Acetaminophen reduces not only pain, but pleasure

A new study says acetaminophen reduces not only pain, but pleasure. This new research definitely gives new reason to pause before causally popping your daily dose of acetaminophen (Tylenol).

(CNN)Feeling so happy you just can’t stand it? You might want to pop some acetaminophen.

A new study has found that acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol, most forms of Midol and more than 600 other medicines, reduces not only pain but pleasure, as well.

The authors of the study, which was published this week in Psychological Science, say that it was already known that acetaminophen blunted psychological pain. But their new research led them to the conclusion that it also blunted joy — in other words, that it narrowed the range of feelings experienced.

“This means that using Tylenol or similar products might have broader consequences than previously thought,” said Geoffrey Durso, a doctoral student in social psychology at Ohio State University and the lead author of the study. “Rather than just being a pain reliever, acetaminophen can be seen as an all-purpose emotion reliever.”

The researchers tested their thesis by showing 82 college students 40 photographs — some of highly pleasant images, such as children with kittens, and some of highly unpleasant images, such as children who were malnourished.

Half of the participants in the study were given “an acute dose” of acetaminophen — 1,000 milligrams — and the other half were given a placebo with the same appearance. The subjects were then asked to rate the photos according to how unpleasant or pleasant they were.

Those who took the acetaminophen rated all the photos less extremely than those who took the placebo.

“In other words, positive photos were not seen as positively under the influence of acetaminophen and negative photos were not seen as negatively,” the authors reported.

Drug did not alter sense of magnitude in general

The researchers followed up by testing a group of 85 people to see whether this change in judgment applied just to emotions or whether the drug blunted people’s evaluation of magnitude in general.

This group showed the same blunting of emotional reactions. But acetaminophen did not affect how much blue they saw in each photo.

But people who participated in the study did not appear to know they were acting differently, said Baldwin Way, an assistant professor of psychology who was another of the study’s authors.

“Most people probably aren’t aware of how their emotions may be impacted when they take acetaminophen,” Way said.

Each week, about 23% of American adults — or 52 million people — use a medicine containing acetaminophen, according to the nonprofit Consumer Healthcare Products Association.

The authors said it was not known whether other pain relievers, such as ibuprofen and aspirin, have the same effect. But have no fear — they plan to study that question, as well.

 

8 Foods that Fight Pain

Before reaching for a bottle of painkillers, try adding some of these 8 Foods that Fight Pain to your diet.

Other than just great taste, there are foods that have the ability to fight pain and reduce inflammation. Dallas chiropractor, Dr. Jeff Manning, says that adding these foods to your diet, especially combined with chiropractic care, can help your body to heal more quickly. “Foods can greatly affect inflammation in the body; some artificial sweeteners can add to or increase inflammation, while other foods like ginger can do the exact opposite,” says chiropractor Jeff Manning of Manning Wellness Clinic in Dallas.

The following is a great list of 8 Foods that Fight Pain. You don’t need to, nor should you, try to add all at once, but trying one at a time will help you determine which work best for you.

And, according to Greatist.com, the winners are….

8 Natural Foods to Eat for Pain Relief

Whether it’s residual aches from an exceptionally tough workout, the beginnings of a pesky cold, or waking up on the wrong side of the bed, some research suggests supplementing those pain pills with certain foods could be just as helpful.

Believe it or not, those healthy fruits, veggies, and whole grains we try to pack in our diets may do more than just feed our bodies well — many of them are considered to have anti-inflammatory properties. Sometimes inflammation is a good thing, we’ll give you that — it protects our body when we’ve been injured — but it can also be painful. (Think asthma and arthritis, inflamed sore throats, and cuts or scrapes.) While some have linked [1] certain foods (including chocolate, eggs, wheat, meat, and corn) to causing inflammation, there’s also evidence that a few select delectables could help prevent it, too ((Dietary strategies for improving post-prandial glucose, lipids, inflammation, and cardiovascular health [2]. O’Keefe, J.H., Gheewala, N.M., O’Keefe, J.O. Mid America Heart Institute and University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2008 Jan 22;51(3):249-55. )). Here are eight foods that research suggests may actually help reduce pain.

ginger

1. Ginger. Ginger [3] is basically a wonder root. It combats nausea and motion sickness, and fights off pain with itsanti-inflammatory [4] properties ((Ginger — an herbal medicinal product with broad anti-inflammatory actions [5]. Grzanna R., Lindmark L., Frondoza C.G., RMG Biosciences, Inc. Journal of Medicinal Food, 2005 Summer;8(2):125-32.)). Some especially great news for the ladies: One study showed that ginger (specifically in the form of a 250g or 500g capsule of powdered ginger) was as effective as ibuprofen in relieving menstrual pain ((Comparison of effects of ginger, mefenamic acid, and ibuprofen on pain in women with primary dysmenorrhea. [6] Ozgoli G., Goli M., Moattar F., Nursing and Midwifery School, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2009 Feb;15(2):129-32.))! Plus, ginger can be ingested a variety of ways, from supplements, to tea and cookies [7], to stir fry [8].

