Chronic Pain Treatment: Depression and Anxiety

Chronic Pain Treatment, Your Rights and Your Doctor

Many chronic pain sufferers run into roadblocks when it comes to treatment options and numerous chronic pain patients are not believed by their doctors. Chronic pain can be resultant of a multitude of different causal agents. One may be suffering through a debilitating disease, another may be suffering due to some form of accident and others may not be able to come by a diagnosis as to why they are having chronic pain.

Often times when a causal agent is not immediately found, physicians will tell their patients that they are suffering from depression and/or anxiety. In some instances this might be accurate; however, this diagnosis is too often delivered to patients that are truly suffering from chronic pain where the underlying cause has yet to be discovered. Unfortunately, for these patients once this diagnosis becomes a part of their medical records they will be hard pressed to get their doctor to run more extensive tests or to garner a second opinion from another physician. Your medical records will follow you throughout your lifetime.

Many of these chronic pain patients suffer in silence until they have an episode that is too great for them to handle and they seek treatment in an emergency room. Hospitals keep records of patients too, so if a patient seems to be appearing too often seeking relief from their pain they may soon be labeled as having drug seeking behavior. When this becomes the case the chronic pain patient loses even more credibility and may never be treated properly for their pain.

Another issue with physicians and chronic pain treatment is writing prescriptions for narcotics for the chronic pain patient. For many chronic pain sufferers the opioid class of drugs is there only saviors. Physicians are reluctant to begin this regimen of treatment for fear of losing their license, which is understandable; however, should the chronic pain patient have to suffer because of the strict mandates regarding these drugs? Certainly not, and physicians need to understand this.

Enter into any chronic pain forum or opting health magazine and you will find many individuals that are suffering because they cannot find a physician to treat them. The government has regulated the use of narcotics in treatment, and has so scared the medical community that the fear of treating patients on a long-term basis is widespread. For many patients depression has become a part of their life as well as anxiety; chronic pain is not being treated so depression and anxiety set in making the pain worse which in turns makes the depression and anxiety deepen; this is a vicious cycle indeed.

Examples of the drugs that fall into the narcotic or opioid class:

  • Oxycontin
  • Percocet
  • Demerol
  • Morphine
  • Dilaudid
  • Fentanyl
  • Methadone
  • Codeine

There are advocates that are fighting for the rights of chronic pain patients through petitions and by joining forces with all of their members and other organizations in contacting politicians nationwide at all levels. The advocates also keep in contact with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as well as pharmaceutical companies and a multitude of physicians. These individuals are fighting the good fight.

It is estimated that around 77 million individuals are suffering from chronic pain and that most of them are not being treated. If you suffer from chronic pain then you might consider joining an advocacy group and also having a calm and rational appointment with your doctor, at this appointment it would be advisable to bring a pain diary that you have been keeping religiously, a list of any diagnosis, a list of any medications that you might take and inform your physician that you are willing to sign a pain management contract. A pain management contract is an agreement between you and your physician stating that you will not see other doctors for pain to get prescriptions, that you will use only one designated pharmacy and that you will bring your medication to each appointment so that it can be counted at random. Keep fighting for your rights and remember that you are your own best advocate.

Are There Really More Boys than Girls with Asperger’s?

As pediatricians and psychologists are flooded with children, and now adults, wanting to be assessed for the condition following relatively recent awareness, they are able to recognize more girls and women presenting with symptoms similar to, but not quite the same as, their male counterparts. This has lead some to call for a separate DSM, taking into account the differing effect an Aspergers neurology has on the two sexes.

Girls, with brains which have long been said to be wired for social interaction, appear to have the ability to mask the social deficiencies characteristic of Aspergers – mask, but not entirely compensate for. It is as if girls are born with a social “framework” which is available for them to “drag and drop” the missing pieces through intellectual observation and imitation. Boys with Aspergers seem to lack even the framework, and can therefore be unaware of what it is they are lacking, leaving them less able to drop the pieces into their correct places.

