Obesity commonly correlates with increased pain. One of the mechanisms for this is relatively straightforward; having central adiposity (fat around the stomach region) or being obese is associated with low-grade chronic inflammation, and this, in turn, is associated with a greater incidence and severity of chronic pain conditions. In the recent study authors (Song. et… Continue reading A high fat diet worsens post-operative pain and inflammation
Education
Relief with opioid discontinuation
Managing persistent or chronic pain is complex. Frequently there is a lack of objective reason for persistent pain yet it is real, personal and subjective and people with persistent pain are of then desperately seeking effective pain relief. I recently attended an “Explain Pain” course in Cairns (which was lovely and warm), which looks at… Continue reading Relief with opioid discontinuation
Food marketing to kids?!?
Have you ever perused the food options on the shelves of the supermarket looking for the healthiest option, and then read the ingredients only to find it was loaded with sugar…or something that sounds like sugar but you just can’t be sure? A recent Australian study (Pulker et al., 2018) sought to understand the impact… Continue reading Food marketing to kids?!?
Throwing the baby spinach out with the bath water
Recently I went into a well known supermarket looking for some leafy greens to go with the dinner I was cooking. I scanned the shelves and all I could see was packets of baby spinach, rocket or mixed greens, neither on their own, both mixed with baby spinach. I felt like I was in a… Continue reading Throwing the baby spinach out with the bath water
Is modern life responsible for skin conditions?
The skin is a protective barrier between the outside world and our internal processes. Living on the skin is a whole world of microbes otherwise known as the skin microbiome. This bacterial world plays a key role in maintaining skin health and those that inhabit our skin surface have many beneficial roles, both topically and… Continue reading Is modern life responsible for skin conditions?
A new culprit in Type 2 Diabetes
Fat rather than sugar may be the most significant culprit in the development of diabetic neuropathy in Type 2 diabetics. Diabetic neuropathy is the most common complication of diabetes. It can occur anywhere but commonly in legs and feet leading to symptoms such as numbness, loss of sensation and pain. The accepted understanding of peripheral… Continue reading A new culprit in Type 2 Diabetes
You are what you eat in chronic pain
Over the last decade we have seen a flood of evidence linking a poor diet with chronic health conditions. But what about chronic pain? Until recently the role of diet in relation to chronic pain in most areas has been marginalised particularly when it comes to treatment strategy. However, we are now seeing some directly… Continue reading You are what you eat in chronic pain
Stress impacts our gut bugs
A new study from Nature Scientific Reports indicates that stress may be as unhealthy to our gut microbiota as a bad diet. The study was carried out on animals but may have implications for humans. The researchers set out to evaluate the factors that impact on the gut microbiota and found that female mice exposed… Continue reading Stress impacts our gut bugs
Holistic Pain Management Podcast 2
This podcast is a follow up to Holistic Pain Management Part 1 and in it Andrew Whitfield-Cook and I discuss some of the treatment strategies that are employed as part of a holistic approach to chronic pain. Holistic Pain Management Part 2 From FxMedicine: "Chronic Pain affects around 15-20% of the population, with huge monetary… Continue reading Holistic Pain Management Podcast 2
Orange glasses improve sleep
Over the last few years my sleep can go through bad patches and during these times I can have difficulty falling asleep or wake through the night. I no longer feel stressed by this as I once did and I have done much to improve my sleep however I am always interested in research about… Continue reading Orange glasses improve sleep
