Tag Archives: Chronic pain

Histamine, Metabolism, Neuro-excitatory and Neurotransmitters

February 10, 2015

Role of Histamine, Metabolism, Neuro-excitatory and Neurotransmitters for Addiction

Histamine refers to transmitter that is endogenous in nature and one that is involved in gastric secretions, allergic manifestations and vigilance regulation. It is found in tissues of all animals especially mamma also with high concentrations in the skin, liver and lungs. In the tissues, the transmitter histamine occurs in mast cells which are simply a group of cells whose cytoplasm has high concentrations of basophilic granulations.

In the mast cells histamine exists bonded to acidic compounds like heparin. In most cells with histamine, its production is slow and when it sis depleted t may take several weeks to go back to normal levels. The brain also contains histamine in certain level. Histamine occurs in the brain region in the hypothalamus based o circadian rhythm which occurs in the brain. Its concentration in the plasma does not exceed 1 microgram per liter but this concentration is high in patients suffering from asthma.

neurotransmitters

In the blood the level of histamine ranges from 10 to 100 micrograms in a liter and is primarily concentrated in the basophils. This concentration as studies show rises especially in patients suffering from medical conditions like gastrodudenal ulcers and chronic myelogenous leukemia. Histamine depreciates some times in the body. This means that more has to be produced to replace the one that is lost. This replacement is often slow and can take several weeks. However, histamine renewal in the nervous system and the gastric cells is at faster rate because it is released continuously.

Histamine and Metabolism

Naturally the distribution of histamine in the body is not usually uniform. It however, occurs in in higher concentrations in the mucosa of the gastric system. Its metabolism is dependent on enzymes such as diamine oxidase, histamine N-methyltransferase and histidine decarboxylase. These enzymes seem to be dominant in the stomach region. Studies have been carried out to determine exactly the concentration of histamine in the gastric system. For years this has been a subject of controversial debate and it was only recently that a solution was found. Studies show that the inactivation process of histamine by histamine methyltrasferase takes place in the gastric mucosa that has a significant activity of enzymes.

However it is worthwhile to note that the intestines, liver and spleen have much higher activities which points towards little specification of catabolism of histamine in the gastric mucosa. There have also been debates concerning the activity of diamine oxidase which for years was thought not to exist in the corpus mucosa. Recent studies however, show that moderate enzyme activities of this enzyme is present in some species among them man. In this case then, the metabolism of histamine n the gastric mucosa does not mean its existence in mammalian tissues. Activities of these enzymes could also act as an indication that it has significant physiological functions in the body.

The formation and inactivation of histamine has been shown to be regulated through enzyme activities by during the process of secreting acid. Histamine N-methyltrasferase and histidine decarboxylase are enhanced by gastrin activities and not necessarily influenced by vagal stimulation.

Neuro excitatory and Neurotransmitters for Addiction

Studies show that rugs especially alcohol affect to a great extent the brain as well as some physical processes of the body. There are several reasons that make a person an alcohol addict. These reasons may range from depression, stress, impulse of just mere pleasure. Once a person becomes alcohol dependent, a pattern has already been established and this affects the neural system of the person.

Histamine

The Neurotransmitter Process

In order to fully understand the neurological effects of alcohol addiction in the brain, there is need to understand how the brain transmitters work. The brain communicates through neurons that send messages form ne cells of the brain to an0ther. Transmission of nerve signals takes place from one brain region to another. Once a neuron has been activated, an electrical signal is produced which travels all through the membrane that surrounds the body and axon of the neuron. The signal reaches the end of the neuron and this triggers neurotransmitters to be released from the brain cells. The neurotransmitters then travel from one neuron to another. On reaching the other neuron, the molecules in the transmitter bind with receptors in the neuron and this triggers new electric signal to be produced. Production of new signals depends on the type of neurotransmitter that is involved in the process.

Most neurotransmitters exhibit inhibitory and excitatory effects. This is dependent on the region of the brain and the receptors present in that region. Neurotransmitters with excitatory effects include among others glutamate, dopamine and serotonin while those with inhibitory effects include gamma-aminobutyric acid most commonly referred to as GABA. When one takes alcohol it tends to reinforce the transmitter system. This affects many neural transmitter processes which trigger some long term effects like withdrawal, tolerance, dependence, sensitization and finally addiction.

This information can be found for free at www.awaremednetwork.com. Here you will also find other health and awareness tips.