 salmon

 

2. Salmon. Not only is salmon tasty and a healthy protein, but it’s full of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to reduce arthritic pain (especially in the neck and back) ((Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) as an anti-inflammatory: an alternative to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for discogenic pain. [9], Maroon J.C., Bost J.W., Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Surgical Neurololgy, 2006 Apr;65(4):326-31.)). In one study, the relief experienced from consuming omega-3s in the form of a fish oil supplement was comparable to the relief experienced from taking ibuprofen. Chow down on some of those omega-3s with this baked salmon with avocado yogurt sauce [10] tonight.

 coffee

 

3. Coffee. Just one more excuse to grab that second cup of Joe! Research suggests caffeine can reduce pain in those suffering from exercise-induced muscular injury and pain ((Caffeine attenuates delayed-onset muscle pain and force loss following eccentric exercise. [11] Maridakis V., O’Connor P.J., Dudley G.A., et. al. Department of Kinesiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-6554, USA. Journal of Pain: Official Journal of the American Pain Society, 2007 Mar;8(3):237-43.)). Not only that, when taken with a standard dose of pain reliever (ibuprofen, for example), one study found that a 100mg to 130mg caffeine supplement — equal to about the amount of caffeine in one cup of coffee —  increased pain relief ((Caffeine as an analgesic adjuvant for acute pain in adults. [12], Derry C.J., Derry S., Moore R.A., Pain Research and Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (Nuffield Division of Anaesthetics), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. Cochrane Database Systematic Review, 2012 Mar 14;3:CD009281.)).

echinacea

4. Echinacea and Sage. Got an aching throat? Some research shows that throat sprays containing sage or echinacea can help provide relief from that nasty sore throat ((Echinacea/sage or chlorhexidine/lidocaine for treating acute sore throats: a randomized double-blind trial., [13] Schapowal A., Berger D., Klein P., Suter A., Allergy Clinic, CH-7302 Landquart, Switzerland. European Journal of Medical Research, 2009 Sep 1;14(9):406-12.)), though there have been few other studies on this benefit, so the evidence isn’t hulk strong [14]. Another survey looking at 14 different studies found that echinacea [15] can decrease the number of cold infections caught, and reduce their durations ((Evaluation of echinacea for the prevention and treatment of the common cold: a meta-analysis. [16] Shah S.A., Sander S., White C.M., University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy, Storrs, CT. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2007 Jul;7(7):473-80.)). Sage is easy to find at most grocery stores and is also especially tasty in any of these recipes [17], while echinacea is more commonly found in pill and ointment form. When choosing to take a supplement like echinacea, be aware: Supplements aren’t regulated by the FDA, so manufacturers can often get away with making unproven claims [18] about both the contents of the pills and the benefits of those contents.cherries

 

5. Tart Cherries. Turns out tart cherries [19] are good for more than causing a pucker face. Studies have found they can help treat gout [20](a painful form of arthritis that causes swollen, hot, red joints caused by a buildup of uric acid in the blood) ((Cherry consumption and decreased risk of recurrent gout attacks [21]. Zhang, Y., Neogi, T., Chen, C., et al. Boston University, Boston, MA. Arthritis and Rheumatism, 2012 Dec;64(12):4004-11.)) ((Consumption of cherries lowers plasma urate in healthy women [22]. Jacob, RA., Spinozzi, GM., Simon, VA., et al. U.S. Department of Agriculture/ARS Western Human Nutrition Research Center, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA. The Journal of Nutrition, 2003 Jun;133(6):1826-9. )). But it’s not just for gout — athletes can benefit, too. In one study, those who drank tart cherry juice [23] for seven days prior to an intense running event showed reduced muscle-pain after the race ((Efficacy of tart cherry juice in reducing muscle pain during running: a randomized controlled trial. [24], Kuehl K.S., Perrier E.T., Elliot D.L., Department of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2010 May 7;7:17.)) ((Dietary beta-cryptoxanthin and inflammatory polyarthritis: results from a population-based prospective study. [25]Pattison D.J., Symmons D.P., Lunt M., Arthritis Research Campaign Epidemiology Unit, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2005 Aug;82(2):451-5.)). Drink up!

jack

6. Whiskey. No, we do not recommend whiskey for a broken heart or curing any sort of emotional pain. But, it turns out adding a spoonful to warm water [26] may just do the trick to kick that pesky sore throat.

