Fibromyalgia
Chronic pain is relieved by laughter suggests new study
Laughter can help those with chronic pain, says research presented at The European Pain Federation Congress, held in Florence, Italy.
Swiss scientists found that people laughing at comedy films could keep their hands in ice water longer than those who were not laughing. And the increased pain tolerance remained 20 minutes after laughing.
It could be that humour activates the release of endorphins and relieves muscular tension and so has a subsequent effect on pain on mental and physical level. Continue reading
Pain reduces and mobility increases through exercise programmes
An exercise programme for older Asian people in New York has had great success, says a report from the Hospital for Special Surgery.
Six eight-week sessions of the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program (AFEP) and three eight-week yoga exercise classes were conducted by bilingual instructors at four centres for older people. The programmes promote self-management of arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions through exercise. Continue reading
Brain signals disrupted in people with fibromyalgia
Brain scans have revealed that people with fibromyalgia could process pain differently, says a small study published in Arthritis & Rheumatism.
A total of 31 people with fibromyalgia were compared to 14 healthy controls. MRI scans showed that those with fibromyalgia were not as able to prepare for pain as healthy people and were less likely to respond to the promise of pain relief.
This altered brain processing could explain why people with fibromyalgia tend to feel pain more intensely and don’t respond as well to opioid-based painkillers. Continue reading
Device makes Kindles easier to use for people with poor dexterity
Many people, particularly those with poor dexterity, are much happier to use Kindles to read from as they don’t have to hold open a book, but many find the buttons awkward. Older people also enjoy the larger print available in Kindles but again find the ‘fiddly’ buttons a challenge.
A new device is being developed by Monmouth-based design company, E2L. The Kindle e-reader page turner allows push-button Kindles to be enjoyed by everyone, by adding large ‘paddles’ to either side of the eBook and a much larger on/off switch. Continue reading
Botox used in formation of new pain relief drug
A combination of Botox and tetanus could form the base of a new pain-relieving drug, says research published in Bioconjugate Chemistry.
A team of 22 scientists from 11 centres have developed a new way of joining and rebuilding molecules.
When they combined elements of Botox and tetanus toxin they found that the Botox part blocks pain signals and the tetanus part targets the central nervous system. The new drug could one day be used to treat chronic pain conditions. Continue reading
