Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

Angina drug finally gets the ok

U.S. regulators have granted approval for the drug Ranexa in the treatment of chronic angina.

31 Jan 2006

Vaccine against ricin safe and effective

Scientists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, say a vaccine against the deadly toxin ricin is safe and effective.

31 Jan 2006

Research shows brain's ability to overcome pain and thirst

Researchers at Melbourne's Howard Florey Institute have discovered how the brain prioritises pain and thirst in order to survive - a mechanism that helps elite athletes to 'push through the pain barrier'.

30 Jan 2006

Breast ducts - A new site for cancer treatment!

Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers are studying whether delivering chemotherapy drugs directly to breast "plumbing" might make treatment of early breast cancer easier on the patient and at least as good as surgery or radiation.

26 Jan 2006

New treatment trials for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the PKD Foundation have launched two treatment trials for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD).

25 Jan 2006

Uterine artery embolization shortens hospital stay but increases minor complications

Compared to traditional surgery for uterine fibroids, a new minimally invasive procedure leads to shorter hospitalization and a quicker return to everyday activities, researchers report.

25 Jan 2006

Anxious fathers make caesareans more painful for mothers

Fathers who are anxious during a caesarean operation may increase the pain experienced by the mother after the delivery of their baby, according to new research published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.

25 Jan 2006

Herbal medicines may improve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome

Traditional herbal medicines may improve symptoms of abdominal pain, disturbed bowel movements, and/or bloating and distension caused by Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). This was the conclusion of a systematic review of clinical studies that is published in the latest update of The Cochrane Library.

25 Jan 2006

Women with endometriosis undergoing IVF benefit from treatment with GnRH agonists

The live birth rate per woman was significantly higher in women with endometriosis who received gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist for three to six months before commencing in vitro fertilisation (IVF), compared to control groups.

25 Jan 2006

Heat wraps can reduce back pain

The evidence base for using hot and cold therapies to relieve back pain is poor. There is moderate evidence that heat provides a short-term reduction in pain, but there are no good data showing whether or not cold therapy has any effect.

25 Jan 2006

Undamaged nerve fibres cause ongoing pain not damaged

New research shows that it is undamaged nerve fibres that cause ongoing spontaneous pain, not those that are injured.

25 Jan 2006

Perineal massage helps childbirth

Low-tech, at-home preparation in the last month before childbirth could help pregnant mothers avoid one of the more common surgeries performed on women in the United States, a new review suggests.

25 Jan 2006

Boy with rare swallowing disorder has robotic surgery at UIC

Surgeons at the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago performed robotic-assisted surgery on a 12-year-old Chicago boy with a rare swallowing disorder called achalasia.

24 Jan 2006

Radiation therapy cures lung cancer

According to the Global Lung Cancer Coalition, each year ten million people are diagnosed with lung cancer, and half of all patients die within a year of diagnosis.

24 Jan 2006

Watchful waiting may be appropriate for some inguinal hernia patients

As long as they remain under the watchful eyes of their primary care physicians, men who have an inguinal hernia (a weakening of the abdominal wall that bulges into the groin area) may postpone surgical repair unless the condition causes symptoms that interfere with their usual activities.

23 Jan 2006