Today’s fast-paced lifestyle can be very stressing. People move back and forth, rushing from place to place, wanting to finish multiple tasks at a time. This can take its toll on your body, causing tension headaches and migraines. Thanks to modern science, Fioricet was created. Now people having migraines can have something to relieve them of their discomforts.

 

 

What is Fioricet?

 

A combination of acetaminophen, butalbital, and caffeine, it works together as a pain reliever, relaxant, and blood vessel constrictor that helps relieve tension headaches, and muscle contraction headaches. And, although not indicated, it is also commonly used to treat migraine and other pain related problems.

 

 

Who can use Fioricet?

 

Even though Fioricet is an effective pain reliever and relaxant, it is not suitable for everybody. It is a controlled prescription medicine that can be potentially habit-forming if misused or taken over long periods of time. Also, some components of Fioricet may cause undesirable drug interactions which can cause long-term effects on the body or even death.

 

Here are some medical conditions you should discuss with your doctor before taking Fioricet:

 





A history of substance abuse. Taking Fioricet may increase one’s risk for drug dependence.





 





An allergy to any barbiturate, acetaminophen, or caffeine.





 





Depression. The butalbital component of Fioricet which acts as a relaxant may worsen this psychological condition.





 





Heart diseases. The caffeine component may worsen certain heart conditions.





 





Liver diseases. People with liver diseases may experience difficulty processing and filtering the medication and taking Fioricet may cause liver conditions to worsen.





 





Kidney and liver diseases .The kidneys are responsible for excreting Fioricet residue from the body. People with kidney diseases may experience difficulty expelling these residue. People with liver damage are similarly affected by Fioricet.





 

Dosage adjustment may be needed for people with the above mentioned conditions. To be absolutely sure that Fioricet will not affect you negatively, thoroughly discuss your medical history with your consulting physician. From there, your doctor can determine whether Fioricet is the right medication for you or if you should try some other prescription.

 

Are there side effects to using Fioricet?

 

Side effects may manifest differently from person to person. Some side effects are only temporary and only occur as a natural reaction of the body while it is getting used to the medication. Temporary side effects usually last for a couple of weeks and should go away soon after. These temporary side effects include:

 





Dizziness





 





Drowsiness





 





Intoxicated feeling





 





Light-headedness





 





Nausea





 





Vomiting





 





Sedation





 





Addiction





 





Shortness of breath





 





Abdominal pain





 

If these side effects do not go away after two or three weeks, talk to your physician. There are some rare but serious side effects that need immediate medical attention once manifested. These serious side effects include:

 





an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of your throat; swelling of your lips, tongue, or face; or hives)





slow or weak breathing





liver damage (yellowing of the skin or eyes, nausea, abdominal pain or discomfort, unusual bleeding or bruising, severe fatigue)





blood problems (easy or unusual bleeding or bruising)





low blood sugar (fatigue, increased hunger or thirst, dizziness, or fainting)





 

Where can I get Fioricet?

Fioricet is available at any pharmacy provided that you have a valid prescription note from your consulting physician. However, you can buy Fioricet with no prescription from online pharmacies at discounted prices. It is important to keep in mind, though, that this medication is addictive when used improperly and should not be used what not necessary.



Butalbital

Fibromyalgia is a disabling condition that affects between three to six million Americans, with predominantly more women being diagnosed than men. It has become a common condition that has traditionally been misdiagnosed. People who suffer from fibromyalgia experience a variety of symptoms that can sometimes make daily life unbearable. There is no one treatment for fibromyalgia, rather a integrated approach seems to work best and progesterone fibromyalgia treatment is one of the options.

One of the main difficulties with fibromyalgia is that it can’t be diagnosed easily. Such a disorder cannot be diagnosed through lab tests or seen through x-rays. The only diagnosis being done to detect such a condition is through locating multiple tender points in several characteristic areas in the body, the existence of widespread chronic pain and ruling out any other causes for the pain. A lot about fibromyalgia is yet unknown.

There are a number of probable causes that many physicians think may trigger it. Some physicians attribute the cause of fibromyalgia to a substantial lack of deep sleep. Sleep disorders are common in fibromyalgia patients and have always been thought of as a symptom, however more research is required before a definitive answer can be given. There are also some doctors who believe that the cause of fibromyalgia might be hormonal in nature and that low levels of progesterone may be related to the onset of fibromyalgia.

Low levels of progesterone are seen to happen more likely in women who suffer from fibromyalgia. This is seen to be a reason why there are four times more women who seem to suffer from fibromyalgia than there do men. Progesterone is used by the body in women in order to balance out estrogen.

Low levels of progesterone may make women estrogen dominant which can cause a number of fibromyalgia-like symptoms in women. Such symptoms may include aching all over, frequent fatigue that can last all day, headaches, numbness and tingling, crampy abdominal and pelvic pain, diarrhea, fluid retention and several other symptoms. One possible solution to counter such symptoms is the use of progesterone creams.

