Pain Management Category
Top NEWS Post 1-6-2009
Here is our Top News Post for today, brought to you by MedReader:
- Antioxidants Offer Pain Relief in Patients With Chronic Pancreatitis
Antioxidant supplementation was found to be effective in relieving pain and reducing levels of oxidative stress in patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP), reports a new study in Gastroenterology. CP is a progressive inflammatory disease of the pancreas in which patients experience abdominal pain (in early stage) and diabetes and maldigestion (in late stage).
Vitamin D as an Analgesic for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain
Chronic pain involving muscles, bones and/or joints is the leading complaint that drives patients to their doctors seeking relief. Now, according to peer-reviewed clinical research looking at adult patients of all ages, inadequacies of vitamin D might be linked to pain of all types including fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, seasonal affective disorder, rheumatic disorders, osteoarthritis, migraine headaches and other somatic complaints.
Vitamin D has long been known to be involved in other metabolic processes other than building strong bones. The process that links vitamin D to musculoskeletal pain is presumed to begin with a lack of circulating calcium due to an inadequacy of vitamin D. This calcium deficiency stimulates increased parathyroid secretion and precipitates a cascade of events that leads to chronic pain.
Vitamin D receptors have been found in various brain structures, the spinal cord, and the sensory ganglia. Results of some studies suggest that benefits of vitamin D supplementation might also help with neuropathies, another pain syndrome frequently found in people with diabetes.
