Unravelling the Mystery of Pain,Suffering, and Relief With Brain Imaging

In humans, the experience of pain and suffering is conveyed specifically by language. Noninvasive neuroimaging techniques now provide an account of neural activity in the human brain when pain is experienced. Knowledge gleaned from neuroimaging experiments has shaped contemporaneous accounts of pain. Within the biopsychosocial framework, nociception is undoubtedly required for survival, but is neither necessary nor sufficient for the consciousness of pain in humans. Pain emerges from the brain, which also exerts a top-down influence on nociception. In the brains of patients with chronic pain, neuroimaging has revealed subtle but significant structural, functional, and neurochemical abnormalities. Converging evidence suggests that the chronic pain state may arise from dysfunction of the frontal-limbic system. Further research in the clinical pain population will continue to identify neural mechanisms that contribute to the experience and consequence of pain, which may then be targeted therapeutically.     

Pain and Suffering

Objective: To review literature on the relationship of pain, spirituality, and suffering as it relates to the patient with cancer who is experiencing pain.Data Sources: Peer-reviewed articles, textbooks, internet.Conclusion: Pain and suffering are distinct and yet closely related in patients with cancer. Oncology nurses are important in assessing a patient's pain, including dimensions of spirituality and suffering.Implications for Nursing Practice: Oncology nurses are the front line of pain management for patients. This includes recognizing existential distress and suffering and responding to suffering.     

Pain Relief in Thailand

Pain is a complex problem, for both those who are enduring it and those trying to relieve it. Most people in the developed world have access to adequate treatment and management of pain, the availability of trained and educated doctors and nurses, feasible opioid prescribing policies, as well as ready access to appropriate medication. Often, this is not the case in developing countries such as Thailand. This paper is based on recent experience in the southeast of Thailand providing pain relief for persons with HIV and AIDS in Rayong Province at the Camillian Social Centre. The severity and frequency of pain endured by this group of individuals presented a daily challenge. Problems encountered in providing pain relief for these patients and some potential solutions are described. There is a lack of literature on pain relief in Thailand.     

Methadone for Pain Relief

Questions from patients about pain conditions and analgesic pharmacotherapy and responses from authors are presented to help educate patients and make them more effective self-advocates. In reply to a question, the authors discuss the use of methadone for pain management, outline how the body processes methadone, list interactions and side effects, and emphasize the importance of taking the medication as prescribed.     

Neurosurgical Relief of Chronic Pain

The most favorable candidates for neurosurgical procedures to relieve chronic pain are patients with unresectable malignancies. Percutaneous technics are replacing open procedures and extend the usefulness of neurolytic operations.     

术后疼痛治疗研究的进展

术后疼痛是人体对组织损伤和修复过程的一种复杂的心理、生理反应,是所有手术患者的必经历程。术后疼痛可对人体产生多种不良影响,正日益受到人们的关注。本文对疼痛的危害、疼痛的评估、术后疼痛控制的现状、自控镇痛泵的不良反应及处理进行了综述,以期对术后疼痛临床工作有一定的指导意义。     

Pain Relief in the Developing World

The need for high quality end-of-life care in the developing world is increasingly becoming recognized. One of the core parts of such a service is adequate pain control. Poor health care infrastructures and lack of access to opioid analgesics are common problems. This makes establishing appropriate, sustainable end-of-life care particularly challenging in resource poor settings. Hospice Africa-Uganda has ten years of experience in developing such a service. This paper discusses some of the challenges encountered and how these have been addressed. These include access to opioids, educating of health care workers and influencing policy makers. Factors that have been important in making the service a success, such as choosing an appropriate model of care, and future directions for the organization are discussed.     

癌症疼痛的治疗进展

疼痛是癌症病人急需解决的突出问题 ,现就癌症疼痛的治疗进展作一综述