Severe Pain The Power Of Touch

University College of London, reveals why persons grip their hand after receiving an injury. The new report appears online in Current Biology, September 23rd issue.

The new report indicates that grasping the hand gives considerable relief for severe pain under experimental settings. The researchers propose that relief comes from an alteration in the brains impression of the rest of the body.

Professor Patrick Haggard, of the university states that pain is a very major, but also difficult experience in which is caused in many ways. They show that the rates of severe pain rely not only on the signals sent to the brain, but also on how the brain combines the signals into a rational image of the body as a whole.

Professor Haggard and his associate Dr. Marjolein Kammers also of the university, made this finding by examining the reactions of self-touch in persons who were made to feel pain through an experimental condition referred to as thermal grill illusion(TGI). Dr. Haggard explains that TGI is one of the most established laboratory means for studying pain perception. In their version, the index and ring fingers are placed in warm water and the middle finger in cold. This produces a paradoxical that the middle finger is extremely hot. That reaction is perfect due to the fact it allows scientists to examine the pain experience without causing injury to any participants in the study.

When TGI was produced in an individual two hands and then three fingers of one hand were touched to the same fingers on the other hand directly afterward, the painful heat experienced by the middle finger went down by 64% in comparison to without self-touch. That relief was not present when only one hand was placed under TGI conditions. Partial self-touch in which only one or two fingers were pressed against each other did not work either. It also did not work to press the infected hand against an experimenters hand which also had been warmed and cooled in the same way.

The researchers had written TGI reduction only happened when thermosensory and tactile information from all three fingers was totally combined. TGI decrease required an extremely definite somatosensory pattern including definitive between tactile and thermal patterns and definite stimulation between the two hands.

Professor Haggard stated that prior studies of severe pain indicated the significance of body representation in the experience of pain. An example is the phantom pain which is often felt after amputation of a limb seems to decrease with time as the brain focuses on updated representation of the body. Professor Haggard remarks that these new evidence extend to the vital part of body representation to severe pain and can possibly provide a greater knowledge of the brain functions involved in chronic pain as well.

In closing researchers state this discovery could be put to practical use. Their work advocates that therapies aimed at strengthening the multisensory representation of the body possibly can be practical for the decrease of pain.

Extreme chronic pain is a major health issue which affects about one in ten million Americans. Nearly 62% of all adults use alternative treatments to aide in chronic pain. Below are the most noted alternative treatments for chronic pain.

Chiropractic

Chiropractic care is rated as the first and most common choice to relieve chronic pain. Chiropractic care can treat a vast assortment of pain issues. There have been numerous scientific studies proving chiropractic care is beneficial in the treatment of chronic pain and is frequently recommended today by physicians.

The non-medication approach has produced many favorable outcomes. Chiropractic employs spinal adjustments for most chronic pain issues. Chiropractic is greatly effective in restoring normal muscle functioning, joints along with the vascular system aiding in elimination of the source of pain.

Acupuncture

Ancient art of healing dating back centuries. By stimulating acupuncture points through the use of super fine needles, the bodies own natural pain killers are released.

In 1997, the National Institute of Health Consensus Development Conference had stated there was clear evidence for acupuncture being effective for many pain conditions. However, there is no evidence for effectiveness in osteoarthritis pain.

Yoga

Yoga teaches your mind to be used for healing. It allows you to alter your mind responses into a healing state. Through the use of meditation or relaxation poses it eases the stress of the pain in your mind. Breathing exercises have the ability to strengthen the flow of energy to your body yielding a sense of well being.

Herbs

Some herbs have the ability to decrease the chronic pain felt within the body. Many of the herbs used for chronic pain have also been used to aide in depression.

Some of the more noted herbs include:

Rubbing St. John's wart oil scented with lavender essential oil into skin. This relieves pain from muscles or neurological pain.

Boswellia capsules at 150mg three times a day relieves pain equal to that of Celebrex.

Condurango by taking one half teaspoon mixed in one quarter cup of water taken three times a day relieves pain.

Pau d'arco loose tea to be mixed in water. One teaspoon to one cup of water. Can be taken up to eight times a day for pain relief.

A few alternative medicine practitioners in or around Detroit:

A & L Chiropractic Center

24281 Middlebelt Road

Middlebelt Corners

Farmington Hills

248-477-3977

Innate Chiropractic