Here’s a mindfulness meditation for you to try from Beliefnet.com.  The meditation is accompanied by spiritual pictures, so it’s calming to your visual sense too.  Go to their website and it’s called “A Moment of Calm.” *** Coming up next week on July 4 …… a blog carnival about Pain and Independence.  July 4 is Independence Day [...]

I haven’t fallen under the spell of the Harry Potter series, although, having a young child, I’ve seen the first 1 or 2 movies.  But when I googled “Harry Potter and pain,” I came across the Cruciatus Curse, the dark magic spell that “inflicts excruciating physical pain on the victim.” Hey, maybe that’s why we’re in [...]

There was an excellent interview today with my colleague Dr. Rollin Gallagher, an internationally known pain researcher, editor of Pain Medicine and a treating physician.  Dr. Gallagher was featured on my local NPR radio station, on Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane.  Check out the podcast to hear his explanation of pain states, new treatments, and more.  (Click on the [...]

Mirror imagery therapy can help pain, as we’ve seen in previous posts (post 1, post 2).  However, for some people, starting with mirror work isn’t possible as it flares up pain.  Is there another option? Yes!  A more basic place to start is with a 2-part series that engages your brain in the steps before [...]

How our pain experiences relate to our spirituality/religion is a special interest of mine.  Spirituality was an important way of coping for me when I was suffering due to pain, and one of the most important ways I grew as a person because of the difficult time I had. This is Part 6 in a [...]

We’re looking in this Friday series at pain organization websites that have great sections for patients.  Today’s is: The National Pain Foundation The site offers helpful information about pain, its treatment, and online support groups.  As well, it has: a monthly email newsletter of what’s new on their website a place to keep your personal pain journal [...]

Mirror, mirror on the wall Can you help my pain, after all? Well, that’s a version of the rhyme that never made it into Snow White!  But if you’re looking for pain relief (instead of finding out who’s the fairest of them all , mirror boxes might offer an answer. Mirror image therapy is an exciting treatment for [...]

How our pain experiences relate to our spirituality/religion is a special interest of mine.  Spirituality was an important way of coping for me when I was suffering due to pain, and one of the most important ways I grew as a person because of the difficult time I had. This is Part 5 in a [...]

We’re looking in this Friday series at pain organization websites that have great sections for patients.  A reader Harry suggests: Celiac.com Celiac Disease is an inherited autoimmune disorder.  Cells from the immune system damage the intestine when the person eats gluten (for example, in wheat), and this damage can cause malnutrition.  Common symptoms include abdominal pain and [...]

Reflect (ha-ha) for a moment, how nice it would be, if something as simple as looking in a mirror could help lessen your pain…  Well, you might like what you see!! Mirror image therapy is an exciting treatment for an increasing number of pain conditions.  Today we’ll look at an uncommon pain disorder – phantom pain – [...]