Information and opinions on ChronicPainConnection from Dr. Mark Borigini http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/91 en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/ http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/91/26254/restless-chronic Mon Apr 28 13:10:00 -0400 2008 Dr. Mark Borigini Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is a common and sometimes devastating condition.  I see it quite frequently in many of my chronic pain patients.  In fact, it contributes to quite a bit of chronic pain, because of the difficulty it causes in terms of getting a good night's rest, and because it in and of itself can be rather painful.  And there are diseases associated with chronic pain which can result in so-called secondary... http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/91/26254/restless-chronic http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/91/24410/pain-gain Mon Apr 07 13:44:00 -0400 2008 Dr. Mark Borigini I have written here about many different classes of drugs used for pain management.   Often, I have had readers respond that some of the drugs I have discussed have caused intolerable weight gain. And suddenly a patient is dealing with the specter of being obese, and all the potential health problems which follow from being obese. These health problems include high blood pressure, diabetes, degenerative joint disease, heart disease,... http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/91/24410/pain-gain http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/91/23625/cell-pain Mon Mar 31 10:53:00 -0400 2008 Dr. Mark Borigini Recently, we have discussed articles in the scientific literature that have raised concerns that prescription pain medications are at times being misused, if not abused.   A recent article in the Annals of Internal Medicine reminds us that there are a lot of folks out there who are quietly suffering through their pain, and who perhaps are not being treated adequately for that pain.   The article dealt with the pain of sickle cell... http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/91/23625/cell-pain http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/91/21343/low-back-pain Mon Mar 10 11:41:00 -0400 2008 Dr. Mark Borigini My last post looked into the benefit of some drugs with an anti-depressant effect in the treatment of the chronic pain of fibromyalgia. Well, now it would seem that there is no overwhelming evidence supporting the use of anti-depressants in the treatment of chronic low back pain. However, the authors of a recent review (in the "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews") of the subject are quick to point out that this does not mean... http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/91/21343/low-back-pain http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/91/20255/celebrex-cox2 Mon Feb 11 11:47:00 -0500 2008 Dr. Mark Borigini A couple of months back I wrote a post discussing the concerns I and many others have regarding the return of severe gastrointestinal side effects as a result of the increasing use of the so-called traditional anti-inflammatories. This is of course to be expected due to the fears so many patients have now of the sole COX-2 inhibitor remaining on the market in the United States--Celebrex.   Many of my patients are simply refusing to... http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/91/20255/celebrex-cox2 http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/91/19732/roundup Mon Jan 28 11:09:00 -0500 2008 Dr. Mark Borigini The target continues to be central neurotransmission when it comes to improving the pain of fibromyalgia. This is of course based on the working hypothesis that the perception of pain is altered in those suffering from fibromyalgia.   By now, many are familiar with Lyrica, particularly with the television commercials featuring that drug. And it has been helpful in fibromyalgia. Lyrica lowers the level of pain in many who take it,... http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/91/19732/roundup http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/91/19155/bush-ii-care Mon Jan 14 14:43:00 -0500 2008 Dr. Mark Borigini Recently, President Bush and his Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt aggressively argued against the proposed renewal of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). They were concerned that the bill was too expensive and threatened the private insurance market. Democrats failed to override a presidential veto; perhaps an example of why the approval rating of Congress is less than the dismal approval rating of... http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/91/19155/bush-ii-care http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/91/18831/watching Mon Jan 07 14:20:00 -0500 2008 Dr. Mark Borigini The American College of Physicians (ACP) in the last few weeks has proposed that a superior health care system in the United States cannot be without universal health insurance coverage.   The ACP analyzed health care in twelve industrialized countries; and the full report appears in the January 01, 2008 edition of the "Annals of Internal Medicine".   The ACP sees problems in the United States in terms of the lack of... http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/91/18831/watching http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/91/18342/years-2008-pain Thu Dec 27 12:25:00 -0500 2007 Dr. Mark Borigini It is well known that breakthrough pain (BTP) remains the scourge of those who suffer from chronic pain. It seems these patients cannot experience any sort of reasonable prolonged relief.   Fentanyl buccal tablets (FBT) have been used for quite a long time for cancer-related BTP, and in fact is FDA-approved for this indication. But there have been a number of studies looking at FBT in noncancer pain. More specifically, the noncancer... http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/91/18342/years-2008-pain http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/91/18147/easier-knees Fri Dec 21 12:48:00 -0500 2007 Dr. Mark Borigini Ah, the holidays. It is a time when many of us revert to our stereotypical roles. The men are in the family room watching the latest bowl game, and the women are in the kitchen cooking.   But are some of those poor ladies cooking doing so on painful knees? And if so, what can the rest of us do--short of asking them to relax and not cook this holiday season?   Some of my colleagues at the recent American College of Rheumatology... http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/91/18147/easier-knees