Pain Management

90.3 WCPN ideastream

What is Pain?
Migraines May Be More Common Than You Think
Fibromyalgia Questioned
Pain That Lingers
The Body in Pain
Prescription Painkillers
Dancing in Pain
Cancer Pain
To The Best of Our Knowledge: In Pain
Alternative Treatments for Pain

What is Pain?
Friday, Jan. 20 during Morning Edition & All Things Considered

This report will be about the anatomy of acute and chronic pain. How and why do we feel pain? What evolutionary purpose does pain serve? What is going on inside our bodies as we experience both acute and chronic pain? Why does the experience of pain differ from person to person?

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Migraines May Be More Common Than You Think
Friday, Jan. 20

One of the most under-treated and misunderstood forms of pain is also one that’s fairly common: migraine headaches. They can cause crippling pain and women are two-to-three times more likely to get them than men. ideastream intern Katie Broida continues this week’s special coverage of the "Body in Pain."

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Pain Management

Fibromyalgia Questioned
Monday, Jan. 23 during Morning Edition

Rick Jackson interviews Dr. Ali Askari, UH/CWRU Division Chief of Rheumatology about fibromyalgia. What is it? What causes it? And why are rates increasing?

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Pain Management

Pain That Lingers
Tuesday, Jan. 24 during Morning Edition & All Things Considered

This piece will explore why chronic pain is a public health issue, why it is more prevalent now, and what is being done to address it. It will look at how the NIH is poised to educate physicians and the general public about dealing with chronic pain.

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The Body in Pain
Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 9:00 AM, The Sound of Ideas

Pain is the single most common reason for seeking medical care in the United States. In fact thirty five percent of Americans suffer chronic pain and more than 50 million are disabled by their pain. Up to half of patients say they fail to get adequate pain relief. This program discusses pain, how it is managed and how some patients are managed by it.

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Prescription Painkillers
Wednesday, Jan. 25 during Morning Edition & All Things Considered

Vicodin. Percocet. OxyContin. You might recognize these names: they're all narcotic painkillers. What are the benefits and risks of powerful prescription drugs? They have a ”chilling effect” on pain signals in the brain. They bring welcome relief for many, minimizing what otherwise could be an excruciating existence. But they are powerful drugs, and can lead to abuse and addiction. This creates a fine line for doctors who treat pain.

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Dancing in Pain
Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 12:00 PM, Around Noon

Dee Perry welcomes Margaret Carlson of Verb Ballets and Bill Wade of Inlet Dance Theatre to share their stories of dancing through pain.

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Cancer Pain
Thursday, Jan. 26 during Morning Edition & All Things Considered

Cancer patients face an onslaught of drugs, radiation, and surgeries, as doctors aggressively treat their tumors. But patients also face severe pain during their battle with the disease. Cancer pain is one of the most feared and often under-treated forms of pain. Learn more about why cancer is so painful, what can be done about it, follow one patient’s story about how the pain of cancer can impact a family.

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To The Best of Our Knowledge: In Pain
Thursday, Jan. 26 at 7:00 PM

To The Best of Our Knowledge is a nationally-syndicated, Peabody award winning radio show that “cracks open the world and the ideas that fuel its engine.” Host Jim Flemming and his team created this special episode for our pain project. The show, called “In Pain” features the following segments: painful insect stings, why all comedy is based on pain, the history of aspirin advertising, seeking God through self-hurting, and living with Behcet’s syndrome (constant pain).

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Pain Management

Alternative Treatments for Pain
Friday, Jan. 27 during Morning Edition & All Things Considered

For some people with chronic pain, drugs like Vicodin or Percocet are not effective or appropriate to use as treatment. Nearly half of people with pain seek alternative therapies, according to a recent study. This piece will follow a chronic pain patient as they undergo an acupuncture treatment to relieve pain. It will discuss the evidence behind alternative methods of pain management - which methods have, and have not, been shown to work?

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Last Reviewed: Jan 25, 2012