A new study suggests that laughter — or, at least, genuine laughter — releases endorphins in your brain.  These chemicals that activate brain receptors that produce pain-killing and euphoria-producing effects.

Previous research has linked laughter with pain relief. In the new research, the scientists tested dozens of participants’ tolerance to pain through various methods.

According to Time Magazine:

“Viewing or participating in comedy led to higher pain tolerance, the researchers found, and there was a dose-related response to laughter: people who laughed more felt less pain later.”

Certain kettlebell exercises can help reduce pain in your lower back, by improving your posture and strengthening and loosening your muscles.  Livestrong recommends the kettlebell swing, the kettlebell Turkish get-up and the kettlebell snatch to decrease pain and assist these imbalances.

The kettlebell swing targets your hamstrings, your glutes and the muscles of your spine. The kettlebell Turkish get-up targets the muscles of your lower back, shoulders, neck and core. The kettlebell snatch is an explosive movement that elevates your heart rate and strengthens the muscles of your spine. All three exercises are described at the link below.

According to Angela Raizis, writing on Livestrong:

“When you begin these exercises, do not focus on how many repetitions you perform. Focus on controlling the kettlebell and having the correct form. Do as many as you feel comfortable to start and after you master the technique you can try to add repetitions.”

A recent opinion piece in the Scientist calls attention to the need for better global monitoring of drugs in countries with few financial resources. Using the U.S. FDA as a model of how to regulate “real world” drug safety and efficacy, The Scientist chose the FDA’s handling of Vioxx – which was recalled because thousands of people who took it died – as an example of successful monitoring, The Scientist said:

“Post-marketing drug withdrawals such as Vioxx® demonstrate post-marketing drug safety monitoring success in saving lives and preventing morbidity.”

Opiods are prescription pain killers that contain compounds from the opium poppy. They are used to control cancer symptoms and pain, as well as chronic pain from diseases like osteoarthritis. But they also are one of the most dangerous drugs in the U.S. – killing more people every year than skin cancer, HIV and alcoholic liver disease, according to a study reported in Science Daily. The study, published in The British Medical Journal, calls for new restrictions on pharmaceutical sales commissions for these drugs, and more educational programs for doctors prescribing these drugs.

A new study shows that over 76 percent of health care workers use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) when it comes to their own health care. CAM includes a wide range of therapies outside traditional medicine. For example, as reported by Newswise, health care workers use chiropractic treatment, massage and acupuncture for conditions that conventional medicine doesn’t address well. Other CAM usages include such things as Pilates, meditation, being in a vegetarian diet and taking certain herbs.

A new study has found that high doses of vitamin D can reduce joint and muscle pain for many breast cancer patients who are taking the estrogen-lowering drugs known as aromatase inhibitors.  The drugs are often prescribed to shrink breast tumors, but they can cause pain and stiffness in the hands, wrists, knees, hips, lower back, shoulders and feet.

Aromatase inhibitors can be prescribed to post-menopausal women for at least five years, and often longer, after a breast cancer diagnosis.

According to Med India:

“Patients in the study reported any pain they experienced through three different questionnaires … The results show that patients receiving high-dose vitamin D every week reported significantly less musculoskeletal pain and also were less likely to experience pain that interfered with daily living.”

A new study has found that high doses of vitamin D can reduce joint and muscle pain for many breast cancer patients who are taking the estrogen-lowering drugs known as aromatase inhibitors.  The drugs are often prescribed to shrink breast tumors, but they can cause pain and stiffness in the hands, wrists, knees, hips, lower back, shoulders and feet.

Aromatase inhibitors can be prescribed to post-menopausal women for at least five years, and often longer, after a breast cancer diagnosis.

According to Med India:

“Patients in the study reported any pain they experienced through three different questionnaires … The results show that patients receiving high-dose vitamin D every week reported significantly less musculoskeletal pain and also were less likely to experience pain that interfered with daily living.”

According to a study, migraine sufferers who are treated with a homeopathic preparation of ginger and the herb feverfew may find some pain relief.

Feverfew has long been thought to be a remedy for headaches, and it may offer an alternative to standard migraine medications. The standard medications are costly, have side effects and don’t always work.

