On the bias of science: part whatever
Okay, I hope I ' ve swept away enough of the underbrush to get to the tall trees. The basic summary is that it can matter who ' s paying for research, and certainly if a corporate sponsor stands to benefit from a particular outcome a study is more likely to get that outcome. I should have mentioned that this is supported by head-to-head comparisons: evaluations of the same therapeutic modality tend to be more positive when sponsored by the manufacturer than by government. However, the way government funding works, government-sponsored investigators are independent and there is no discernible " government agenda " for resea...
Source: Stayin' Alive - July 15, 2021 Category: American Health Source Type: blogs
The Pain Is In Your Brain: Your Knees Know Next to Nothing
By HANS DUVEFELT
A “frozen shoulder” can be manipulated to move freely again under general anesthesia. The medications we use to put patients to sleep for such procedures work on the brain and don’t concentrate in the shoulder joints at all.
An ingrown toenail can be removed or an arthritic knee can be replaced by injecting a local anesthetic – at the base of the toe or into the spine – interrupting the connection between the body and the brain.
An arthritic knuckle can stop hurting and move more freely after a steroid injection that dramatically reduces inflammation, giving lasting relief long after any...
Source: The Health Care Blog - April 14, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Medical Practice Patients Physicians Primary Care Hans Duvefelt Pain Management Source Type: blogs
How this doctor deals with the F-word (fibromyalgia)
I ’m “blursed.” I have a loving and supportive family, an amazing wife, great friends, and that includes my dog, a career that is both secure and fulfilling, and yet there is something I carry with me that perpetually threatens to break my spirit. My fellow Reddit fans/addicts know the meaning o f“blursed,” but for those […]Find jobs at Careers by KevinMD.com. Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now. Learn more. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - April 5, 2021 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/rahul-gupta" rel="tag" > Rahul Gupta, MD < /a > < /span > Tags: Conditions Rheumatology Source Type: blogs
Self-care
No, not the Instagram “self-care” of floofy slippers and a glass of wine, or an excuse to indulge in chocolate. No, I’m talking about the gritty self-care that all of us humans need to do, only some of us need to it more regularly or we’ll experience Consequences.
Self-care for people living with pain is no luxury, and it does (occasionally) mean walking away from something enjoyable, setting boundaries on demands for time and energy, AND it means many other things too.
I’ll talk about my own self-care needs because I can’t talk authentically about anyone else. Most of you will kno...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - March 28, 2021 Category: Anesthesiology Authors: BronnieLennoxThompson Tags: 'Pacing' or Quota Chronic pain Clinical reasoning Coping Skills Coping strategies Motivation Pain conditions boundaries self management self-care selfcare Source Type: blogs
AppliedVR raises $29M to help make virtual reality the standard of care for treating chronic pain
AppliedVR Raises $29 Million for Immersive Headsets (LA Business Journal):
Century City-based AppliedVR, Inc. announced March 23 that it has raised $29 million in Series A funding that will be used to continue development of an immersive headset to help patients with chronic pain.
… The company is building a headset called EaseVRx that will display immersive environments like campfires, mountains and other animated nature scenes to help patients dealing with chronic pain, including fibromyalgia and chronic intractable lower back pain…
AppliedVR Chief Executive and co-founder Matthew Stoudt said that the pandemic h...
Source: SharpBrains - March 24, 2021 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Brain/ Mental Health Technology & Innovation AppliedVR chronic pain cognitive behavioral therapies FDA fibromyalgia headset mindfulness exercises pain treatment virtual-reality Source Type: blogs
Tip for digital health start-ups: To navigate regulatory gray areas, “engage early and engage often” with the FDA
FDA’s enforcement discretion for digital health is more ambiguous than ever in 2021 (MobiHealthNews):
The digital health ecosystem has swelled to encompass a broad range of products over the years.
On one end of the spectrum is software-as-medical-devices (SaMD) and prescription digital therapeutics, product categories for which a comprehensive regulatory strategy and engagement with the FDA are mandatory. On the other are wellness apps and other low-risk digital tools that likely spend more time worrying about oversight from the Federal Trade Commission than the health regulator.
However, a growing number of companies a...
Source: SharpBrains - March 22, 2021 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Brain/ Mental Health Technology & Innovation 510(k) clearance artificial intelligence digital health enforcement discretion FDA Federal Trade Commission SaMD software-as-medical-devices wellness apps Source Type: blogs
Pain model – helping to target change
In my recent post on behavioural approaches to pain management, I had a number of commentators ask why do it, why not focus on pain intensity, and aren’t I invalidating a person’s experience if I target a person’s response to their experience. Today’s post will explore some of these points.
I suppose my first point needs to distinguish between pain as an experience, and pain behaviour – or what we do when we experience pain. I like to use a pretty old “model” or diagram to help untangle these concepts. It’s drawn from Loeser’s “Onion ring” model, and he w...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - February 28, 2021 Category: Anesthesiology Authors: BronnieLennoxThompson Tags: Clinical reasoning Coping strategies Pain Pain conditions Therapeutic approaches models pain models Source Type: blogs
FDA releases first Artificial Intelligence (AI) regulatory plan to promote responsible digital health innovation
FDA Releases Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Action Plan (FDA press release):
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released the agency’s first Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML)-Based Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) Action Plan. This action plan describes a multi-pronged approach to advance the Agency’s oversight of AI/ML-based medical software … The AI/ML-Based Software as a Medical Device Action Plan outlines five actions that the FDA intends to take, including:
Further developing the proposed regulatory framework, including through issuance of draft guidance on a predetermined c...
