of this too-little-understood topic. The book is available in print, in online only form, or in a print-online bundle.

This book provides up-to-date information on all aspects of orofacial pain biomarkers. It opens by presenting background information on clinical phenotypes and the neurobiological substrates underlying chronic orofacial pain and by explaining the potential role of biomarkers in the diagnosis, prognostic evaluation, and treatment of orofacial pain. The main section of the book examines the contribution of human and animal studies to the field of biomarkers for orofacial pain and discusses biomarkers for masticatory muscle pain, temporomandibular joint pain, neuropathic face pain, and autonomic nervous system involvement in trigeminal facial pain. The potential impacts of the immune system on orofacial pain biomarkers and candidate gene phenotypes with possible links to chronic orofacial pain conditions are also addressed, and differences and similarities between saliva and serum biomarkers for pain are explained as well. The final section covers research-related issues in assessment methods and statistical analyses used in evaluating biomarkers, identifies future challenges and suggests new directions in the field.