 

 

oranges

7. Oranges. While vitamin C has been linked to helping prevent the onset of colds [27] and respiratory infections, an antioxidant called beta-cryptoxanthin [28], found in oranges and other orange fruits and veggies such as sweet potato and cantaloupe, has been found to help reduce the risk of anti-inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis ((Dietary beta-cryptoxanthin and inflammatory polyarthritis: results from a population-based prospective study. [25]Pattison D.J., Symmons D.P., Lunt M., Arthritis Research Campaign Epidemiology Unit, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2005 Aug;82(2):451-5.)). Another reason to get out that juicer and start making fresh OJ each day. (Or, you know, just eat an orange.)primrose

8. Evening Primrose. Usually found as an oil, this flower’s powers have been linked to treating atopic dermatitis (a chronic itchy skin condition), rheumatoid arthritis, and PMS symptoms ((Evening primrose oil is effective in atopic dermatitis: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. [29] Senapati S., Banerjee S., Gangopadhyay D.N., Department of Dermatology, Calcutta National Medical College, Kolkata, India. Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, 2008 Sep-Oct;74(5):447-52.)) ((Herbal therapy for treating rheumatoid arthritis., Cameron M., Gagnier J.J., Chrubasik S [30]., School of Exercise Science, Australian Catholic University, McAuley at Banyo, 1100 Nudgee Road, Banyo, QLD, Australia. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2011 Feb 16;(2):CD002948.)). The gamma-inolenic acid in the oil has anti-coagulant effects that may help reduce the effects of cardiovascular illnesses ((Assessment of anticoagulant effect of evening primrose oil. [31], Riaz A., Khan R.A., Ahmed S.P., Department of Pharmacology, University of Karachi, Karachi-75270, Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2009 Oct;22(4):355-9.)).

Check out this list for more. http://greatist.com/health/foods-pain-relief

 

For our veterans and families

This week only….
Free Initial Exam for Veterans and/or family members of current or former military. ($52 savings)
Plus, Save 30% on all additional services 
It’s the least we  at Manning Wellness Clinic can do to say thank you…for your service, your bravery, and your commitment to freedom.
We are safer because of you.
or call 214-720-2225
(Note: Valid until Friday, November 15)
veterans day

The Single Best Thing you can do for your Health

A great video to watch and share. Well worth the time. It’s about 9 minutes total. It’s also a great follow up to my post about the Hotter than Hell ride I did this summer.

 23 1:2 hours video screen shot

  

 

A Popular Myth about Running Injuries

By Gretchen Reynolds:

Almost everyone who runs (or has shopped for running shoes) has heard that how your foot pronates, or rolls inward, as you land affects your injury risk. Pronate too much or too little, conventional wisdom tells us, and you’ll wind up hurt. But a provocative new study shows that this deeply entrenched belief is probably wrong and that there is still a great deal we don’t understand about pronation and why the foot rolls as it does.

13120162-runner-woman-running-on-mountain-road-in-beautiful-nature-asian-female-sport-fitness-model-jogging-tFor the new study, published online this month in The British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark and other institutions began by advertising in Danish newspapers and at gyms to find men and women who didn’t run but were game to try.

Recruiting novice runners for studies of injury risk is somewhat unusual. More typically, researchers rely on surveys of experienced runners, since those are, after all, the people who develop running injuries. By asking them about themselves, their training, their bodies and how they became injured, researchers have gained valuable insights into why runners get hurt.

But such studies have limitations. They rely on people’s notoriously leaky memories, instead of controlled experiments. And because experienced longtime runners often have a history of injuries, and one injury frequently contributes to the next, it can be difficult to tease out the original primary risk factor.

So the Danish researchers turned to running newcomers, who would provide, in effect, a blank injury slate. They eventually settled on 927 healthy adults, an impressively large group by exercise-science standards. The volunteers, men and women, ranged in age from 18 to 65.

Then, using elaborate measurements and visual evaluations, the researchers profiled each volunteer’s foot, to determine how he or she pronated.

Pronation, of course, is natural and desirable during running. When your foot flattens and rolls inward as you strike the ground — that is, when it pronates — it absorbs some of the forces generated by the impact of landing.

But it has long been thought that pronating too much or too little leads to a heightened risk of injuries to the leg or hip.

Determining exactly how much any given person pronates while in motion, however, is not easy. In very broad terms, flatter feet are associated with more pronation and higher-arched feet with less. But in this study, the researchers went beyond those simple guidelines and created what is known as a foot posture profile for each runner.

Using a widely accepted foot classification system, they divided the volunteers into those with neutral pronation, overpronation, severe overpronation, underpronation or severe underpronation.

Then they gave all of the volunteers the same model of lightweight, neutral running shoes (rather than motion-control shoes, which are designed to correct pronation problems), along with a GPS watch to track their mileage and instructions to report any injury, which would then be assessed by medical personnel.

