Pain Relief

Jeannine sorts through a binder of writing assignments from her therapy. In keeping a journal about her past experiences with pain, she noticed that the pain symptoms began when she was around 8 — a time of escalating family trauma at home.

Can You Reshape Your Brain's Response To Pain?

4:02pm June 10, 2019

by Patti Neighmond

Changing how the mind reacts to pain can reduce the discomfort experienced, according to scientists who study brain pathways that regulate pain. A new type of therapy aims to enhance that effect.

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Pain is a complex mix of ouch and emotion.

How The Brain Shapes Pain And Links Ouch With Emotion

10:35am May 20, 2019

by Jon Hamilton

Pain is more than an unpleasant sensation. When pain signals reach the brain, they interact with areas involved in thinking, memory and emotion.

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Baby boomers who use marijuana seem to be using it more often than in previous years, a recent survey finds — 5.7 percent of respondents ages 50 to 64 said they'd tried it in the past month. The drug is also gaining popularity among people in their 70s

More Older Americans Are Turning To Marijuana

5:00am September 12, 2018

by Mara Gordon

As marijuana gains popularity among people 65 and older, geriatricians call for more research on how it affects elderly patients. Shifts in metabolism as we age can intensify any drug's side effects.

When it comes to chronic pain, how do patients and doctors find the right treatment?

Questions And Answers About Opioids And Chronic Pain

8:09pm March 09, 2018

Are opioids the best way to manage long-term pain? NPR's Ari Shapiro talked with Dr. Ajay Wasan, a pain specialist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, to find out.

Opioids could make some patients' pain worse.

Health & Safety

When Opioids Make Pain Worse

6:56pm March 03, 2018

by Clayton Dalton

For some people, something as simple as having an IV line inserted can be excruciating. An emergency room doctor noticed a strange pattern. Many of these sensitive patients were regular opioid users.

Ashley Copeland (right) talks to her mom Sue Iverson in the Swedish Medical Center emergency department, near Denver. Copeland got a nerve-blocking anesthetic instead of opioids to ease her severe headache. At discharge she was advised to use over-the-cou

These 10 ERs Sharply Reduced Opioid Use And Still Eased Pain

11:18am February 23, 2018

by John Daley

Collaboration was key for the 10 emergency rooms that cut opioid prescriptions by 36 percent. Doctors say they now use less addictive medicines to manage pain and have shifted patients' expectations.

Francisco Hidalgo prepares to receive a trigger point injection from Dr. Alexis LaPietra (right) at St. Joseph's University Medical Center in Paterson, N.J., while Dr. Tyler Manis observes. An alternative to opioids, the trigger point injection involves d

ER Reduces Opioid Use By More Than Half With Dry Needles, Laughing Gas

7:03pm February 20, 2018

by Hansi Lo Wang

Opioid prescriptions in one of the busiest emergency rooms in the U.S dropped 58 percent in the first year of an unusual program to help stem the opioid epidemic. More hospitals are copying the model.

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MaryJane Sarvis, an artist in Shaftsbury, Vt., weaned herself from the opioid painkillers she was prescribed for chronic nerve pain. "I felt tired all the time and I was still in pain," she says. Marijuana works better for her, but costs $200 per month ou

The High Cost Of Medical Marijuana Causes Pain In Vermont

7:27pm January 11, 2018

by Emily Corwin

Though medical marijuana is legal in most states, some patients still have a hard time affording it. The federal government won't allow states to cover medical marijuana with Medicaid dollars.

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Will Gersch teaches a class as part of a Colorado Kaiser Permanente pain management clinic.

Pain Management Program Offers An Alternative To Opioids

2:07pm December 29, 2017

by John Daley

Studies show some promising results for new approaches to opioid addiction, but some insurers won't pay for alternative treatments like classes on pain management.

Lauren Kafka rented a machine that delivered cold water and compression to manage pain after rotator cuff surgery. Her insurance company said it wasn't medically necessary and refused to pay for it.

Health & Safety

The Insurance Company Paid For Opioids, But Not Cold Therapy

10:52am November 25, 2017

by Lauren Kafka

It seemed like such a good idea: Use cold therapy to reduce the need for opioid painkillers after shoulder surgery. But this woman's insurance company said no dice.