Binge Drinking and Cognition

Many of us may be doing plenty of damage to our brains because of our drinking habits, without even knowing it. One does not have to meet the criteria for alcohol abuse or addiction for alcohol to negatively impact our brain and cognitive functioning. There has been growing concern over the effects of even occasional binge drinking episodes on cognition. So you might want to give this a thought before you go on your weekend binge drinking spree or if you indulge in heavy drinking each time you’re on a break. Read more »

Part II – Importance of cognitive assessment and remediation in treatment and recovery from alcoholism

Despite the prevalence and seriousness of cognitive impairment in alcoholism, together with the fact that it can be reversed, cognitive assessment and remediation is not always included in treatment programs for alcoholism. Not only should cognitive impairment in alcoholism be addressed, because it is a common and serious adverse affect of the condition, but also to ensure holistic recovery from alcoholism, a good quality of life and relapse prevention. Read more »

Cognitive Assessment and Remediation in Treatment of Alcoholism

 Part I – Reversing impaired cognitive functioning caused by excessive drinking

Brain damage and cognitive impairment is a common and serious consequence of excessive drinking –  but it can be reversed! Some impairment might improve on it’s own over time, with cessation of drinking , while some can be improved with remedial exercises and pharmacological treatment. Read more »

 What causes Cognitive Impairment in Alcoholism?

When asking the question – “What causes cognitive impairment in alcoholism?” the first thing that comes to mind is the intoxicating effects of alcohol on the mind and body. However, intoxication is only one of the reasons that cognitive impairments in alcoholism might occur.

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Cognitive Impairment and Alcoholism

Almost all of us know from experience - either from our own or  those around us - that alcohol affects the brain. Those of us who drink have at least once experienced being intoxicated by alcohol and are aware of the affects, both positive (the high) and negative (hangover or being drunk and unable to function), that alcohol has on the brain and body. Read more »

Chronic Pain and Depression

Depression is often associated with chronic pain because of the nature, duration and effects chronic pain can have on the life of the individual. Chronic pain can persist for months, even years if it not diagnosed and treated correctly. The presence of pain for such long durations can impact many aspects of the individual’s life - ultimately affecting overall functioning and productivity.

A number of factors in chronic pain can lead to depression. Duration of condition, side effects of medication, sleep disturbances, restriction of mobility along with many other negative events and stressors that those suffering from chronic pain have to deal with can all lead to depression. Read more »

How can chronic pain be cured?

Treating chronic pain is a challenge! Chronic pain usually does not respond to standard treatment, since establishing the cause of pain is often difficult. Further, the presence of pain for such a long duration may lead to other disease conditions like depression. The accompanying condition, whether the cause of chronic pain or caused as a result of the pain, also need to be diagnosed and treated simultaneously. Lastly and most importantly, chronic pain affects the overall functioning and quality of life of the individual. Thus one of the major goals of chronic pain treatment along with reducing pain is improving the quality of the patient’s life. Chronic pain rarely get’s cured but, can be managed successfully so that it significantly improves an individuals functioning and quality of life.

 Chronic pain can be caused by a number of conditions like headaches, back pain, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, depression etc. and treatment should vary depending on the cause of chronic pain. Based on the cause and severity of the pain, accompanying conditions and the extent to which it affects the individual’s life; an individualized treatment program should be developed. Read more »

Chronic Pain is real and is always experienced in response to something even when there is no physical evidence that can be established. It’s just that sometimes we could be looking at the wrong time and in the wrong place. There is always some physiological, neurological or psychological basis that exists even when we can’t see it. Normal ageing, previous injury, disease conditions, nerve damage, psychological factors could all be responsible for chronic pain. Read more »

Complaints and Disease symptoms

 Chronic pain can manifest itself in a wide variety of ways. Headaches, lower back pain, neck pain, joint pain, muscle pain, arthritis pain, and cancer pain are the most common complaints in chronic pain.

