A Landmark Study on Palliation of Bone Mets PainWhen a primary cancer such as cancer of the breast, prostate or lung spreads to the bone (bone mets), treatment strategies become complex. In today’s world of oncology, better systemic chemotherapies can add months and even years to a patient’s life; in addition, local cancer control of […] KEEP READING
What You Should Know About CartilageOne of the most fascinating components of the human body is cartilage, an incredibly versatile material. Trying to describe cartilage is like the six blind men who try to figure out what an elephant is: “The elephant is like a pillar,” said the man who touched his leg. “Oh no! […] KEEP READING
How Stress Makes Essential Tremor WorseEssential tremor (ET) is the most common form of uncontrollable rhythmic shaking, though it is sometimes misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s disease. The involuntary trembling results from abnormal communication between certain areas of the brain (cerebellum, thalamus, and brain stem). It is estimated that 10 million Americans suffer from ET, though many […] KEEP READING
“Even fictional characters sometimes receive unwarranted medical opinions. Doctors have diagnosed Ebenezer Scrooge with OCD, Sherlock Holmes with autism, and Darth Vader with borderline personality disorder.” – Sam Kean Diagnosis means identifying what is behind a person’s symptoms. The word diagnosis goes back to ancient Greece. The prefix dia means “apart” and the root […] CONTINUE
If you suffer from acute or chronic low back pain, do you lie awake and wonder if anyone is updating your doctor on the latest treatment guidelines? You probably don’t. You’ve got enough going on just trying to turn the volume down on discomfort and have a normal life. The American College of Physicians The […] CONTINUE
“Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone?” – Joni Mitchell Do you have family heirlooms or works of art that you treasure? If so, you probably take special care to protect and preserve them for the future. They make us aware that we are custodians of […] CONTINUE
Lower back pain is a widespread problem. Almost everyone has it at one time or another, and it’s a frequent cause of missing work. Some estimates suggest that 85% of people have experienced temporary pain, with at least 5% suffering chronic pain. There are many causes for low back pain, most of them involving soft […] CONTINUE
The spine is a stack or column of individual bones held together in a way that permits flexible movement. Each individual bone, or vertebra, connects with the one above and below at small at small bony projection points. Where the projections meet, they form joints called facet (fuh-SET) joints. The facet joints serve some important […] CONTINUE
Pain is one way in which a person’s body communicates that it’s in distress. Just like an SOS signal sent from a ship or airplane, it should neither be ignored nor guessed at. About 80% of adults experience back pain at one time or another. When back pain is persistent and interferes with daily function […] CONTINUE
If back pain had been a Founding Father, it might have written this line in the Declaration of Independence: “all men are created equal” (women too, of course). Back pain is very even-handed and does not play favorites. It can attack anyone with no holds barred: rich, poor, young, old, every ethnic group and geographic […] CONTINUE
One of the best human partners in medical research is the humble pig. Pigs seem like an unlikely “equivalent” to test new medical procedures for humans, but they are greatly helpful to determine what will or won’t work in our own bodies. For certain clinical studies, they are ideal laboratory animals. Pigs and humans share […] CONTINUE
We take our backs for granted. We don’t really think about the muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, nerves and blood vessels that are carefully structured together from our neck to our hips…until trouble happens. When back pain occurs, it’s impossible to ignore. It literally follows you wherever you go, and the slightest move can elicit twinges […] CONTINUE
In the nutritional supplements aisle of any store, you will find several brands of glucosamine tablets. Glucosamine sulfate is a naturally-occurring chemical in the body. It plays a role in developing joint cartilage. However, the cartilage that cushions bone-on-bone contact can wear thin (osteoarthritis) from aging or use. The facet joints in the spinal column […] CONTINUE
