Innovative Ways Doctors are Reducing Patient Pain

The vast majority of surgeries successfully treat patients for their illnesses. Knowing this can make you feel better about an upcoming operation. You may still worry that pain will disrupt your life for years to come. Luckily, doctors have found several innovative ways to reduce patient pain. As long as your surgeon understands the latest research on reducing pain, you should find that you have a positive experience that doesn’t disrupt your life for very long.

Here are three of the most successful ways your doctor may use to reduce your pain.

Minimally Invasive Procedures

Surgery often causes a lot of pain because doctors have to make large incisions in your body. Surgeons have been trained to minimize damage while operating, but they still cut you with knives. That will leave some pain that can linger for weeks or months.

Minimally invasive surgery uses smaller incisions, so it doesn’t cause as much pain. Most minimally invasive surgeries rely on robotic assistance, so you may need to find a doctor who has been trained to use sensitive tools. Other benefits of minimally invasive surgery include lower risk of infection, reduced blood loss, and a faster recovery time, so it’s worth finding a doctor who knows how to use smaller incisions.

Better Post-Op Care

What happens after your surgery can also reduce the amount of pain that you feel during your recovery. Better post-op care can shorten your recovery time and keep you more comfortable. The best surgeons work closely with their patients to make sure they have the services they need to stay healthy after they go under the knife.

Many medical facilities now use force-air warming to minimize pain and encouraging fast healing. The benefits of forced-air warming systems like Bair Hugger have been documented in more than 170 studies. The research shows that Bair Hugger creates a healing environment for the body without increasing the risk of infection at the surgical site. When you’re choosing a doctor to perform your surgery, you may want to ask if he or she uses the Bair Hugger system to reduce post-op pain.

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness Meditation

Image via Flickr by riabaeck

Pain affects more than specific areas of your body. People who experience pain for long periods of time often develop mental health problems that exacerbate the problem. When you have long-term pain, you may start to wonder if you’ll ever feel healthy again or if you can withstand the discomfort.

Mindfulness meditation helps patients keep pain in perspective. This type of meditation teaches you to experience your body in non-judgmental ways. You may feel a lot of pain in one area, but you eventually learn to accept the discomfort instead of letting it dominate your life.

Some people dismiss mindfulness meditation as New Age nonsense, but studies show that it can reduce chronic pain by 57 percent. Try the techniques for a few weeks to see if it works well for you.

It’s impossible to predict exactly how a patient will respond to treatments, but doctors have access to a lot of research showing that these methods reduce pain in most people. Take advantage of them to have a more comfortable experience.

Pollen Allergy Symptoms

AllergiesCommon Pollen Allergy Symptoms

Pollen allergies also known as hay fever are very common and its estimated that anywhere between 5%-10% of people suffer from pollen allergy symptoms. Pollen allergies are caused by plants that reproduce through wind pollination. Male pollen cells are spread through the air using this method. Unfortunately they are also the cause of pollen allergy symptoms.

Pollen Allergy Symptoms

  1. itchy skin and eyes
  2. stuffy nose, possibly nose bleeds
  3. headaches
  4. sore throat
  5. trouble breathing
  6. dark circles under eyes
  7. plugged ears
  8. sneezing
  9. coughing

What Season Do Pollen Allergy Symptoms Occur?

Well the answer is it depends. Pollen allergies are also known as hay fever because they most commonly occurred during the haying season, but pollen allergy season lasts from spring till fall . Of course climate and geography also effect when plants will pollinate. In the spring trees and many flower plants pollinate. The summer is when grass pollinates and fall is the season for ragweed. Pollen allergy symptoms can also be responsible for triggering other health problems like asthma.

Tips For Dealing With Pollen Allergy Symptoms

  • Check the allergy levels daily
  • Stay inside on bad days, keep windows closed
  • Change clothes when coming in from outside, shower if possible
  • Wash bed sheets in hot water weekly
  • Ask your doctor for a antihistamine or decongestant
  • Natural antihistamine or decongestants
  • Some believe honey (local) can help
  • Try a alternative treatment to compliment your current treatment under guidance of a doctor
  • Acupuncture
  • EFT
  • Aromatherapy
  • Homeopathy

You can also try immunotherapy if all else fails. Over the course of time allergy shots can make your pollen allergy symptoms go away but they do not work for everyone. Dealing with pollen allergies can be a matter of trail and error until you find what works best for you, in the mean time avoidance to pollen will be your best cure.

Will Taking Local Honey Reduce Pollen Allergy Symptoms

There is a popular notion that taking local honey will reduce ones pollen allergy symptoms. The theory is that by consuming the local honey you will build up immunity to local pollens. While there is no scientific proof that this theory works, there is one major flaw to the theory.

Bee’s collect pollen from flowers which have pollen that is very heavy and not easily spread by the wind, which is why the bee’s help is needed. Most pollen allergies come from grass, tree or weed pollen which is lighter and relies on the wind for pollination. This is not to say that it does not work as there could be another reason why it helps.

A Guide to Teenage Substance Abuse for Families

Recent statistics suggest that one in 10 children between the ages of 12 and 17 use illicit drugs, bringing the issue drug abuse to the forefront of concerns for parents, educators, health care professionals and law enforcement. With a host of residential and non-residential programs like those offered by Elevations Health and similar facilities now offering treatment for teenage clients, it is clearer than ever that addiction is no longer a problem that is restricted to adulthood. Parenting a teen who is struggling with drug or alcohol issues can be challenging, but there are several ways to ensure that your son or daughter realizes that you intend to remain loving and supportive as he or she learns to manage life during and after addiction.

