More Resources: Easing The Pain

(CBS)  There's new hope for people suffering from chronic pain, and that's the focus of our new series, "Easing the Pain." For the first installment, CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook examined a way to cut pain without using medication - instead, it employs an ancient technique: applying electricity.

For the second, LaPook took a close look at a pharmaceutical innovation - prescription pain medication that's resistant to abuse.

And Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports for the final piece in the series that much is unknown about how babies feel pain. And some doctors disagree about it. How can infant suffering be measured and treated?

Learn More

Chronic pain affects millions of Americans, and can severely affect one's quality of life. Pain is something that should be discussed with a health-care provider - regardless of whether it is mild and persistent or sharp and severe.

The CBS News series, "Easing the Pain" explored new treatments of and ideas about chronic pain.

Painkiller Addiction

Certain prescription medications that treat pain are known to be addictive. Addiction is differently defined than abuse, and also different from physical dependence or tolerance. According to WebMD: In cases of physical dependence, withdrawal symptoms occur when a substance suddenly is stopped. Tolerance occurs when the initial dose of a substance loses its effectiveness over time. Addiction and physical dependence often occur together.

Opioids, including codeine, oxycodone and morphoine, can be addictive. To see a list and learn more, click here.

Alternative and integrative treatments for severe pain are becoming more popular. According to the DPMPC, Today's healthcare services must philosophically, practically, and comfortably integrate a variety of complementary and alternative therapeutic approaches with conventional medical care. Learn more here.

Additional Resources

See a list of WebMD's pain management questions and answers here.

To visit the Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care at Beth Israel Medical Center, go to StopPain.org or visit the department's chronic pain Web site.

Check out the Cleveland Clinic's pain management Web site or read the Pain Management Newsletter.

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The American Pain Foundation is an excellent resource for people with pain. www.painfoundation.org

The Foundation serves people with pain through information, advocacy, and support. The mission of APF is to improve the quality of life of people with pain by raising public awareness, providing practical information, promoting research, and advocating to remove barriers and increase access to effective pain management.

Programs include:
Advocacy - Power Over Pain Action Network, Action Alerts
Military/Veterans Initiative
Information - Pain Information Center ([e-mail])
PainAid, APF''s online support community

There are FOUR critical actions you can take right now that will help advance pain care in our country:

1. Ask your Representative to co-sponsor the National Pain Care Policy Act of 2007 (HR 2994).

2. Ask your Representative to co-sponsor the Military Pain Care Policy Act of 2008 (HR 5465).

3. Ask your Senator to co-sponsor the Veterans Pain Care Act of 2007 (S 2160).

4. Request that your organization endorse the Consensus Statement for the National Pain Care Policy Act of 2007.

See the "Take Action" Page at www.painfoundation.org to get involved!

A United Voice of Hope and Power Over Pain

[gwennherman]

Your series on chronic pain is very informative. I have been dealing with chronic pain for thirteen years and have developed a nonprofit that helps other chronic pain sufferers. Pain Connection-Chronic Pain Outreach Center, Inc. is a non profit that provides monthly support groups in Montgomery, Prince Georges, Howard, Anne Arundel and Baltimore Counties in Maryland, Speakers Series in Silver Spring, supervision, training, newsletter, website, information and referrals and community outreach and education to chronic pain sufferers, their families and to medical and mental health professionals.
DON''T STAY ALONE IN YOUR PAIN!

Gwenn Herman, LCSW-C,DCSW
Executive Director
Pain Connection-Chronic Pain Outreach Center, Inc.
12251 St. James Road
Potomac, MD 20854
301-309-2444 Fax.[phone]
WWW.pain-connection.org