According to Reuters:

“Forty five people took the homeopathic treatment and 15 took the placebo. About a third of those who took feverfew and ginger were pain-free after two hours, compared to only half as many in the placebo group.  Overall, 63 percent of those taking the homeopathic preparation saw some pain relief, while 39 percent did so among those taking the fake treatment.”

A recent recall of over-the-counter Tylenol has left many consumers wondering whether it’s safe to buy a replacement bottle or whether it’s time to turn to other options. The recall is just the latest in a series of Johnson & Johnson product recalls over the past few years, including other formulations of Tylenol.

In this instance, close to 70,000 bottles were recalled due to reports of a musty, moldy odor that has been linked to the chemical 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (TBA), which can cause gastrointestinal symptoms.

USA Today reports:

“… [H]eat is effective for muscle strains and pain … [O]ver-the-counter heat wraps … can even be worn while walking … One non-pill alternative for joint and muscle troubles is movement, such as walking, stretching and Pilates … For headaches … people can talk with their doctors about magnesium and vitamin B supplements as a preventative … For more immediate head pain, he says, aromatherapy is worth a try.”

As many as 80 percent of Americans will experience back pain at some point in their lives. The problem is difficult to treat, and many treatments are expensive.

However, the majority of back pain is the result of muscle and ligament strain or weakness — which can usually be prevented by developing core strength and proper posture.  Maintaining good posture improves muscle tone, makes breathing easier and is one of the best ways to prevent back and neck pain.

According to the New York Times, here’s what you can do to maintain good posture:

“Stand up and lift your chin slightly; align your ears over your shoulders and your shoulders over your hips. Place your hands on your hips and pitch forward about two inches.  There should be a slight inward curve in your lower back, an outward curve in your upper back, and another inward curve at your neck. Maintain this posture and sit down. When you are sitting or driving for long periods of time, place a cushion or rolled-up towel between the curve of your lower spine and the back of your seat.”

Acetaminophen overdose is the top cause of acute liver failure. However, according to a study, many people don’t know what over-the-counter drugs contain acetaminophen.

Researchers found that out of 45 participants in six focus groups, less than a third knew that acetaminophen is the active ingredient in Tylenol. Fewer than half knew that ibuprofen was in Motrin, and only about a fifth knew that Aleve contains naproxen sodium or that Advil contains ibuprofen.

NPR reports:

“Even those who bother reading labels can misuse medicines … Sometimes acetaminophen is labeled as APAP, which can be confusing for people trying to determine whether they can take additional painkillers.”

Hypnosis sessions have been used for more than two centuries to treat a host of medical problems, particularly pain management and anxiety. It is now available to patients at some of the most respected medical institutions in the U.S.

Researchers believe that by helping patients feel in better control of their symptoms, hypnosis can reduce the need for medication and lower costs. One study found that patients who received hypnosis during surgery needed less medication, and also had fewer complications.

According to the New York Times:

“If you have a medical condition for which conventional medicine is not working, or you’d like to try a gentle mind-body alternative, hypnosis may be worth considering … [H]ypnosis with tape or CD at home may be a practical alternative.”

In another illustration of mind over matter, a researcher at Nottingham University, England found that simply creating an optical illusion for arthritic pain sufferers can ease the pain. For the illusion to work, patients place their hand inside a box containing a camera, which then projects the image in realtime onto a screen in front of them, the BBC reported.

The pain eases when subjects see their arthritic fingers apparently being stretched and shrunk by someone gently pushing and pulling from the other side of the box. It’s all a computer trick, of course, but the implications of what this completely drug-free method can do are enormous.

Researchers have shown that meditation produces a 40 percent reduction in pain intensity and a 57 percent reduction in pain unpleasantness — more than is provided by morphine. Before and after meditation training, study participants’ brain activity was examined using arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging while a device heated a small area of their skin to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

Scans taken after meditation training showed that the pain ratings for every participant were reduced. Meditation was shown to significantly reduce brain activity in the primary somatosensory cortex, an area that helps create the feeling of where and how intense a painful stimulus is.

