President Trump made it official last week: The opioid crisis confronting the United States qualifies as a public health emergency. For a country ravaged by opioid abuse and overdoses, consensus that the federal government must do more is growing. Consider these statistics on opioids in the US, from the CDC: Opioid overdoses have quadrupled since …
Opioids are some of the oldest pain medications in use. In general, opioids mimic the activity of molecules called endorphins that we produce in our body. Endorphins bind to certain receptors in the brain, spinal cord, and even to nerves in other parts of the body, such as the knee, to reduce pain. Opioids also …
The Rise Of The “Personal Diffuser” Essential Oils Stick These pens are offered as a portable option for your favorite scent. But are they safe? *Originally published on Rodale’s OrganicLife Where there’s smoke, there’s fire—and where there are clouds of vegetable glycerin vapor, there are probably essential oil vaporizer pens. Often called a “personal diffuser” or “diffuser …
Dr. Christo was featured in the Me vs. Fibromyalgia Chronic Spotlight Series with Puja Rios where he shares his passion for pain management and tips for new technologies. Part I is available now on Huffington Post. To wrap up 2017’s Chronic Spotlight Series, we’ll learn heaps of new information in this two-parter with Dr. Paul …
September is Pain Awareness Month, and with a new campaign, the American Chronic Pain Association wants people to “Give a Squat 4 Pain”. To participate, ACPA is asking people to squat against a wall (or any vertical surface), holding the position for as long as they can. After feeling the burn, they should head over …
Dr. Christo was a keynote speaker at PAINWeek in Las Vegas last week where he spoke on his expertise about interventional pain management options including injections, nerve blocks, pain pumps and spinal cord stimulation. Lucky attendees also got their copy of Aches and Gains: A Comprehensive Guide to Overcoming Your Pain signed at the conference.
Do women experience more pain than men? Is pain more severe in women? Or, are women just overly emotional about their pain? Jennifer Bolen, an attorney and founder of The Legal Side of Pain shares how her own struggle with pain has given her firsthand knowledge of gender disparities in the medical system. Then Dr. …
Stress can trigger pain and make existing pain worse. Both reducing stress and improving how we deal with it are vital to healing and pain prevention. We’ve heard from Dr. Kathleen Hall, international stress expert and Founder of The Stress Institute, who has worked with several Fortune 500 companies on stress and work life balance. But we …
A recently published study found that acupuncture was a safe alternative to pain-relieving drugs for some patients arriving at accident and emergency. The study took place in four hospitals in Melbourne, Australia, and was the world’s largest randomized controlled trial of acupuncture in emergency departments. It found that the treatment is a low-risk and effective alternative …
Pain fighting foods can help you in your triumph over chronic pain. Following these guidelines of “The Do’s and Don’ts of Eating with Chronic Pain” can ease the pain of Fibromyalgia, back pain, arthritis, and IBS. I’ve spoken on my show with Anne Wilson about foods that fight pain and slim the body, and how …