Pain
Chronic pain is a significant source of discomfort and lost productivity in today’s workplace. Treatment of chronic pain depends upon any known underlying cause or any other complicating factors. In general, chronic pain is treated with a combination of medication and pain management through non-drug treatments. Drug treatments for mild to moderate pain usually focus on non-prescription pain relievers such as acetaminophen, aspirin, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen. These types of drugs are non-addictive, but can have side effects that range from upset stomach to kidney and liver damage.
Severe magnesium depletion leads to specific biochemical abnormalities and clinical manifestations that can be easily detected. Hypocalcemia is a prominent manifestation of magnesium deficiency in humans (Rude et al., 1976). Magnesium deficiency must become moderate to severe before symptomatic hypocalcemia develops. Even mild degrees of magnesium depletion, however, may result in a significant fall in the serum calcium concentration.
Other areas that may hold promise, is in the area of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Some experts believe that children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be exhibiting the effects of mild magnesium deficiency (such as irritability, decreased attention span, and mental confusion). In one clinical study of 116 children with ADHD, 95% were magnesium deficient. In a separate clinical study, 75 magnesium-deficient children with ADHD were randomly assigned to receive magnesium supplements in addition to standard treatment or standard treatment alone for 6 months.
The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has today announced their recommendation to withdraw the marketing authorisations for dextropropoxyphene-containing medicines (including co-proxamol) across the European Union (EU). This recommendation was made after the Committee on Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) concluded that the risks, particularly of potentially fatal overdose, were greater than the medicine's benefits.
German pain expert company Grünenthal GmbH announces that the new centrally acting analgesic tapentadol is now available in the United States. The drug is indicated for the relief of moderate to severe acute pain in patients 18 years of age and older. Approval was given by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November 2008 for tapentadol (NUCYNTATM) tablets. With the cooperation of Grünenthal and its marketing partner Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
The widely used antidepressant and pain medication amitriptyline--but not other closely related drugs -- can impersonate the brain's own growth factors, researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have shown. The results are published online and will appear in the June 26 issue of the journal Chemistry & Biology.
Many animals and people experience chronic joint pain. In dogs, a common source of joint pain is hip dysplasia, a developmental defect of the hip joint. Implantation of gold into the soft tissues around the hip joints of dogs with dysplasia can relieve pain and lessen stiffness for several years. Joint pain in animals and man may be due to injury, wear or deformity.
Finalising a review of the safety and efficacy of dextropropoxyphene-containing medicines, the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) concluded that their risks, particularly the risk of potentially fatal overdose, are greater than their benefits. The Committee therefore recommended that the marketing authorisations for these medicines be withdrawn across the European Union.
Researchers at the University of Turin have launched a major initiative to prevent and reduce headaches, shoulder and neck pain, after workplace trials on an innovative cognitive and physical programme showed significant improvements. Residents living in the north-west Italian region of Piedmont, with its population of just under five million, will have free access to the ground-breaking programme, which will be promoted using a special website.
Multiple sclerosis, diabetic neuropathy, and other conditions caused by a loss of myelin insulation around nerves can be debilitating and even deadly, but adequate treatments do not yet exist. That's in large part because of deficiencies in model research systems. In an upcoming issue of the journal Biomaterials, a UCF team addresses this problem with a report on the first lab-grown motor nerves that are insulated and organized the same way they are in the body.
Patients suffering from acute pain and healthcare professionals who treat pain have a new treatment option: NUCYNTA(TM) (tapentadol) CII immediate release tablets. This new medication for the relief of moderate to severe acute pain in patients 18 years of age or older is now available by prescription only in 50-mg, 75-mg and 100-mg tablets, announced PriCara,(R) Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
While it is well known that excessive text messaging can result in sore thumbs, less is known about its possible effects on the neck, arms and hands. Young adults with symptoms in these parts of the body use a different technique when texting, according to a study at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Ergonomist Ewa Gustafsson studied mobile phone habits among 56 young adults who text message on a daily basis.
According to the CDC, 46 million Americans were told by a doctor they have arthritis, the leading cause of disability in the United States. Flexcin International, Inc., a natural supplement company offering the only joint pain remedy products with CM8™, offers arthritis and bursitis treatment for anyone suffering from pain-related disease and injuries.