The volunteers subsequently ran as much as they wished at a self-chosen pace for a full year. As a whole, the group covered more than 203,000 miles and developed about 300 medically confirmed injuries.

Contrary to received running wisdom, however, those who overpronated or underpronated were not significantly more likely to get hurt than runners with neutral foot motion.

Among those who covered at least 600 miles during the year, injury rates in fact were slightly higher among the runners with neutral feet than among those who overpronated.

This result confirms those of several earlier experiments showing that when runners choose their shoes based on their foot type — when overpronators wear motion-control shoes, for instance, to reduce how much they pronate — they sustain injuries at the same rate or at higher rates than when they choose shoes at random.

In essence, what these findings suggest, says Rasmus Ostergaard Nielsen, a doctoral researcher at Aarhus University who led the new study, is that supposedly deviant degrees of pronation may not in practice be abnormal and do not contribute to injuries.

And if that is the case, he continues, runners, especially those new to the activity, probably do not need to obsess about their foot type. Instead, he says, they could more profitably “pay attention to things like body mass, training, behavior, age and previous injury in order to prevent running-related injuries.”

Other researchers agree. “This is an excellent study,” says Bryan Heiderscheit, an associate professor of biomechanics and director of the running clinic at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. The research reinforces a widespread belief among scientists studying running “that pronation doesn’t play much of a role” in injury risk, he says.

It also suggests, he says, that trying to alter pronation with a specific type of shoe is probably misguided. At the university’s running clinic, “we see so many injured runners who’ve been told that they overpronate” and need sturdy motion-control shoes to fix the problem. “They wind up injured anyway.”

Instead, he says, this new study and common sense suggest that comfort is likely to be a better guide to shoe choice than foot posture. “We don’t know” whether anyone’s given degree of pronation needs to be altered, he says. “We do know that comfort helps” to make running tolerable. But when he asks injured runners at the clinic whether their current shoes are comfortable, “it’s amazing,” he says, “how many say no.”

 (Reprinted from the New York Times)
Top rated Dallas chiropractor Dr. Jeff Manning can help diagnose and alleviate pain and discomfort you may experience after exercising, especially after running. An expert in the use of kinesiotaping, Dr. Manning has helped many patients–from novice athletes to marathoners–with non-invasive procedure designed to help the body help itself.

Best Remedy for Tennis Elbow may Surprise You

Shot in arm plus physical therapy doesn’t help tennis elbow: Study

CNN: Weekend sports warriors take note – that pain radiating out of your elbow may be imagestennis elbow. But don’t be so quick to ask your doctor for a cortisone shot.

Research has shown cortisone, or corticosteroid shots, can alleviate the pain in the initial weeks, but have little effectiveness in the long run, and do nothing to reduce recurrence rates.

Doctors have prescribed physical therapy, also known as physiotherapy, in conjunction with the shots, hoping to increase the cortisone’s long-term effectiveness, but a new study in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association finds that the physical therapy doesn’t aid the cortisone shots at all.It’s contrary to what Bill Vicenzino, one of the authors of the study, expected. “I was surprised to find that addition of physiotherapy did not reduce the recurrence or lift the success rate in the long term.”

“We were also very surprised that the addition of steroid to physiotherapy tends to diminish the effectiveness of the physiotherapy,” he said.

The study evaluated 165 patients who had pain from tennis elbow for more than six weeks. Patients were divided into four groups – one group given just cortisone shots, another group given placebo shots, a third group receiving both the steroid and the physical therapy, and a final group receiving a placebo shot and physical therapy.

The study found that after a year, those who had the cortisone shots had the least successful outcomes and highest rates of recurrence. And the addition of physical therapy made little difference to the shots. However, physical therapy alone seems to provide the best outcome, with just under a 5% recurrence rate after a year.

Almost half of all people who play racquet sports like tennis, squash, or racquetball have tennis elbow, but racquet sports aren’t the only way to get it. Any sort of activity that requires a lot of twisting or gripping motion, like pulling weeds, using a screwdriver, or using a computer mouse can also inflame the tendon that connects your forearm muscles to your elbow.
Dr. R. Amadeus Mason, who was not involved with the study, remarked that it has been standard practice for some time to use saline or lidocaine shots in place of cortisone. Mason is an assistant professor in the department of Orthopedics and Family Medicine at Emory University and advocates for physical therapy.

“The recommendation has been don’t use steroid, use either saline and mechanical treatment, and going back to physical therapy as your first line,” he said.

But tennis elbow is just difficult to treat, he noted. “Yes, there are a lot of treatment entities, but when you go back and look, the treatment entities aren’t consistent across the boards.”