Role of Histamine, Metabolism, Neuro-excitatory and Neurotransmitters for Addiction

 

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Pain Addiction Continuum

October 2, 2014

Pain Addiction Continuum and How To Deal With It

Pain AddictionPain management is an important part of treatment especially in situations where the patient is to go through intense like during chemotherapy for cancer patients or after going through surgery.  Nobody will like to have intense pain maim him for even the least amount of time. People like to be happy and avoid anything that may bring them pain. However in some instances there has to be pain for a much serious health problem to be solved. To manage pain certain drugs are used that helps you to endure the pain, unfortunately most of these are addictive and so as you are using them to manage pain you are at risk of addiction. Opiates are the mostly used drugs in pain management and they work well in ensuring that your pain is moderated if not done away with completely. However effective they are these drugs are very rewarding and before you know it the body may be adapted to these drugs so much that you will feel like you need to take them every time and increase the dosage over a time. Due to their rewarding nature they can be easily abused and a treatment that once began on the right foot may end up being another nightmare in a person’s life hence there is need for actions to be taken to help patients not to be addicted to this pain drugs.

Now back to the point pain and addiction may occur as a continuum or just two different entities. Here we see how pain addiction continuum occurs and how to deal with it. When the drugs are given for pain management you will be using them for just that for quite a time without feeling the intense craving for them. But as time goes by and you are still using them you will begin to have craving for these drugs not only to use them within the specified dosage but you may begging to desire mega doses which is now addiction so pain addiction continuum is rather the changes that takes place in your body demanding for more of the drug and hence dependence on these drugs. The use of opiates in pain management may work well for some people while for others it may not and their treatment may work better if they stopped using the opiates therefore it is important to work with experts in this field who will know when to use and when to stop using these opiates to avoid the dangers of addiction that may come with them. This means that the treatment must have a clear exit strategy from the opiates to help the patient overcome the cravings for more of the pain drugs.

Pain management demands that the doctor must be able to assess the patient well that is before issuing a prescription and during the course of treatment. The doctor should improve patient care by bio psychosocial model assessment of   the patient’s past and even present aberrant if any of such exist. All this will help the doctor decide on how best to prescribe the drugs in dosages that will reduce risks to addiction. Today the doctors are aware that pain management drugs poise a great threat to addiction in patients unlike in the past when it was thought that if a patient did not have a history of drug abuse disorder. The risk  of getting addicted to the opiates used in pain management is higher and this fallacy and past belief that it had low chances of inducing addiction in patients with no history of substance use disorder has never served this industry. It is quite fortunate that avenues are now opening as the doctors are slowly waking up to the reality of pain addiction continuum and proper exit strategies are being developed to help the cancer patients to evade addiction. The addiction that arises from use of opiates in pain management may be caused by many factors but the biggest culprit is poor management of chronic pain.

Poorly managed chronic pain

Now that we have learnt that there is risk of addition from the use of pain management drugs like the opiates it is better to exercise better management of chronic pain. Today chronic pain is one of the nightmares that many people are fighting every day. These people can use anything given to them to kill that pain without thinking twice and this shows how vulnerable they are. It therefore calls for professionalism in dealing with these people and doctors must find better ways to manage chronic pain in a way that reduces their risk to addiction.

In the past pain had been poorly manage owing to such beliefs that I have discussed above. Patients were put on opiate drugs to kill pain without assessing them and this often led to serious health problems since every patient is unique owing to the fact that they have different history relating to the substance use disorder. There is also need to explore other ways of pain management methods as opposed to singly using the opiates in pain management. Some of the natural pain management methods that work better are discussed here.

Proliferative therapies for pain (Natural)

Prolozone™ Therapy– Dr. Frank Shallenberger pioneered this type of proliferative therapy, Prolozone therapy uses ozone, a naturally occurring form of oxygen with powerful regenerative capacity owing to its extra oxygen atom. It works by increasing oxygen circulation and delivery into the damaged areas. This helps in strengthening ligaments and tendons as well as in rebuilding cartilage in the treated joint.

Prolotherapy– this therapy was pioneered by Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop who had used it successfully to treat his chronic back pain. It is the oldest and most widely used form of proliferative therapy that has been used since the 1930’s.it involves injecting a natural substance such as dextrose to purposefully provoke mild localized inflammation. This increases the blood supply and flow of nutrients to the area, and the body responds by regenerating the damaged structures.

Pain addictionPlatelet Rich Plasma Injection (PRP) Therapy -involves the use of the body’s own platelets for treatment of pain. It involves drawing a small amount of blood that is centrifuged to separate out the plasma this creates blood that is concentrated in platelets. The high concentration of platelets in the plasma is rich in bioactive proteins and growth factors that can accelerate tissue repair and regeneration. Today this therapy is become more popular with athletes.