However, according to the Los Angeles Times:

“Now for the caveats. Every subject had some pain relief by meditating, but there was wide variability among participants … And the pain the researchers inflicted — a burning sensation for a few minutes — doesn’t compare to what many people, such as cancer patients, must endure.”

Most people who have chronic pain go to their primary care physician for treatment. These doctors often prescribe narcotic drugs such as Vicodin, Percocet and OxyContin.

But although the drugs reduce pain, they also carry significant risks and can cause breathing to stop. But many primary care doctors aren’t monitoring their patients’ use of the medicines — even though more people die from accidental overdoses of prescription opioids annually than they do from cocaine and heroin combined.

According to NPR:

“[A] study … examined the medical records of 1,612 chronic pain patients at eight primary care clinics … It found that only 8 percent were given urine tests, half were scheduled for office visits at least once every six months, and 76 percent were restricted from refilling their prescriptions early.”

The Food and Drug Administration has revealed that the medication Topamax, used for migraines, is directly linked to birth defects when mothers use the drug while pregnant.  A mother taking this medicine is 20 times more at risk to have a baby born with birth defects such as cleft lip and cleft palate.

In related news, research shows that most headaches are tension related and the pain consists of a dull ache or tightness over the head.  Migraine causes severe pain, usually on one side of the head, in combination with nausea and noise sensitivity.  Possible triggers include poor eating and sleeping habits, climate and altitude changes, and change in hormone levels.  MSG should be avoided as well.

According to ABC News:

“OTC medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, or acetaminophen can help, but you have to be careful not to overuse them, which can lead to a rebound effect that makes symptoms worse.”

Many times, you can finish a workout and feel great, but the next day your body starts to ache. Your muscles feel sore because they are damaged and need time to recover; this is called DOMS, delayed onset muscle soreness.

DOMS starts between 8 and 24 hours after a workout. It happens most often to those who do not exercise on a regular basis or who have just resumed activity after a long term of inactivity.  It used to be thought that the cause was buildup of lactic acid in the muscles, but it is now known that lactic acid does not remain in your muscle tissues for very long after an exercise session.

According to Steady Healthy, possible theories for the cause of DOMS include:

• Muscle soreness occurs because of microscopic tears in muscle fibers

• It is caused due to tears in the tissue that connects the muscle not the muscle itself

• The damaged muscles release chemical irritants, which irritate pain receptors

• The damaged muscles become inflamed hence causing soreness

• Changes in osmotic pressure, muscle spasms and a change in the way the muscle cells regulate calcium may be responsible for the soreness

Although Botox is licensed for the treatment of chronic migraines in the UK, experts say it is actually of little use for the condition.

Botox, or botulinum toxin, was approved as a treatment because it is thought it may block pain signals as well as being a muscle relaxant. But experts from the Drug And Therapeutics Bulletin said there was “limited evidence” of Botox working for migraine patients.

The Andover Advertiser reports:

“[The experts] questioned the selection of patients used in the clinical trial for the drug, saying the diagnosis of chronic migraine was incorrect as almost two thirds of trial participants overused headache treatments.  Botox leads to worsening of headache symptoms in around one in 10 people, with a similar proportion developing itching, rash, pain, stiffness and muscle spasms, they add.”

By Christine Wheeler, MA

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a new advanced healing tool, consistently being shown to supply relief when conventional first-aid treatments are unavailable or ineffective. 

The basics of EFT can be learned by anyone and can be self-applied (usually in minutes). Also, EFT can be applied almost anywhere and any time, making it as convenient to use as it is effective. 

Seasoned EFT users know that they can “try it on everything” and case studies have shown it to be consistently effective in providing immediate relief for burns, bee stings, muscle injuries, and even halting anaphylactic shock. While EFT does not claim to be a cure-all, it has a confirmed efficacy rate of about 80 percent.

EFT incorporates the acupuncture meridian system as defined in traditional Chinese medicine.  Like acupuncture, EFT balances the subtle energies flowing throughout the meridian system and what results is an alleviation of painful symptoms associated with burns, bee stings and other injuries. What makes EFT unique is that this balance is achieved without the use of needles. Instead, a series of specific acupuncture points are stimulated with the fingertips.

