fibromyalgia which may be co-morbid. Whether the pain is
neuropathological or severe headaches pain relief is difficult to
find. Doctors who follow the Social Medicine model of "medicalization"
often believe that the pain is psychogenic because a physiological
cause has been overlooked or, as noted in this report, the
physiological underpinnings of pain are not well understood. As well
many doctors are trained to manage acute pain, but are unfamiliar with
the detection and care of chronic pain.
Behavioral treatments rarely change the underlying biological
pathophysiology, but applied appropriately may assist patients in
coping with the pain and possible resulting depression if present in
addition to biomedical treatments.
CNN blog:
Don't blame people for their pain, report says
Chronic pain =96 no matter where it strikes =96 is a problem not many of
us really understand.
It can sometimes be dismissed and not effectively managed by health
care professionals.
Pain is widespread, but underdiagnosed and undertreated, according to
a report released Wednesday by the Institute of Medicine. The
independent, nonprofit organization that gives advice to decision
makers and the public focused on pain as a public health issue.
Its committee on advancing pain research, care and education found
that much of people=92s pain is preventable and could be better managed.
"Their suffering is not something they should be blamed for or
something they=92ve made up," said Philip Pizzo, chair of the committee,
about people who are in pain. "In the absence of knowledge, there=92s
an attribution of blame. Education needs to play a role in that."
The committee reported that pain management training is lacking and
that more programs for specialist in advanced pain care are needed.
It also asked for better data on populations at risk, characteristics
of acute and chronic pain, consequences of pain and other trends.
Treatment doesn=92t always have to be drugs =96 as surgery, behavioral
interventions, psychological counseling, rehab and physical therapy
are also options.
From the report, here are some pain facts:
- $560 to 635 billion =96 the amount spent each year in the United
States in medical treatment and lost productivity
- 116 million =96 the number of American adults who experience pain
- 5 medical schools =96 out of 133 medical schools in America, only five
have required courses on pain
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) and opioids are the
most common agents for relieving pain
- 60 percent=97 percentage of women experiencing their first childbirth
who rate pain as severe
- 26 percent=97percentage of Americans who report low back pain lasting
at least a day in the last 3 months
- 2.1 million=97 number of annual visits to U.S. emergency departments
for acute headache (of 115 million total annual visits)
http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/29/dont-blame-people-for-their-pain-r=
eport-says/
The IOM brief can be found here:
http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/Relieving-Pain-in-America-A-Blueprint-for-T=
ransforming-Prevention-Care-Education-Research/Report-Brief.aspx
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