While chronic pain affects everyone differently, common symptoms include:

• Constant or intermittent pain
• Tension
• Anxiety/Depression
• Lack of sleep

 Chronic Pain may manifest as Neurogenic or Psychogenic Pain:

Neurogenic pain is pain which is experienced due to damage to nerves which carry information about the pain. This could be in the peripheral or central nervous system. The damage causes faulty signals to be sent to the brain – as a result of which,  the body experiences pain. This is common in conditions of diabetes, chemotherapy,  facial nerve problems, HIV infection or AIDS, multiple sclerosis, shingles, fibromyalgia  and spine injury.

 Psychogenic pain is pain which has no physical explanation. It occurs in the     absence of any previous injury, disease or any internal or external visible sign of     damage. Chronic pain of this type may be caused due to psychological factors like     Depression and Anxiety. While sometimes psychological factors like depression and     anxiety may lead to chronic pain, at other times it could be the other way around.     When moderate to sever pain persist for months, even years it starts affecting, mood,     sleep, day to day functioning and productivity causing symptoms of anxiety and       depression which may exacerbate the pain.

 The Hallmarks of Chronic Pain

• Pain that continues to persist long after the initial cause of the pain is no longer present and/or has been cured; or pain which persists in the absence of any physical signs, as confirmed by a doctor.
• Pain much more exaggerated than detectable injury, if any. The complaints or description of pain seem much more exaggerated as compared to corresponding detectable injury in the body.
•  Minimal or no relief with standard treatment. Chronic pain is not easy to diagnose and very often goes untreated. It also does not respond to standard treatment and often needs a multidisciplinary approach.
•  History of doctor hopping – Because Chronic Pain usually goes undiagnosed and individuals suffering from this pain are unable to get any relief they end up consulting many doctors in a desperate effort to attain relief from their suffering.
•  Self Medication – Chronic pain patients will often self medicate themselves and try different pain killers in an effort to relieve themselves from pain.

 The urge to end their suffering can make many chronic pain patients drug dependent, apart from the other negative effects this type of pain has on the individual. It is thus important to be alert to the signs and symptoms of chronic pain and get is diagnosed and treated from professionals with the knowledge and equipment to treat chronic Pain.

Pain

Pain is a normal sensation, felt by the body, that is triggered by the nervous system in response to an injury inside or outside the body or to possible injury. It makes you aware of the need to look after the part of the body that is injured – or might develop an injury if neglected. Pain usually has a known cause, occurs for a certain duration of time and goes away when the injury heals or is treated.

 While pain is the body’s natural response to injury and signals the need to take care of that part of the body, it also has an unfavorable side as it is capable of negatively impacting our functioning, productivity and quality of life. This is especially the case when pain persists for long periods of time and goes undiagnosed and untreated – as often happens with chronic pain.

 Types of Pain

Pain is of different types. The two basic types of pain are acute pain and chronic pain. Acute pain is normal and, as already defined above, is a natural response to detectable injury inside or outside the body. This type of pain can be diagnosed and treated and is usually limited to a certain period of time and severity. However, when pain persists for weeks, months or even years after the initial injury has healed, it is referred to as Chronic Pain. Chronic Pain is not normal and some people even suffer chronic pain in the absence of any past injury or evidence of body damage.

 Chronic Pain

Many researchers have attempted to define chronic pain. Some use the duration parameter arbitrarily and consider pain that persists longer than 6 months as chronic. A few others have extended the duration to a year. Another definition of chronic pain is pain that persists longer than the expected period of healing^.

 Whatever the definition of chronic pain, the important fact is that this type of pain usually cannot be diagnosed and almost always goes untreated, causing severe problems for those suffering from this type of pain. It adversely impacts the quality of life, affecting day to day functioning and level of productivity. Approximately 50 million Americans are either partially or totally disabled because of this type of pain.

 It is thus important that you not disregard any pain you or your loved one is suffering from that continues to persist long after an injury has healed – or then has no basis for being present as per the doctors. Having said that, what is equally important is that you seek professional help from the right place. Many healthcare professionals fail to recognize chronic pain because it can occur in the absence of physical findings. As a result, countless individuals are informed that “the pain is in their head”. While the fact is that one out of every four Americans suffer from some element of chronic pain according to the American Chronic Pain Association.

 Chronic pain is not in the head but real and can be diagnosed and treated. However it often requires the specialized services of a comprehensive, multidisciplinary pain management team.