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Aspergers Symptoms and Prognosis

As well, girls tend to act out less than boys, internalizing stress, which naturally draws less attention than the destructive or aggressive behaviors which tend to lead to referral for assessment. As a result, girls in the recent past have mostly reached maturity without any knowledge of the reasons for their acutely felt, but invisible, differences, and beneath a surface which may appear calm, crippling anxieties can lurk.

This lack of acknowledgement of girls on the spectrum is ironic, considering that the popularizer of Hans Asperger’s research, Lorna Wing, initiated her own research into Autistic Spectrum Disorders as a result of having an autistic daughter.

However, as Tony Attwood, international leader in autism studies, says, girls are likely to make good progress with an early diagnosis, and the good news is that more diagnosticians are recognizing the hidden nature of Aspergers in girls, allowing the next generation to receive both the recognition and assistance that will hopefully enable them to gain maturity with a minimum of trauma.

Recognizing Aspergers in Girls

Coming to grips with the true statistics may take time as more women come forward, and as those referring children for assessment begin to recognize the profile of Aspergers in young girls. After all, Aspergers is neither a disease nor a curse, but a different way of being, one which brings along with it a fresh perspective on the world. It is often the anxiety associated with knowing they don’t fit, but not having strategies to cope with the often foreign world they find themselves faced with, that has the most debilitating effects on girls.

Sally Ride Facts and her Interesting Life

It is impossible to mention the name of Sally Ride without connecting it to NASA. This is unlikely to occur. Her remarkable achievements include being the very first woman to ever fly and conquer the space. It has been noted on various Sally Ride facts that she is into running. She does this for fun. There was also a time in her life when she participated in softball, volleyball and tennis. Aside from her athletic side, she used to write science books for many children too. Basically, these are related to space exploration.

For many, the life of Sally Ride maybe surreal. Well, it really is. It is not even surprising if others would ask – how was her life when she was still a young girl? Sally was born in May 26, 1951. She was originally from California. The moment she finished high school, she immediately enrolled in Stanford University in California. This was the place where she was able to earn her degree in Physics. This should not be surprising considering her inclination for sciences.

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Becoming an astronaut

How did she become an astronaut? It started when NASA decided to look for women astronauts. This occurred in 1977. During that time, Sally Ride was still a student. However, the stumbled upon the ad in their school newspaper. The invitation to women got her fascinated. This was the reason why she applied in the astronaut program without any second thoughts at all. There were six of them picked and she was a part of it.

It was on June 18, 1983 when Sally Ride flew on the space. She was the very first woman to do this. She served as an astronaut in a space shuttle mission. During this time, her job was to work on a certain robotic arm. She utilized the mentioned arm so that satellites will also be given the help they need in the space. With this, she flew right on the space shuttle. This transpired in 1984.

Of course, like all good things, Sally Ride stopped serving NASA. This was witnessed in 1987. As this pace in her life unfolded, she became a teaching staff in the University of California. This is found in San Diego. Primarily, she began to look for ways in order for women to be helped. This was also meant for girls who have the desire to study mathematics and science. This triggered her to come up with this idea. She termed the said idea as NASA’s EarthKAM project. This is a chance for most middle school students to have a picture of the Earth taken. They did this with the aid of a camera. In the process, students were also given the chance to have the pictures studied.

The Astronaut Hall of Fame added Ride in their prestigious listing in 2003. This is a way for her work to be honored.

Ride died in July 23, 2012. This was the only time her lending hand to students was put to a halt. With this, her legacy is going to be remembered.

Unpopular Facts about the Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad will always be connected to the well-known conductor named Harriet Tubman. The name itself may be surprising because even if it pertains to Underground Railroad, it is not in any way an underground, or even a railroad. It was only dubbed as an underground since it comes with a really secretive nature. It is also associated with a railroad for it is starting to blossom as a transportation. These are just some facts about the Underground Railroad.

