chronic pain news stories on Newser

Ex-Wilco Guitarist Died of Accidental OD: Coroner

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:53:01 CDT

Authorities say former Wilco guitarist Jay Bennett died of an overdose of a pain killer, and that they're investigating his death as an accident. Champaign County (Ill.) Coroner Duane Northrup says tests show the 45-year-old musician died after taking fentanyl, a drug found in patches commonly prescribed to treat...

Pentagon's New Painkiller: Ancient Chinese Medicine

Rebecca Smith Hurd — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:00:00 CST

US Air Force doctors deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan next year will have a new medical weapon in their arsenal: acupuncture. Military physicians, pleased with the success of treating wounded troops at home, will begin teaching battlefield medics how to fight severe or chronic pain by inserting tiny needles under...

CDC: Older Americans Need Shingles Vaccines

Laurel Jorgensen — Fri, 16 May 2008 03:10:31 CDT

The CDC is recommending that all adults age 60 and older get vaccinated against shingles, a common condition that can result in chronic plan, the Washington Post reports. Research has found that the recommended Merck vaccine reduces the occurrence of shingles by some 50% in this age group. Only those...

Chronic Pain Rewires the Brain

Rob Quinn — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 05:34:00 CST

Researchers studying the brains of people suffering from chronic pain have found that an area of their cortex is permanently active when it should sometimes deactivate, Reuters reports. That part of the brain, usually associated with emotion, stays on "full throttle" at all times. Researchers say this could explain why...

Even Fake Acupuncture Best for Back Pain

Colleen Barry — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 03:24:42 CDT

Acupuncture has a far better success rate than other treatments for patients with chronic lower back pain, and fake acupuncture is nearly as effective as the real thing, a new study has found. Normal medical treatment produced significant improvement in 24% of people, while 47% of acupuncture patients felt better,...

Ouch—Doc's Trial Highlights Pain Issues

Colleen Barry — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 14:30:08 CDT

The drug-trafficking trial of a Virginia pain specialist demonstrates the slippery slope between treating chronic conditions and enabling addicts. Dr. William Hurwitz's jury heard the story of a patient with deblitating migraines who had been treated with anxiety medication that actually caused headaches—by another doctor who happened to be...