The New Breed of Pain Killers
Not just new drugs. New ways to take old
ones, new insight into exercise, even new
specialists...all with one shared goal:
getting 80 million Americans relief.
ARE YOU IN PAIN right now. If so, you've got plenty of company. Some 80 million Americans live with chronic pain. And the older you are, the more likely it is that you've developed one of the common causes: an ongoing joint, bone or muscle problem (like arthritis, osteoporosis or fibromyalgia) or long-term nerve damage (often from diabetes or shingles).
Sometimes chronic pain starts with an illness or injury. Sometimes it begins for no discernible reason (such as mystery back pain). Regardless, the longer it lasts, the more difficult it is to treat.
What aggravates the situation: "Many people
assume pain is a normal consequence of aging
and don't mention it to their doctors"' says
Douglas Merrill, M D, chair of the Committee
oil Pain Management, American Society of
Anesthesiologists.
"Even when they do,
many doctors also think chronic pain is an
acceptable part of aging. So many people
aren't treated at all or aren't treated
adequately:"
But there is good news. A revolution is under
way in pain relief. Research breakthroughs
are yielding new drugs and better ways to
take them. Non-drug treatments are
surging--mind/body techniques are going
mainstream and exercise is now recognized as
an important painkiller. Pain management has
become a sophisticated subspecialty:
Pain-treatment centers are mushrooming.
To stop suffering, you've got to know what's
out there and just as important--how to get
it.