Pain/Pain Relief
Latest articles on Pain/Pain Relief
The use of hypnosis in medicine has drastically increased during the last decade as it has become an accepted treatment alternative for a wide range of health and medical issues.
The Medical College of Wisconsin's Deidre L. Faust, MD, answers questions about Zostavax, the shingles vaccine that has been available since 2006.
There is currently insufficient evidence to recommend for or against CoQ10, but there does not seem to be any harm in supplementation, notes Dr. Deirdre Faust.
Although the terms are often used interchangeably, complementary and alternative medicine are based on different principles: In general, complementary medicine is used together with conventional medicine, while alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine.
Symptoms of Bell's palsy usually begin suddenly. They range in severity from mild weakness to total paralysis, and often cause significant facial distortion. Dr. John Rhee discusses its diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.
Shingles is an outbreak of rash or blisters on the skin that is caused by the varicella zoster virus - the same virus that causes chickenpox. "It can be quite painful, even to a gentle touch," notes John J. W. Fangman, MD.
Although it's not fatal, trigeminal neuralgia is widely considered one of the most painful conditions in medical practice; the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke says the pain can be incapacitating.
"The Medical College has been one of the major centers of kidney stone research for several decades," says Jeffrey A. Wesson, MD, PhD. "Our work is aimed at understanding the processes that lead to stone formation."
All systems have errors, but in the field of medicine, events such as miscommunication between staff members or between patients and their health care providers can have serious or even fatal consequences.
"Endometriosis is a lifelong condition," says Gloria Halverson, MD, "but we can successfully control the symptoms."
The back is susceptible to pain because its mechanics include many pieces imprecisely put together, and it's loaded with nerves.
Lynn M. Rusy, MD, FAAMA, saw vast improvements in patients' pain scores after appropriate acupuncture treatment. "It was clear to me that one acupuncture protocol was much better than the other in relieving pain," she says.
"I've used acupuncture to treat many kids," says Lynn M. Rusy, MD, FAAMA. The drug-free, very minimally invasive and relatively pain-free nature of acupuncture helps to make it an especially useful tool for some young patients.
At two Froedtert & Medical College SpineCare clinics, "We treat the patient as intelligent and concerned, and help them feel more in control of their condition," says Dr. Diane Braza.
Dr. David Weissman says subspecialty designation will give patients and families more choices about how to make decisions in the face of serious illness.
Surgery is not the only option for people with chronic neck or back pain. Dr. Raj Rao, a neck and back surgery specialist, says most patients can gain relief through education, medical treatment, and therapy.
DBS is not a cure, but for carefully selected patients, it can provide an enormous improvement in quality of life. "It's a wonderful feeling to see the change in patients once their symptoms are relieved," says Dr. Brian Harris Kopell.
Many who suffer from debilitating arthritis can resume normal activities after total joint replacement. Edward Nelsen-Freund, MD, believes a conservative approach and careful follow-up are important elements of long-term success.
In the past, many women had major surgery to alleviate uterine fibroid symptoms, but a minimally invasive procedure called uterine fibroid embolization is now available. Robert A. Hieb, MD, talks about this successful treatment option.
The Medical Society of Wisconsin issued new guidelines after more than two years of review of "best practices." The guidelines are part of the movement toward "evidence-based" standards that rely on large-scale research results, notes Robert E. Kettler, MD.
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