Jessica Gillies, an EFT user from Australia, used EFT to eliminate the pain of a serious burn.

EFT as First-Aid to Eliminate the Pain Associated With a Boiling Water Burn

Jessica reminds us that EFT is literally at our fingertips any time we are faced with a painful injury. She reports that she spilled boiling water on her hand while in a public place. The extreme pain was immediate and intense and the reddening appeared quickly. Jessica had no medications to use on the burn. Nor did she have cold water to neutralize the burning. She did, however, have her fingertips, which was all she needed to apply EFT.

The most obvious problem was her “really really intense pain.” Using EFT, the pain gradually decreased to a sharp stinging sensation, then to a mere discomfort. After about two to three minutes of performing EFT, the pain had completely disappeared. In Jessica’s words, she was “somewhat incredulous, as the redness was still very evident on my skin, and I remained pain free from then on.“

Previously, Jessica hadn’t used EFT very often for her physical issues but, with this success, she was motivated to try it on other issues. On one occasion, for example, she spent a few minutes doing EFT to eliminate the pain associated with “a very nasty muscle strain injury” and restored full range of motion to the area. 

More on EFT

In addition to eliminating pain associated with burns and other injuries, EFT has been consistently effective for hundreds of other physical, mental and emotional ailments.

Please consult qualified health professionals before putting EFT into practice for yourself or others.

There are two basic areas to learn in order to use EFT: the tapping locations and technique, and the positive affirmations.  You should be able to successfully treat many problems by diligently applying the following instructions. To expand your abilities and understand, consider Try It On Everything.

If you are not getting the results you would like, or you have a particularly traumatic issue, please do not give up! Instead, consider consulting with an EFT professional.  Many of these therapists even offer a free 15-minute phone session in which you can ask them questions to see if you connect.

It is well known that ginger can soothe an upset stomach ache.  But recently, scientists have found that its soothing effects can also extend to sore muscles.

Ginger contains anti-inflammatory compounds and volatile oils called gingerols that have analgesic and sedative effects.  A study found that ginger can reduce exercise-induced muscle pain by about 25 percent one full day hours after a workout.

According to the New York Times:

“… [G]inger appeared to have no effect shortly after ingestion. But it was associated with less soreness the following day, leading the researchers to conclude that ginger may help ‘attenuate the day-to-day progression of muscle pain.’”

Fusion surgery, which screws vertebrae together, is intended to limit painful spine movements.  Spine surgeons have prospered from this very expensive procedure.  But studies have found it to be no better for common back pain than physical therapy — and it’s a good deal more dangerous.

The number of fusions at U.S. hospitals doubled to 413,000 between 2002 and 2008.  But the possibility that many of these and other surgeries are needless has gotten little attention in the debate over U.S. health care costs.

According to Bloomberg:

“Unnecessary surgeries cost at least $150 billion a year … Fusion has helped spine surgeons become the best paid doctors in the U.S. Their average annual salary is $806,000, more than three times the earnings of a pediatrician”.

Researchers have used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to take pictures of the brain while patients experienced a pain stimulus with and without acupuncture.  The results suggest that acupuncture is effective at changing your brain’s perception and processing of pain.

fMRI revealed that without acupuncture, there was significant activation in pain processing areas of the brain such as the contralateral supplementary motor area, somatosensory cortex, precuneus bilateral insula and ipsilateral somatomotor cortex. During acupuncture treatment, however, activation in most of these pain-processing areas of the brain was significantly reduced.

Science Daily reports:

“… [I]n addition to the assumed specific effects on the pain signal, acupuncture also affected brain activation in areas governing the patients’ expectations of pain, similar to a placebo analgesic response.”

Meditation is a known painkiller, and a new study has revealed why — meditation changes the way your brain processes pain signals.

Researchers report that practicing mindfulness meditation for just four days affects pain responses in your brain. Brain activity decreases in areas devoted to monitoring a painful body part, and also in areas responsible for relaying sensory information.

Live Science reports:

“The practice known as mindfulness meditation involves sitting quietly and comfortably while breathing evenly. The idea is to clear the mind and focus the attention on the present.”