Since its establishment, UR was considered as an informal network. As a matter of fact, it is somehow connected to myriad routes. These routes are headed to northern states. Right after the year 1850, it was made as a link to Canada. There are others which are going to south, then to Mexico. Some are even in the Caribbean.

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There were historians out there who estimated the number of slaves who were able to escape with the help of the UR network. In total, there are almost 100,000 of them.

Actions by people were also observed. The said slaves were actually assisted and helped by others in order to be free. This was an evidence of spontaneity. The group was comprised of men, women, children, and black and white. Most of these were Methodists and Quakers. This was the diversity of the human power who worked hand in hand during those occurrences.

There was a railroad language adopted during the aforementioned time. This was perceived as a secret code by most conductors, station masters, agents, stockholders and operators. These became a part of slave saving. Throughout the process, they made use of coded songs. Slaves knew how to make the most of them in order to save themselves.

The President of the Underground Railroad was Levi Coffin. Since then, his home was the Grand Station of the Underground Railroad.

In tracing the history of the UR, it can be pointed back to the 1780. However, it only turned out a fuss to many in 1830. Its height was only able to make its peak in 1850. It ended in 1863. This was connected in the announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.

There are supporters of the UR. Among the famous ones are William Still, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, John Brown, William Lloyd Garrison, Gerri Smith, Samuel Green, Lucrecia Coffin Mott, among other individuals there are.

UR stations come with their secret hideouts. These are meant for cellars, basements, passages, and even those hidden compartments which are in the cupboard. These are for slaves who had to be hidden safely.

There was a time when the slaves are prohibited to escape. This was implemented in the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. This was the permission given by the law that allows the slaves to go back to their master. This was the case even if they were in a free state. Their final destination during that time was in Canada.

In the said act, any person who was caught helping a slave would be sent to jail.

Horseshoe Crab Facts – What to Know about this Specie

Horseshoe crabs come with almost four species today. These are existing and are still being studied considering the fact that they continue to evolve each day. There was this one specie though, the so called Limulus Polyphemus, which was claimed to be situated in North America. This happened alongside Gulf coasts and even that of the Atlantic. This was then starting from Maine down to Mexico. Any sort of horseshoe crab facts would support that. There were still other three of these species which were in Southeast Asia. Do not get this wrong. The species are not crabs of course. However, they have a close relation to arachnids. These arachnids were known to be a group that would include the scorpions and spiders. They were close to the latter as compared to that of most crustaceans out there. The said group will mostly be about lobsters, true crabs and even that of shrimps.

The said horseshoe crabs were dubbed to be living fossils since they come from their very ancestors. This dated back almost 450 million years ago. Just imagine that. It only goes to show that they existed first than that of dinosaurs. This was some sort of a revelation – right?

For so long, the said species dominated and inhabited the planet. This is the main reason why there were sudden changes in their form. This occurred every year. This lead to their strange anatomy. They are one of the animals which were always being noted because of the aspects they go along with. But then, unfortunately, as for their spike-like, long tail, the crabs were given and these species were caused to have some sort of unfavorable reputation. This also took place. There were even individuals who viewed such to be dangerous animals. They were the main cause of fair at some point. This was the initial reaction only because they come along with their sharp tails. However, in reality, these crabs could not bring any harm to anyone. The tails they utilized is only meant for flipping and nothing else. There are just instances when they overturn themselves. This may occur too.

Aside from the mentioned, these horseshoe crabs became popular because they go with their large nesting aggregations. This refers to the groups they come along on most beaches. This was very much evident most especially in the middle of the Atlantic states including New Jersey, Maryland and even Delaware. The crabs have the ability to nest even for the whole year. This is true especially when they are seen in Florida. The peak here spawns to occur just in spring, and sometimes, fall.

Whenever they are mating, the male would move in parallel to that in the shoreline. This would occur on many sandy flats and then the females would intercept as they pass by. The male would then attach himself just on top of the shell of the female. This occurs because they have these specialized front claws. This occurs in this position known as the amplexus.