Category Archives: Chronic pain management
A high fat diet worsens post-operative pain and inflammation
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 … Continue reading
Posted in Chronic pain management
Tagged high-fat diet, nutrition, obesity, pain, surgery
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 … Continue reading
Posted in Chronic pain management, Uncategorized
Tagged chronic pain, chronic pain treatment, low back pain, opioids, Persistent pain
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 … Continue reading
Posted in Chronic pain management, neuropathy
Tagged diabetic neuropathy, fat and sugar, nutrition
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 … Continue reading
Posted in Chronic pain management, nutrition
Tagged chronic pain, diet, fruit and vegetables, healthy nutrition and diet
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 … Continue reading
Posted in Chronic pain management, neuropathy, nutrition, pain psychology
Tagged chronic pain, chronic pain treatment, low back pain, mindfulness, nutrition, wellbeing
Holistic Pain Management – Part 1
In this podcast I discuss the origins and assessment of chronic pain with Andrew Whitfield-Cook. It was important for me to get across that chronic pain persists for reasons beyond peripheral input. While that may be part of the issue, … Continue reading
Posted in Chronic pain management, pain psychology
Tagged Chronic pain management
Negative expectations of pain
It might surprise you (or not!) to know that I was the only nutritionist/naturopath at the recent Australian Pain Society conference. The attendees were largely made up of pain researchers, physiotherapists and psychologists with some GPs thrown in to the … Continue reading
Posted in Chronic pain management, pain psychology
Tagged chronic pain, negative expectations, pain psychology
Imaging Tests don’t help low back pain
I recently attended the annual Australian Pain Society (APS) conference in Adelaide. A commonly agreed message from presenters is that once you have chronic pain, imaging does not help. Not only are X-rays, CT scans and MRIs not helpful in … Continue reading
Posted in Chronic pain management
Tagged CT Scan, imaging tests, low back pain, MRI, Xray
Sleep Deprivation & Chronic Pain
In this podcast with Audra Starkey aka The Healthy Shift Worker I talk about how chronic pain is essentially an oversensitive nervous system response. I also discuss how sleep and pain are bio-directional, meaning pain can disturb our sleep and … Continue reading
Posted in Chronic pain management
Tagged chronic pain, Insomnia, poor sleep, sleep deprivation
Vitamin D and chronic pain
When it comes to the management of chronic pain one of the nutrients I consider in many cases is vitamin D. The idea that there was a link between chronic pain and vitamin D levels came from a paper I … Continue reading
Posted in Chronic pain management
Tagged chronic back pain, Chronic pain management, chronic pain treatment, vitamin D