Here at AWAREmed we are dedicated to finding the best solutions to chronic illnesses and that is why Dr.Dalal Akoury (MD) is always in the forefront advocating for integrative medicine since it is only through integrative medicine that a person can be healed wholly. Do not hesitate to call on her for help in managing any sort of chronic pain as well as other diseases.

Pain Addiction Continuum and How To Deal With It

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Sedatives and Chronic Pain Treatment

July 28, 2014

Sedatives and Chronic Pain Treatment

What are sedatives?

SedativesSedatives refers to the drugs which when administered to a patient, they reduce tension and anxiety and cause sedation. They are drugs which cause calmness when taken by the patient. In chronic pain treatment, these drugs are administered with a purpose to kill the pain that the patient is experiencing. This is not a common medication though and it will only be made available to the public if the clinical trials have shown that the benefits of using the drug seemingly outweigh its adverse risks.

How are sedatives administered?

Sedatives are administered to patients in many ways. The mode in which the sedation is given will though be determined by the area on which the pain is being experienced. The modes through which sedation can be administered include:-

ü  Through inhalation- through nose

ü  Through mouth (oral)

ü  Under the tongue

ü  Or sometimes administered intravenously i.e. through the veins.

Is sedation helpful in pain relief?

Yes. Sedation is a medication that has been specifically developed to help people who are experiencing pain. This medication works by calming the nervous system and hence making the patient not to feel any pain. Sometime when you are experiencing chronic pain, it may be difficult for you to concentrate on anything or even have sleep. Sedation in this case can prove helpful to you.

Does sedation cure chronic pain?

There has been confusion in many people who use sedation and think they are treating pain. Sedation is not a curative medication for pain, but it is only meant to help the patient by providing temporary relief from pain.

Under what circumstances will sedation be important?

As earlier mentioned, these medicines should only be used when prescribed by a doctor, because they are known to be habit forming. This will make them less effective the next time you will need to use them.

This medication is normally in most cases prescribed to the patients who are experiencing difficulties in sleep. This is because it is very difficult for a person experiencing severe pain to get any sleep. In this case, the doctor will prescribe sedative medication which will help the patient in killing the pain and consequently the patient gets sleep.

Are there thing I should avoid when under sedation treatment?

Yes. Sedation if not well taken care of can be hazardous. Depending with the level of sedation, (e.g. Deep sedation) taking of other drugs like alcohol as this may cause extreme drowsiness and this can reduce breathing and if intense, death may occur.

When you will also want to stop taking sedation medication E.g. for sleep aid, do not stop abruptly. Instead discuss it with your doctor to be advised on how to gradually withdraw. The abrupt stoppage may subject you to withdrawal symptoms.

Which are the types of sedation?

The type of sedation medication to be administered to the patient will be determined by the doctor when the patient visits the doctor. This choice will though be based of the intended effect of the sedative in terms of intensity. The following are the common types of sedative medication:-

  • Minimal sedation – when this sedation is administered, the patients respond normally to verbal communications since this is a light sedative medication. Sometimes this method may though impair cognitive function and coordination, breathing in unaffected.
  • Moderate sedation – this is also referred to as cognitive sedation and the patient remains conscious and an respond purposefully to verbal commands either alone or by light simulation.
  • Deep sedation – if this type of sedation is administered to a patient, the patient cannot be easily aroused but responds to painful simulation. The patient may require assistance to breath.
  • General Anesthesia – this is normally a very serious sedation treatment and its intensity is high. The patient cannot be aroused even by inducing pain on him/her. Breathing ability may completely be impaired.

Does sedation have any side effects?

SedativesAlmost all drugs, prescribed or over the counter will have some side effects. In this case, sedation is no exception. Some of the powerful sedation medicines have very high chances of causing addiction to the patient, especially if they are abused. Apart from the risk of addition, these drugs may also sometimes produce unpleasant reaction to the patient. It is important to note that the reaction that results from different patients when they take a given drug is quite different and hence it is vital after you see a negative reaction to the drug you see your doctor as soon as possible.

Is sedation same as opioids treatment?

Not really. As mentioned earlier, sedation refers to the medication which is normally given to the pain experiencing patient in order to bring about calmness. On the other hand, opioids are curative mediations which are given to pain experiencing patient with aim of not just giving them a temporal relief from the pain but to get them a permanent solution to the pain. Therefore, in simple terms the difference between the two is that opioids are medications that cure pain while sedatives are medications meant to calm or cool down the pain. Both medications should be administered by a qualified physician though, to avoid risks of addiction.

