Category Archives: Independent Living

7 Celebrities Who Manage Life with Chronic Pain

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7 Celebrities Who Manage Life with Chronic Pain

Jillian Michaels

Health problem: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Endometriosis
Former trainer for The Biggest Loser and current co-host of The Doctors, Jillian Michaels kept her diagnosis of endometriosis and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) to herself for years, worried that it would damage her “beacon of health” reputation. The conditions can cause pain—in endometriosis, cells from the uterine lining can grow on other organs and tissue in the body; PCOS indicates a hormonal imbalance that leads to irregular menstrual cycles and small cysts in the ovaries. Michaels came forward about the conditions after a reporter’s questions about her plans to adopt prompted her to say she wouldn’t put herself through the physical challenge of pregnancy. She later clarified that since her condition can cause infertility and pregnancy may require her to have surgical procedures, she felt more comfortable adopting. She has said that while she used to suffer from debilitating abdominal pain, she found that eating a diet that includes, among other things, organic foods and nonprocessed soy and exercising regularly have helped alleviate her symptoms.

Read more on www.prevention.com

Jacqueline Goguen‘s insight:

We are not alone…!

No, I don’t mean that aliens are among us….well, they may be, but that’s not what this article is about. Millions of people live with chronic pain in the so many varied forms it can present. Here are a few faces you recognize and that might bring some inspiration into your day.

Are there other celebrities or public figures in particular that have inspired you? Or maybe it’s been a friend or loved one who has been your inspiration.

Blessings,
Jacqui

 

 

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Understanding Pain: What to do about it in less than five minutes?

Independent Living, Resources & Research, , , , , ,

httpv://youtu.be/4b8oB757DKc

New evidence based approaches to chronic pain management. For more detailed information visit the Hunter Integrated Pain Service website http://www.hnehealth...

Jacqueline Goguen‘s insight:
More active approaches to retrain the brain. Learn to reduce stress to ‘wind down’ the nervous system. What we eat and how we live may really be contributing to a sensitized nervous system. Explore your personal story around the time the pain developed. Get a helping hand if you need it, set a goal and begin. Blessings, Jacqui

See on www.youtube.com

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Chronic Pain Management: Tips for Coping and Relief

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Try these chronic pain management tips to reduce suffering and improve your quality of life:

If you’re suffering from chronic pain, you likely have days when relief might seem out of reach. But simple strategies for chronic pain management can make a big difference in improving your quality of life.

What is Chronic Pain?

Dr. Shelley Adams, a chiropractor at Back2Health Chiropractic Kitsilano in Vancouver, says chronic pain extends beyond the expected period of healing. “We expect people to have problems and there are different timelines for different problems.”

Chronic pain usually lasts more than three to six months, if not longer, says Linda Soltysiak, a group leader for the North Shore Chronic Pain Group. Chronic pain can be unpredictable, vary from mild to excruciating and be in one or multiple areas of the body.

Causes of Chronic Pain

“We still do not have a really good explanation why chronic pain persists,” says Dr. Patrick Myers, a registered psychologist at Stress-Less Consulting. Many people have pain without obvious cause and there may be a “biopsychosocial framework.”

Common causes of chronic pain include:

  • Physical injury and trauma — including car accidents, especially if the injury wasn’t treated immediately
  • Medical conditions — such as arthritis, migraines, cancer, fibromyalgia, TMJ and IBS
  • Bad posture — that has caused strain on joints and other body parts
  • Degeneration of spinal joints — due to genetics, injury, inactivity and lifestyle
  • Inactivity – motion improves joint health, relaxed tissues and increases blood supply to keep tissue healthy
  • Diet – diets high in animal fat promote inflammation and poor choices can lead to weight gain that causes joint degeneration and posture issues
  • Stress – creates muscle tension, pulling on joints and increasing irritation, and causes tissue distress due to long-term cortisol exposure
  • Disease – arthritis, fibromyalgia, cancer and other illnesses

Complications of Chronic Pain

The hurt of chronic pain can go beyond just the physical. Chronic pain can lead to multiple issues, including:

  • Broken sleep and difficulty getting to sleep
  • Psychological trauma
  • Depression
  • Isolation

Read on www.bcliving.ca

Jacqueline Goguen‘s insight:

Some tips to help us with managing our chronic pain. Do you have any tips not covered that you have found to help you? Please share them in the comments section below.

Blessings,
Jacqui

 

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A Future Without Chronic Pain

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Editor’s note: Chronic pain affects 1.5 billion people worldwide, an estimated 100 million of whom live in the United States. Yet we currently have no effective treatment options. Fortunately, writes David Borsook, director of the Pain and Imaging Neuroscience Group at Children’s Hospital Boston, Massachusetts General Hospital, and McLean Hospital, research advances have determined some of the ways in which chronic pain changes the brain, and several promising research areas could lead to better treatment approaches. Dr. Borsook recommends steps to facilitate these new treatments, including the establishment of integrated clinical neuroscience centers bridging the gap between bench and bedside.

The medical literature defines chronic pain as pain that has lasted for more than three months. Chronic pain is an epidemic worldwide, with 1.5 billion people feeling its effects. In the United States, about 100 million individuals are estimated to suffer from chronic pain, costing the country billions of dollars in health care and lost work productivity each year…

Jacqueline Goguen‘s insight:

Is it possible?

A fairly lengthy article, but a good one – includes a little bit of everything from history, current state and discussions of how research and treatment regarding chronic pain might proceed moving forward into the future.

Neuroscience Advances: Chronic Pain Is in the Brain

Most chronic pain conditions produce changes in the brain that contribute to what can be termed the “centralization of pain.” This implies that ongoing pain produces progressive alterations in brain connections, molecular biology, chemistry, and structure, with behavioral consequences. One brain region consistently affected in chronic pain conditions is called the dorsolateral prefrontal lobe, a region in the front of our brains thought to be involved in several higher-order functions, including cognition, motor planning, and working memory. This centralization of pain involves alterations in sensory, emotional, and modulatory circuits, which normally inhibit pain. Thus chronic pain may alter cognition and emotion, leading to increased fear, anxiety, or depression.“”

While reading it I couldn’t help but pick up on the references to cognitive and memory changes that happen. I know I have experienced changes in these areas. The comments though, are always ‘it happen’s to all of us as we get older’, or some variation on that theme.

What are your thoughts? Have you noticed those types of changes for yourself as your chronic pain has settled in?

Blessings,
Jacqui

See on www.dana.org

 

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Celebrity skinny: Guess who can’t live without pumpkin pie?

Diet & Nutrition, Independent Living, , , , ,

excerpt Miami Herald
– Jaweed Kaleem

Local VIPs reveal how they manage holiday temptations and share their stay-thin secrets.

The holiday season is near, that time when the family’s back together, pockets are dug deep, and belt buckles are fastened just a tad looser.

But what happens to the exercise routine when turkey day rolls around? What about those 10 pounds you vowed to lose? How do you face the pumpkin pies, sweet potatoes and juicy meat stuffings?

Consider this: the American Council on Exercise says the average Thanksgiving meal has 3,000 calories and 229 grams of fat. Pile on top of that the chips, dips and drinks that come before and after dinner…read the complete story