Chronic pain and mood disorders can often go hand-in-hand. In fact, as many as 50% of people with chronic pain also have depression. It seems that one particular pair of conditions – depression and back pain – may be particularly widespread. Considering how often chronic pain and mood disorders can co-occur, this isn’t very surprising. After all, … Read more
Between 2015 and 2050, the number of adults aged 60 or over worldwide is set to nearly double from 900 million to two billion. This will make them the largest demographic in the world. With advances in technology helping us lead longer lives, this means that more people may begin to experience chronic conditions. While … Read more
What are common physical arthritis symptoms? Physically, arthritis is the blanket term for more than 100 conditions that cause joint pain. The physical arthritis symptoms most of these types have in common include: Joint pain and swelling Fatigue Stiffness Limited mobility Osteoarthritis is the most common form, affecting more than 27 million people nationally. Patients … Read more
The experience of pain is a complex interaction of biological and psychological processes. The traditional view of pain was that it is the result of damage to tissues of the body that is detected by nerves that transmitted this information to the brain. This biologically focused view is accurate, but it is incomplete. The signals … Read more
Mental health and how to practice self-care are subjects most people know little about. Psychology can be scary and difficult to understand, especially when you are in the thick of a problem like depression, anxiety, anorexia, or any other psychological disorder. How do you find help for these issues if you are not ready or … Read more
We all have had high stress and anxiety days and sometimes weeks at a time. This can come from happy events like pre-wedding jitters or job-related activities like prepping for a career-changing meeting. Did you know, however, that it was found in a 2012 survey that 66% of people feel similar stress levels from losing … Read more
From stress to depression and beyond, some type of mental health issue affects millions of people in the U.S. Even those without a clinical disorder often face occasional anxiety or bouts of sadness they may not know how to handle. For people living with chronic pain, treating the mind is just as important as treating … Read more
The U.S. has the world’s highest incarceration rate, and many of those behind bars suffer from mental health issues, leading advocates to call prisons the country’s de facto mental asylums, according to a report by the Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC). The report, issued in 2014, found that while state and county correction facilities nationwide housed … Read more
Women are more likely than men to experience chronic pain, however emerging research into the gender of pain management shows that females are less likely to receive medications and may suffer more as a result. And the medications they do receive sometimes cause more harm than good. Women are, on average, smaller than men and … Read more
Researchers have for many years understood the physical benefits bestowed by a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Now, the impact diet has on mental health is coming into focus with an increasing amount of research linking the two. The foods you eat feed the body as well as the brain, with healthy foods reducing … Read more