While some parents encourage experimentation as their teenagers mature, it may be a better idea to discourage drug or alcohol use at all; similarly, honesty about your own past is important. However, parents who experimented with marijuana or alcohol with few or no undesirable outcomes must share the truth of their pasts without glorifying the activities; cautious truthfulness will remind your child that you are just as imperfect as everyone else without inadvertently suggesting your substance use should be emulated.

The fact that teenagers will do anything to avoid acting like their parents is a common misconception; although your son or daughter may argue that this is untrue, research suggests that teens are looking to their parents to learn how to be adults, handle tough situations and make healthy lifestyle choices. Parents who want children to behave in a certain way must model that type of behavior every single day. For example, if you are trying to send the message that your teen should not smoke marijuana, avoid it yourself.

Substance abuse is a common problem among the mentally ill; self-medicating behaviors often manifest when psychological issues are left untreated. If depression, anxiety or even more serious mental health problems crop up, it is important to heed your child’s complaints and seek appropriate care. Occasionally, teen addiction occurs prior to the manifestation of the symptoms associated with certain psychological issues; in other words, it is possible for experimentation with drugs or alcohol to lead to addiction, and later to depression or anxiety. If you believe this may be the case with your teen, dual diagnosis treatment may be in order.

One common response to learning that your child struggling with addiction is blame. While some parents blame the teen or his or her friends, others turn toward one another to place blame; both are inappropriate. Once your son or daughter is in therapy or another form of treatment for addiction, it is time to put the blame aside and focus on the future. While it is important to understand what factors were involved in a teen’s use, abuse and eventual addiction to any given substance, pulling together as a family and focusing on the future is valuable; simply put, look toward the future instead of peering into the past.

Although it seems to go without saying, monitoring your child’s behavior may lead to earlier intervention in the event of drug use or abuse. While parents should respect their teen’s need for privacy to some extent, watching for changes in eating habits, sleeping patterns and social activities may provide insight to those who suspect that their child has been using drugs or alcohol. In fact, an upset in a youngster’s normal routine is one of the times that parents should pay the most attention; changing schools, breaking up with a significant other or even academic struggles are all forms of stress that may cause teens to begin experimenting with drugs or alcohol or even increase use among those who have already moved beyond the experimentation phase.

If you are a parent who suspects that your teen may be abusing substances, consider seeking assistance from a qualified therapist. Those who are concerned that their child has formed an addiction to illicit or prescription drugs or alcohol may find that reaching out to a rehabilitative program is an option for their family. From outpatient care that operates on a one-on-one basis to residential programs that place teens in a highly therapeutic environment with others experiencing the same problems, plenty of treatment options exist. If your family is facing addition in a teenager, remain open with your child, seek help early and encourage openness and honesty for every member of the household.

Home Alone? Not Anymore

Adulthood is the moment when everything can be done on your own. However, once you’ve past through adulthood, things will be complicated. As you age and turn into an old self of yours, there are difficulties you cannot overcome on your own. With little to no strength left, you will spend more time at home and figure out about many complications you will encounter. Because of the hustle elder people tend to face from the hospital, many of them tend to avoid doctors and choose home medical treatment. Although it may sound more of a bother, personal care from your house can be very handy and memorable.

Often, the parents don’t have enough time to take care of the elder ones. Whether you are the younger family member or the elder one, home care is quiet tough to do on your own. Ergo, many people choose to hire personal caregivers from many health institutes. Phoenix Home Health Care is a well-known home care institute in Phoenix Arizona, and it is ready to treat your loved one or yourself with high-quality caretakers. With years of experience of handling such problem, the caretakers will be ready to serve 24 hours 7 days non-stop.

While many people think hiring caretakers will be a nuisance, this is in fact an important issue. Once you or your loved one has aged, there will come many problems that can’t be handled from daily labor. Even a simple task such as taking a bath will be a bother. With the assistance of qualified caretakers, you will gain many benefits and helping hands in time of need. They can help the elder in taking a bath, whether it is just a mere task of standing up or even assisting you in taking a bath. There will also be some assistance in dressing up, as the weakened body will have troubles with the shoulder or hip.

A personal relationship with someone who cares to you is also very touching. The caretakers will keep you happy and relaxed as they help you in doing your usual task. They will be happy to drive you anywhere you want. And if you think the house is just too huge for you to handle, they will certainly assist you in doing housekeeping. Doing laundry will be much easier with their help. Caretakers will also remind you about your medication and incontinence. It feels like having new family member as well, as the caretakers take care of the house, even your pet.

The best part comes in the form of an existence other than you or the elder one as every other family member is too busy. Knowing that someone is taking care of you is very relieving, and you will feel happy as you live through the old age. The caretakers will make a personal bond with you and give you comfort in doing usual chores. Moreover, they also provide you with many resources you will find about the health problems of elderly and tips to overcome such problems.

Knowing about the benefits of hiring caretakers will surely be useful. If you are the family member that could not take care of the elder ones, whether they are your parents or grandparents, you can rest assured. The professional caretakers will bring joy to the elders, and you can focus on how to make it happen. As you open the door after working all day, the elders and caretakers will greet you happily and spend the moment together with you. After all, making the elder ones happy will bring happiness to your life as well. The old and silent house will be full of life as the caretakers come and help you in taking care of the elder ones.

In short, caretakers are one of the key for the happiness of the elder ones, and you are the part of making it happen as well. Whether you are the young one or the elder one, there’s no wrong in hiring the caretakers. With qualified experience, the happiness between the family members will grow stronger, and there will be less worry inside the house. Together with the caretakers, you will bring joy to the whole family and the loved one.