Source: SharpBrains - January 25, 2021 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Brain/ Mental Health Technology & Innovation artificial intelligence digital health digital health innovation FDA Food and Drug Administration machine-learning regulatory framework software Source Type: blogs
Trial By Error: My Zoom-Talk on the NICE Draft for Sheffield ME Group
By David Tuller, DrPH On Monday, I gave a Zoom-talk hosted by the Sheffield ME & Fibromyalgia Group on the new draft of ME/CFS clinical guidelines from UK’s National Institute of Health and Care Excellence. The draft rejected the GET/CBT treatment paradigm. I haven’t watched the video, but most likely one of my eyebrows is […] (Source: virology blog)
Source: virology blog - December 9, 2020 Category: Virology Authors: David Tuller Tags: Uncategorized NICE draft Sheffield Source Type: blogs
Bias: Is pain all the same?
The topic of how we define pain, and how humans respond to pain has come up for me as I mull over the IASP definition of pain. The current (new) definition is this:
An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage.
Six key notes:
Pain is always a personal experience that is influenced to varying degrees by biological, psychological, and social factors.Pain and nociception are different phenomena. Pain cannot be inferred solely from activity in sensory neurons.Through their life experiences, individuals learn the concept of pain.A...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - November 29, 2020 Category: Anesthesiology Authors: BronnieLennoxThompson Tags: Chronic pain Clinical reasoning Education Education/CME Pain conditions acute pain function IASP definition maldynia metaphor pain definition persistent pain purpose Source Type: blogs
Looking beyond the immediate
When I graduated as an occupational therapist, I was told that my profession was “problem-solving” and “motivation”. At the time (early 1980’s) Lela Llorens‘ problem solving process was the fundamental approach taught during our training. This approach is straightforward: identify the problem, identify solutions, select a solution, implement the solution, and review. I’m not sure if this approach is still taught but it’s stayed with me (and those memories of painstakingly completing the problem solving process documentation…).
There’s one small step that I thin...
Source: HealthSkills Weblog - November 15, 2020 Category: Anesthesiology Authors: BronnieLennoxThompson Tags: Assessment Clinical reasoning Coping strategies Interdisciplinary teams Occupational therapy Pain Pain conditions Professional topics Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
On neurons, lifelong learning, meditation, humility, “empty brain calories” and more
Welcome to a new edition of SharpBrains’ e‑newsletter, featuring 12 fascinating neuroscience findings and open questions–and the beautiful image above.
#1. “With this image I want to illustrate the large advances made in imaging methods over the past century, allowing modern neuroscientists to look at neurons in ways that Cajal could have only dreamed of.” – Silvia Rodriguez-Rozada, Center for Molecular Neurobiology, Hamburg. Award-winning image shows neuroimaging progress in a century
#2. One more reason why lifelong learning matters: Study: High Cognitive Reserve (CR) seen to significantly lower dementia risk...
Source: SharpBrains - October 30, 2020 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: SharpBrains Monthly eNewsletter awe behavior-therapy brain-enhancement cognitive-bias FDA humility Lifelong-learning medication meditation Memory-Training mental health mindfulness Neurons neuroscience supplements virtual-r Source Type: blogs
The FDA clears AppliedVR headset to help treat fibromyalgia and chronic pain
Conclusions: High engagement and satisfaction combined with low levels of adverse effects support the feasibility and acceptability of at-home skills-based VR for chronic pain. A significant reduction in pain outcomes over the course of the 21-day treatment both within the VR group and compared with an audio-only version suggests that VR has the potential to provide enhanced treatment and greater improvement across a range of pain outcomes. These findings provide a foundation for future research on VR behavioral interventions for chronic pain.
News in Context:
FDA clears MindMaze GO neurorehabilitation platform, easing a...
Source: SharpBrains - October 22, 2020 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Brain/ Mental Health Technology & Innovation AppliedVR back pain Breakthrough Device Designation chronic pain EaseVRx FDA fibromyalgia virtual-reality Source Type: blogs
Illness-related fatigue: More than just feeling tired
A common refrain during the COVID-19 pandemic is, “I’m so tired.” After months of adjusted living and anxiety, people are understandably weary. Parents who haven’t had a break from their kids are worn out. Those trying to juggle working from home with homeschooling are stretched thin. Between concerns about health, finances, and isolation, everyone is feeling some level of additional stress during this unusual time, and that’s tiring. We all could use a good, long nap — or better yet, a vacation.
But while a break would be nice, most people — except those who are actually sick with COVID-19 or other illnesses...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - October 21, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Jennifer Crystal, MFA Tags: Autoimmune diseases Fatigue Source Type: blogs
Fibromyalgia: Exercise helps — here’s how to start
If you have fibromyalgia and you’re in pain, exercising is probably the last thing you feel like doing. But experts say it’s actually one of the most effective strategies you can try to help manage this chronic pain condition.
Yet many people with fibromyalgia already struggle to get through their regular daily activities. Adding exercise on top of that may seem insurmountable. And pain and exhaustion can make it difficult to start and stick with regular workouts.
Getting started
It’s natural to worry that any exercise will make your pain worse and leave you wiped out. But know that adding more physical activity into...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - October 13, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Kelly Bilodeau Tags: Exercise and Fitness Fatigue Health Neurological conditions Pain Management Source Type: blogs
