FDA Warns of Dangers of Codeine and Tramadol for Children

The Food and Drug Administration has posted a safety announcement that warns parents of the dangers of giving children codeine pain and cough medicines and tramadol pain medicines. This warning includes a recommendation that women who are breastfeeding not use codeine or tramadol. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued this safety warning in April of 2017. It is an update to two previous safety warnings. One was an evaluation of potential risks of codeine cough and cold medicines in children that was issued in 2015. Another was an evaluation of the risk of using tramadol in children aged 17 … Continue reading →

Pain and Appetite

Pain can be hard on your body. Sure, it’s a good indicator that something is wrong… but pain can really mess with your body’s normal function. Maybe you have trouble sleeping, or maybe you lose your appetite. It seems like pain is one of those signals that overrides some of the other noise going on in your body — like the rumble in your tummy that says you’re ready for another meal. To be honest, I hadn’t thought much about it until it became a personal problem. I’ve been experiencing a lot of pain lately from the region of my … Continue reading →

Pain and Sleep

In a way, pain is a good thing: it is the body’s way of saying that something is wrong, and giving you a general idea of where the problem is. But pain can mess with your appetite, concentration, sleeping habits, and more. Sometimes, pain makes you want (or need) more sleep. If you are sick or injured, you need time to rest and heal! There are some types of pain that make me want to snooze — mostly headaches. Often, I’ll try taking a nap to see if I can sleep the headache off before resorting to pain relievers. Though … Continue reading →

Measuring Pain

At my doctor’s office, every exam room has a poster depicting the pain scale. From zero (no pain) to ten (the worst pain), each number also has a face depicting an expression from happy to tearful. This is officially known as the Wong-Baker FACES scale for pain measurement. It was developed by two pediatric specialists — Donna Wong and Connie Morain Baker — to help children assess and manage their pain. There are other scales to help patients assess their pain levels, like the McGill Pain Questionnaire, which asks (adult) patients pick from groups of words to describe their pain. … Continue reading →

What is a TENS Unit?

One option for managing pain is a TENS unit. TENS stands for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation… a scary name (electrical what now?) for a helpful therapy. How it works, in brief: electrodes are stuck to the skin in the area where a patient is experiencing pain. The TENS unit delivers an electrical current to the skin and tissues. Intensity of the current can vary; users generally report feeling tingling or pins and needles in the area. Why it works: experts believe that the electrical current disrupts the pain by giving a different sensation to the skin and tissues. The current … Continue reading →

Cursing as Pain Management

Have a foul mouth? It might actually benefit you when it comes to pain management. A study from Keele University in England took a look at how an outburst of swearing can help people deal with pain. Sixty-seven college students took part in the initial study. First, they were asked for their five favorite curses — things they might say after accidentally whacking a thumb with a hammer. I know what I’d say in that situation, and it’s not pretty! The students were then asked to hold one hand in icy water for as long as they could bear it. … Continue reading →

Sciatica

Talk about a pain in the rear end… and the lower back, and the backs of the legs! Sciatica is a common problem that can range from mildly irritating to severe and debilitating. It all starts with the sciatic nerve. This nerve runs from your lower back down the back of each leg. Sciatica is a common type of pain affecting the sciatic nerve, a large nerve extending from the lower back down the back of each leg. If you have sciatica, you may experience some or all of the following symptoms: Pain in the lower back/rear end that is … Continue reading →

Relieving the Pain of Bursitis

Bursae are little sacs of fluid throughout the body. There are eight bursae around each shoulder and eleven around each knee. Each side of the body has dozens of bursae that help your joints work without friction and pain. When the bursae are working right, you’d never know they were there! But when something’s not right with even one little sac of fluid, you’ll know it. Pain is the number one symptom of bursitis — and it’s a pain that comes and goes. The best thing you can do when bursitis flares up is rest. Stop whatever you’re doing that … Continue reading →

Fight Tension Headaches with Facial Stretches

When a tension headache strikes, you may be able to relieve some of the pressure with some facial stretching. Try this: Lift and relax eyebrows. Open both eyes wide and lift both eyebrows, like you’re really surprised. Then relax and let your eyes and eyebrows drop down again. The one-eyebrow salute. This one might take some practice — hold one eyebrow in place with your fingers and lift the other. Then switch! Squint your eyes, then relax. Repeat a few times, then squint one eye at a time, leaving the other relaxed. Try to squeeze your eyes hard enough that … Continue reading →

What Did I Do to My Back?!

Back pain is a pretty common complaint. But there isn’t just one type of back pain — and there isn’t just one thing that causes the problem. Here are three major causes of back pain. A sprain or strain is the most common cause of back pain. Tendons and ligaments are the stretchy stuff in your body that (among other things) hold the vertebrae of your spine in place and attach muscles to the spinal column. An injury or tear to a tendon, ligament, or muscle can cause some serious pain. Why? If these support pieces are weak or injured, … Continue reading →