“It’s a strange and different pain that seems to be in the muscles but really isn’t,” Epstein said.

“It’s not a muscle disease,” Bushan said. “It’s a pain perception disease.”

Epstein said there is nothing wrong with the parts of the body that hurt. Instead the disorder is in the chemical messages that the nerves use to send pain sensation to the brain.

“That doesn’t mean the person is crazy,” Epstein said. “It means the pain nerves are turned on when they’re not supposed to be. The result is this pain that appears to make no sense.”

…………..Fibromyalgia often affects sleep, said Epstein.

“It is almost always associated with a chronic sleep disorder,” she said.

Addressing the sleep disorder is critical because if the underlying sleep disorder is not corrected, the fibromyalgia will not get better, Epstein said.

Fibromyalgia is a treatable condition.

Before you ask for re-prints and wonder where to send your checks…..temporary mortality actually refers to people dying in a short period (30 days in this case, I think) after surgery. Just an example of the wonders of medical terminology.

The lead author of the study said that “It (migraine headaches) has to be taken seriously because it causes changes in the brain.” So, should we all panic (at least those of us with migraines)? Uhhh….no.

Our brains are plastic – though, not in the same way that a Barbie doll’s is. Plastic, or plasticity, means that our brains can change. If we learn how to play the piano or ride a bike, our brains change. If we are deeply traumatized, our brains will change. So, if we get lots of “feeling” or sensory information in our head from migraine pain, it is no surprise that the brain would change as a result.

So, what’s the take-home message? What you choose to do, or not and what you choose to think, or not will leave it’s imprint between your ears. Forgive the cliche, but choose wisely.

These results are incredible. I will look at the study, hopefully tomorrow and see how it checks out, but initially it looks very promising. (That’s really an understatement!)

“The procedure (chiropractic treatment) has the effect of not one, but two medications given in combination” according to study leader George Bakris, MD at the University of Chicago.

Here is a link.

Now I know you are all motivated (even if not enough) to lose the external fat. We all want to look good, right? But, fat on and in our organs can be just as damaging – maybe even more so – than the fat that jiggles on the outside.

This is a bigger problem in people that don’t exercise – even if they are thin. Research shows us that it is better to be an overweight exerciser than a skinny couch potato. In fact, according to an article published on msnbc.com, many sumo wrestlers may be less healthy than their less active fans!

So, don’t just drop the danish (is that as hard for you as it is for me?) and pick up a dumbell!

(Click here to read more).

Disc herniations are easy to find. 30 minutes in the old MRI machine and wham, there they are (or aren’t if you don’t have any). Case closed, right? Wrong!

Many disc herniations that show up on MRI are not causing any problems. They are innocent. I know what you’re thinking. My disc is torn or ruptured or slipped or something terrible like that and you are saying that is OK??!!

Actually, sort of. Studies have shown that if you go out to your local mall and grab the first 100 people you see that don’t have back pain and never have and take them to get an MRI…………..about 30 of them will have disc herniations.

But, you say, it must be about to snap!! Like a tinder box about to go up in flames!! Not really. Disc herniations are one of those things that don’t matter…unless of course they do.

Figuring out whether they do or not is what you need a doctor and a good old physical examination for. I guess you can’t outsource the docs yet.

They showed a steroid injection…into the facet joint, I think. The patient even reported some relief. But, how new is this? I took a quick gander at Pubmed, an archive of most all of the available medical literature. I found a dozen or so articles in the late 1960′s and early 1970′s…..this is new?

I also found an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine from 1994 which found this treatment to be ineffective.

Was any of this mentioned by WebMD? No! Be careful. Be skeptical.

A seat pan is the part you sit on. (Click here for an example.)

My first reaction was mock applause for pointing out the obvious. But, the more I think about this, I can see some value.

When I am treating someone for neck pain or back pain or shoulder pain or whatever pain, part of my problem is to teach them how to do their normal daily activities without irritating their condition. It can be hard to get ahead if the patient spends 40 hours per week aggravating their condition.

So, I try to discuss work postures (sitting at the computer and lifting are the most common offenders) with the majority of my patients. In some cases this is as important as anything we do in the office to treat them.

Here are a few tips when troubleshooting your work postures:

1. Get some professional advice if possible.

A chiropractor, physical therapist and/or ergonomic consultant are good places to start.

2. Be persistent.

Good posture is a habit. Think of it like learning the golf swing. You can’t just do it right once and expect it to be automatic. Learning correct posture is only the starting point. You need to keep reminding yourself – you need to train, dare I say discipline (an ugly word, I know. Mea Culpa.), yourself.

3. Remember the fundamentals.

Looking at you from the side, your ears should be in line with your shoulders, which should be inline with your hips (add knees and ankles if you are standing up).

4. Don’t put a lumbar support too low.

If you use a lumbar support (a good thing), the thickest part should be three inches or so above your belt-line. It should feel like it fits naturally with your body. Remember it is a lumbar “support”, not a lumbar “force”.

5. You are not a marine or a statue.

A new posture can feel a little awkward at first, but if you feel really stiff, that is usually not right. Some movement is proof of life. It’s OK. You should be upright, but feel relatively relaxed – you should feel less pain and stress in your neck and back immediately in a correct position. (Note: If you are a marine, please disregard).

Good luck on your postural endeavors!

Passive Care

Passive care includes things that are done to you. This includes massage, chiropractic adjustments, ultrasound, microcurrent, traction and more. The general rule on passive care is that it should be a bigger part of your care at the start and a smaller part of your care as you get better.

Passive care can be great. It makes you feel better! However, if you are not getting active care, more than likely you are getting less than the best treatment.

Active Care

Active care is things that you do to and for yourself. Usually active care means some type of exercise. Walking is a form of active care that everyone should do. However, general exercises like walking are not enough by themselves. Most neck and back pain needs some specific exercises to correct your specific problems.

The good news is that you almost never need any fancy or expensive equipment or a lot of time. For most, five minutes per day five days per week is enough – for your specific therapy exercises, not your exercise for general health (darn!).

An example of a specific therapy exercise that is commonly needed is in my earlier column, “The Back Pain Vaccine”.