Propolis is a mixture of resin and wax which is made by honey bees to seal and sterilize their hives.  It has healing properties that have been known for years, but has had limited applications because the substance is not water soluble and has a strong, off-putting smell.

Now researchers have developed a way of purifying propolis that retains its medicinal properties, but eliminates the solubility and odor problems. The technique has already led to the development of a new mouth ulcer gel.

According to Science Daily:

“… [The] new propolis-based mouth ulcer gel … has better anaesthetic, anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties than gels already on the market and is safe for use in children.”

Propolis is a mixture of resin and wax which is made by honey bees to seal and sterilize their hives.  It has healing properties that have been known for years, but has had limited applications because the substance is not water soluble and has a strong, off-putting smell.

Now researchers have developed a way of purifying propolis that retains its medicinal properties, but eliminates the solubility and odor problems. The technique has already led to the development of a new mouth ulcer gel.

According to Science Daily:

“… [The] new propolis-based mouth ulcer gel … has better anaesthetic, anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties than gels already on the market and is safe for use in children.”

The steroid cortisone has long been considered a safe, reliable means to treat the pain and inflammation associated with sports injuries. Cortisone shots are one of the preferred treatments for overuse injuries of tendons.

But a major new review article, after examining the results of nearly four dozen randomized trials, found that people who received cortisone shots had a much lower rate of full recovery and a 63 percent higher risk of relapse.

The New York Times reports:

“In other words, in some way, the cortisone shots impede full recovery, and compared with those adopting a wait-and-see policy, those getting the shots ‘are worse off.’ Those people receiving multiple injections may be at particularly high risk for continuing damage.”

Fructose intolerance is common in children with abdominal pain. The condition can be managed with a low‐fructose diet, according to a new study.

The study investigated close to 250 patients with unexplained chronic abdominal pain.  Testing determined that more than half of them suffered from fructose intolerance.

According to Science Daily:

“Fructose intolerance is typically diagnosed by exclusion … once other GI conditions like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are ruled out, a hydrogen breath test is given to the patient.”

Practicing yoga can relieve 30 percent of the symptoms of fibromyalgia. This is about the same amount of symptom relief as medication.

Fibromyalgia is characterized by widespread pain in muscles and fatigue. Yoga has been demonstrated to improve chronic pain and other disease symptoms, for illnesses ranging from arthritis to cancer.

According to Live Science:

“[R]esearchers found 77.3 percent of the participants were ‘at least a little better’ as a result of the yoga, compared with 19.2 percent of the control group on standard therapy. In particular, half of those who had done yoga reported a 30 percent reduction in pain.”

New research shows that when you are in love, your perception of pain is lowered. And what’s more, the process is completely different from the one that conventional painkillers take advantage of.

Researchers recruited volunteers who were in the first stages of new and passionate love. He asked each study participant to bring in pictures of their beloved, along with a picture of an equally attractive acquaintance to serve as a control. fMRI analysis showed that looking at a loved one allowed the subjects to withstand greater pain than looking at a friend or completing the mental skill test.

According to Time Magaine:

“The connection … is part of the body’s most basic response to regulate pain … [T]he same reward system is activated by addictive drugs such as cocaine, since the reinforcing nature of the reward, whether it comes from a drug or from love, keeps us coming back for more.”

The FDA just approved IV drug Krystexxa for gout treatment, but according to Health Science Institute, they couldn’t possibly have looked at the trial results. Fewer than half the people in the trial actually ended up with a positive result, the Institute said. On top of that:

On top of that, Krystexxa produced some pretty nasty adverse reactions, such as:

• 41 percent of the patients suffered severe infusion reactions, despite taking antihistamines and steroids before their Krystexxa treatment
• 77 percent suffered from gout flare-ups, compared to 51 percent taking placebo – and that’s despite being pretreated for at least a week with NSAIDs, colchicine, or both

Not to mention an unusually large percentage of anaphylactic reactions (again, despite premedicating with antihistamines and steroids!), and other very unpleasant side effects like chest pain, nausea, vomiting, and bruises.

Other adverse reactions listed on the manufacturer’s package insert included an increase in gout flare-ups.