wellness

How to Manage Your Chronic Pain

Chronic pain can affect your quality of life and impact your ability to enjoy everyday activities. It can even damage your self-esteem because you never feel like your best self anymore.

With chronic pain, it can have an isolating effect because the symptoms are not seen by others. However, pain sufferers want a solution – and the good news is that there are ways to effectively manage your chronic pain.

Let’s talk about some of the ways in which chronic pain can be stifled:

Medication

Pain medication includes those you can purchase over the counter (off the shelf) and those prescribed by family medicine providers. Examples of over-the-counter pain relievers are acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and naproxen. These medications are effective at relieving mild to moderate pain on a short-term basis.

For severe chronic pain, family medicine providers may prescribe pain medication that can only be obtained with a prescription. However, long-term use of these medicines can lead to unwanted side effects, and there is a potential of becoming addicted to prescription pain medications.

Implanted Pain Pumps

Chronic pain that does not respond well to conservative medication may respond to surgical implantation of a pain-relief pump. A pain pump is implanted underneath the skin, where it delivers a controlled dose of pain medication.

With this method, the pain medication is slowly released into the body on a continuous basis. This has been reported to provide immense relief in many chronic pain sufferers.

Spinal Cord Stimulation

A spinal cord stimulator is a device that is implanted underneath your skin in the middle of your back. It alters and interrupts pain signals before they have a chance to reach your brain. The device is the size of a pacemaker, and it delivers electrical pulses to the spinal cord.

Trigger-Point Injections

A local anesthetic is injected into pain trigger points, which are usually within a muscle. Depending on what the family medicine provider decides, the anesthetic may be combined with a steroid.

Not all chronic pain sufferers have trigger points. However, those with fibromyalgia and myofascial pain syndrome, for example, usually do have trigger points – so this treatment can be very effective for those whose chronic pain is caused by those conditions.

Acupuncture

Taken from traditional Chinese methods of medical treatment, acupuncture involves the manipulation of different points of the body. Thin needles are used to prompt the body to release endorphins, which can block the pain signals traveling to the brain.

Alternative Therapies

There are also other therapies that can help to reduce your dependence on pain medicine, such as yoga, meditation, and physical therapy.

Pain Treatment in Palm Beach County

While there are many methods for managing your chronic pain, a trusted family family medicine provider or nurse practitioner can provide you with the quality care that you need. Our health professionals can administer a combination of treatment methods if necessary to effectively relieve your pain symptoms.

Dr. Ishan Gunawardene of the Advanced Medical Clinic is a board-certified internist offering advanced and highly individualized treatment methods for chronic pain. His offices are conveniently located in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach.

If you have any questions about Dr. Gunawardene’s internal medicine services, please call our friendly team at (561) 434-1935, fill out our easy-to-use appointment request form online, or simply walk into our clinic to receive immediate medical attention. We look forward to seeing you here.

Vitamins You May Be Lacking if You Live in Florida

Living in the Sunshine State is great for everything from year-round golf to year-round beach activities, and thousands of snowbirds flock to Florida each winter for fun in the sun.

The advantages of living in Florida are plentiful, but there is one disadvantage to which health-conscious Floridians should pay attention: Floridians are at risk for certain vitamin deficiencies.

Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D is naturally produced in our bodies when our skin is directly exposed to the sun’s UVB (ultraviolet B) rays. According to the Vitamin D Council, “in the southern United States, in places like Florida, your body can produce vitamin D most of the year.”

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, adults between the ages of 19 and 70 need at least 600 IU of vitamin D, and those aged 71 and over should get at least 800 IU. This vitamin is essential in the function of your bones, muscles, nerves, and immunity.

It’s best for the body to get most of its vitamin D from foods, such as salmon, liver, tuna, mackerel, cheese, and egg yolks. Many foods are fortified with vitamin D, such as milk, orange juice, and cereals.

Although sun exposure without sunscreen for 10 minutes can help the body produce more than 1,000 IU of vitamin D, this isn’t recommended since it can contribute to skin cancer.

Calcium Deficiency

Like vitamin D, calcium is necessary to maintain healthy bones, muscles, and nerve function. Low calcium might result in diseases like osteoporosis, which causes brittle bones and fragility. The culture in Florida isn’t as focused on drinking milk as it is in northern states, so low calcium levels tend to be a common health issue.

The NIH recommends adult men between the ages of 19 and 70 get at least 1,000 mg of calcium per day. Adult women should also consume this amount until they’re age 51 or over when the NIH recommends women start consuming at least 1,200 mg every day.

Floridians are especially susceptible to calcium deficiency because there is a direct correlation between vitamin D deficiency and a lack of calcium. Vitamin D is essential to calcium absorption in the body.

Important Vitamins and Minerals for the Body

Calcium and vitamin D are the two most common vitamins that are lacking in people living in Florida, but they may also be at risk of having the following deficiencies:

  • Vitamin B-12
  • Iron
  • Iodine
  • Vitamin A
  • Magnesium

How Can I Find Out if I’m Deficient in Vitamins?

Living in Florida and receiving inadequate amounts of vitamin D, calcium, and other vitamins and minerals could result in serious health consequences. If you’d like to find out whether you’re deficient in these essential nutrients and how to get on the road to a healthier body, call the Advanced Medical Clinic today at (561) 434-1935 to schedule an appointment.

You can also fill out our easy-to-use online appointment request form today. Our skilled and caring health professionals at the Advanced Medical Center can explain your options to combat deficiency and help you feel better and more healthy.