Sedatives and Chronic Pain Treatment

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NEURAL PROLOTHERAPY

July 26, 2014

NEURAL PROLOTHERAPY CURE FOR PAIN

What is pain?

Pain refers to a natural response by the human body to prevent us from causing more injury on the already injured area. The intensity and persistence of pain gives rise to two types of pains: – one of which is the pain that experience briefly then disappears. An example of this kind of pain is the one we experience when we touch a hot object. This pain disappears after some time. The second time of pain is the one that persists and occasionally this is the kind of pain that takes you to the doctor. It is referred to as chronic pain. This pain is normally termed as neurogenic pain.

NEURAL PROLOTHERAPY

How do we experience pain?

Pain is normally communicated to the brain through our autonomic nervous systems which composes of nerves. These signals are sent to the brain once a given part of the body is injured, saying that it is in pain. The interpretation of this signal takes place in the brain and it then makes us aware of the pain, which prevents us from making more injury to the affected area.

What is neural therapy?

This is a treatment of gentle superficial injections that treats chronic pain and dysfunction through resettlement of autonomic nervous systems (ANS) at the site of pain. This results to normal signaling from the nerves to the tissues and the organs that they control.

The autonomic nervous systems functions without our deliberate in order to control vital activities such as blood circulations, metabolism, body temperatures, heart beats etc. The problem with this system is that it can be disturbed by some negative influences such as pollution, toxicity, noise, stress etc. If this disturbance happens, the autonomic nervous systems will not be able to function normally and hence effects such as chronic pain.

The only solution to this problem is by restoring the system to its functional state. The good news is that researches have proven that neural therapy has the capacity to restore this system so that the autonomic nerves can communicate normally again.

Neural therapy can be used to treat quite a wide variety of conditions. Such conditions which can be addressed by this therapy are the chronic pain. Chronic pain condition can improve significantly even after just one treatment. Some of the conditions which benefit from effectiveness of this treatment are Neuralgia, Sciatica, Neck and back pains. The effectiveness of prolotherapy can be realized when a person is treated with neural therapy prior to or at the same time as the prolotherapy treatment.

Is neural therapy treatment painful?

This treatment uses a very thin needle to inject and thus it is almost painless. The needle which is used to inject this sugar solution under the skin is almost the size of hair. This means you may not even feel it. The advantage of this treatment method when used to treat pain is that it will relief you of pain almost immediately. The relief comes within a few seconds of the injection since the injection focuses on the pain area.

How long does it take me to be pain free?

When subjected to perineural injection therapy, these treatments should give you pain relief anywhere within two hours to two days. In case the pain comes back within one hour after the medication session, it is very likely that the therapy won’t work for you and thus other medication option may need to be considered. The other treatment which will be of help in this case is the Prolotherapy. After every session, you should remain painless for longer and longer periods until the pain doesn’t come back or it may even never come back at all.

NEURAL PROLOTHERAPY

Can I be able to stop my pain medication after this therapy?

Yes. Many of the people who have undergone this therapy have reported to have been on narcotics and nerve pain medicine for long time. At the end of the therapy when the pain has gone, you can actually stop your pain medication. This is one of the reasons why neural therapy makes it possible for you to treat pain while remaining free from addiction. It saves you the addiction which would have resulted from the prolonged use of these pain killing medications which are reported to be among the leading contributors of drug related addictions. It is although advisable that when you are stopping your pain medication you should do it gradually (slowly) to avoid the withdrawal effects which follows abrupt stoppage of taking addictive substance.

Are there any side effects of using NPT?

This therapy doesn’t have many associated side effect, but prolonged soreness at the injection site and temporary bruising may be among the uncommon side effects. Just like with any other injection, NPT injection may pose potential risks of infection, fever, allergy, and sometimes no relief or even worsening of pain however, these are rare cases to be reported and if they occur, NPT may not be the causation.

Are there restrictions in terms of activities that one can do while under this treatment?

When you are under this treatment, we in fact encourage activity. If you remain active, your blood will be flowing well. Exercise helps much when undergoing this treatment. Therefore there are not restrictions on activities when under this medication.

Where do I get this treatment?

You don’t have to be worried about this anymore! The best known doctor who many people recommend when it comes to Prolo Neural Therapy, Dr. Akoury is here for you. Call us today and get your problem addressed.

NEURAL PROLOTHERAPY CURE FOR PAIN

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