Chronic Pain Expert Christina Lasich, MD shares Chronic Pain management news and commentary at ChronicPainConnection.com. The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.HealthCentral.com) is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/23153 http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/23153/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/23153 http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/23153/102479/olympian Fri, 05 Feb 2010 20:25:00 -0500 Christina Lasich, MD Anyone who follows the Olympics will remember the fiery U.S. skier named Picabo Street. Once the darling of the slopes, she tried to harness the big mountains at terrific speeds. Eventually, the exhilaration turned to terror in January of 1998 on a training run prior to the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. That incredible crash at 75 mph did not detour her from Olympic Gold in 1998. According to ESPN, despite the headaches and neck pain, she... http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/23153/102479/olympian http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/23153/102911/super-expect Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:37:00 -0500 Christina Lasich, MD Everyone is buzzing with excitement in anticipation of the Super Bowl. The NFL season culminates into a big show of brawn, speed and tactics. In this game, someone will make a big play and someone will get hurt. Some will become heroes, and some will get carried off the field. Even if the heroes are still standing on their own two feet by the end of the game, most will eventually leave the NFL with enough physical injuries to have chronic pain... http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/23153/102911/super-expect http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/23153/101702/cuddling Mon, 25 Jan 2010 09:37:00 -0500 Christina Lasich, MD "We're goin' to the chapel and we're gonna get married..." Welcome to the chapel of love, except we have a problem here. A sign on the door says, "Beware of Pain." The door is locked and presents quite a barrier to all things good inside. In reality, chronic pain can present a formidable roadblock to a healthy relationship for many reasons. For one reason, a painful disability can hinder efforts to socialize. Pain can also inhibit physical touch... http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/23153/101702/cuddling http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/23153/100447/pregnancy Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:01:00 -0500 Christina Lasich, MD Pregnancy happens. Sometimes pregnancy happens when someone already has chronic pain. Sometimes pregnancy happens and causes a painful condition. In both cases, a woman expecting a child may find herself with many questions about the pills for treating pain. This topic is like a giant elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about. Fear can paralyze productive discussion. Coming into the opening turn of this discussion, let's talk about... http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/23153/100447/pregnancy http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/23153/100374/medication Mon, 11 Jan 2010 10:37:00 -0500 Christina Lasich, MD Listening to an orchestra play music from the masters like Mozart or Bach can be very soothing. Each section of an orchestra: the woodwinds, the brass, the percussion, and the strings add a distinctive sound which, when combined, creates a beautiful harmony of sound. The conductor of an orchestra blends and directs this concoction of sound so that it will be pleasing to the ear. If an instrument is out of tune or missing the beat, the... http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/23153/100374/medication http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/23153/99935/drinking Tue, 05 Jan 2010 10:04:00 -0500 Christina Lasich, MD With a new year brings a perfect opportunity to clean out the medicine cabinet of expired or unneeded medications. Deep in the darkest corner of your medicine drawer along with a petrified tube of toothpaste might be a prescription bottle with a date from the ‘90's or even the ‘80's. Harboring such unused medications in your house can pose serious safety risks to pets, children, or even you. Some of these medications are like having... http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/23153/99935/drinking http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/23153/99318/end-suffering Tue, 29 Dec 2009 09:45:00 -0500 Christina Lasich, MD What is the source of suffering?  Is it pain?  Is it disability? Or maybe it is a loss of self-worth?  We are confronted with suffering on a daily basis, yet we struggle to comprehend the intricate relationship between the disease, person, and suffering. Years back, a phrase in Dr. Dean Ornish's book, Love and Survival, captured my attention, "Pain is not suffering; suffering is the perception of pain."  In the first part,... http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/23153/99318/end-suffering http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/23153/98912/healing Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:05:00 -0500 Christina Lasich, MD A great gift idea for someone you care about is a journal-a healing journal. Journals come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Journals can be personalized and unique. All a journal really requires is a pen to write with, paper as a vehicle, and thoughts. Anyone can keep a journal, old or young. Chronicling ideas, thoughts and happenings is a healthy habit with many uses. Many types of journaling themes exist. Here are a few suggestions that allow... http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/23153/98912/healing http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/23153/98496/happiness Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:57:00 -0500 Christina Lasich, MD Everyone has heard of the infamous pairing of pleasure and pain. Some feel that the two cannot coexist together; others say you cannot have one without the other. What about happiness? Can someone with chronic pain be happy? Recently, one of my patients whose life is greatly interrupted by the pain from endometriosis told me about her pursuit of happiness. She has committed herself to a year long quest to lead a happier life; a noble quest... http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/23153/98496/happiness http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/23153/98044/cervicogenic Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:01:00 -0500 Christina Lasich, MD A headache is not just a headache. Some headaches do originate from structures in the upper cervical spine as you learned in the first part of this series: Cervicogenic Headache: What is it? The muscles, ligaments, joints, and nerves in the upper cervical spine have an interdependent relationship with the head. Any dysfunction in this area leads to the typically unilateral head pain of a cervicogenic headache. Treatment of such head pain must... http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/23153/98044/cervicogenic