Continue reading to find out more about progesterone and how it may help and to sign up to the free combating Fibromyalgia naturally newsletter.

Progesterone fibromyalgia treatments are now being used to help people cope up with the symptoms of fibromylagia. The treatment usually makes use of applying transdermal progesterone creams in various parts of the body including the neck, elbows, knees and arms to alleviate pain. Some women have also found that insomnia associated with fibromyalgia has improved while taking natural progesterone.

The applied progesterone may help in trying to alleviate some of the symptoms suffered by fibromyalgia patients. If women are interested in trying progesterone fibromyalgia treatment then they should consult with their physicians before they under take any type of treatment to help them cope up with such a disabling disorder like fibromyalgia.



Butalbital Blog

Truely, back pain also known dorsalgia, is pain felt in the back that usually originates from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints or other structures in the spine. Back pain is one of humanitys most frequent complaints. It can be a sign of a serious medical problem, although this is not most frequently the underlying cause. Typical warning signs of a potentially life threatening problem are bowel or bladder incontinence or progressive weakness in the legs. The back pain that occurs after a trauma, such as a car accident or fall may indicate a bone fracture or other injury. It can range from a dull, constant ache to a sudden, sharp pain. Back pain is called chronic if it lasts for more than three months.

Pain

However, pain may have a sudden onset or can be a chronic pain, it can be constant or intermittent, stay in one place or radiate to other areas. The pain may be felt in the neck and might radiate into the arm and hand, in the upper back, or in the low back and might radiate into the leg or foot and may include symptoms other than pain, such as weakness, numbness or tingling. Nevertheless, a few observational studies suggest that two conditions to which back pain is often attributed, lumbar disc herniation and degenerative disc disease may not be more prevalent among those in pain than among the general population and that the mechanisms by which these conditions might cause pain are not known.

Spine

Meanwhile, the spine is a complex interconnecting network of nerves, joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments and all are capable of producing pain. Large nerves that originate in the spine and go to the legs and arms can make pain radiate to the extremities. The relationship between the magnetic resonance imaging appearance of the lumbar spine and low back pain, age and occupation in males. Magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar spine in people without back pain. However, arthritis can affect any joint in the body, including the small joints of the spine. Arthritis of the spine can cause back pain with movement. If the spine becomes unstable enough, back pain can become a problem.

Treatment

However, treatment of acute back pain is short term and usually successful. Treatment is then based on avoiding postures or movements that aggravate symptoms, as well as performing or adhering to postures to assist in symptom reduction. Once you have a diagnosis for your back pain or radiating leg pain, you should carefully review your treatment options. Not all treatments work for all conditions or for all individuals with the same condition and many find that they need to try several treatment options to determine what works best for them. The present stage of the condition acute or chronic is also a determining factor in the choice of treatment.

Generally, some form of consistent stretching and exercise is believed to be an essential component of most back treatment programs. The treatments with uncertain or doubtful benefit Injections, such as epidural steroid injections and facet joint injections may be effective when the cause of the pain is accurately localized to particular sites. The treatment of acute low back pain is bed rest, exercises, or ordinary activity. This is important to know because different treatments work better for each type of pain. With physical therapy, follow up treatment and prevention practices, these patients typically return to full functionality in a few weeks. Though, they may occassionally reinjure themselves and have to return for a short course of treatment.

Acupressure is closely related to acupuncture but without the needles. The idea of acupressure is to put pressure on specific points in the body, using only hands and fingers to restore balance and thus relieve pain. Herbs have been used to relieve pain for thousands of years. Todays pain relieving medications are mostly synthetic reproductions of these long used and natural herbs. The main difference is that the synthetic reproductions often produce a lot of side effects but the natural herbs they are based upon do not. Chiropractors have been manipulating spines for many years. Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases. Chiropractic medicine as we recognize it today was not actually established until 1895. The AMA was established in 1847, so they do have a jump on chiropractors as such.

Back pain is one of the most common medical problems, affecting 9 out of 12 people at some point during their lives. No conclusions can be drawn about the use of cold for lowback pain. Bed rest is rarely recommended as it can exacerbate symptoms and when necessary is usually limited to one or two days. Chronic back pain tends to last a long time and is not relieved by standard types of medical management. However, acute back pain is commonly described as a very sharp pain or a dull ache, usually felt deep in the lowerpart of the back and can be more severe in one area, such as the right side, left side, center, or the lower part of the back.



Fioricet

Tens of thousands of people deal with chronic pain every day of their lives. Searching for pain relief is sometimes frustrating because there are so many choices.  It can be very tricky to discover the right kind of pain supplement that works.  Many people resort to taking Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, however they often do not realize that NSAIDs can in fact pose serious risks to health. And it’s not just NSAIDs that can cause health complications.  The popular pain reliever Acetaminophen, can also cause major, often irreversible health problems. 

Common NSAIDs include Ibuprofen, Naproxen and Aspirin. Ibuprofen, commonly found in over-the-counter pain relievers such as Advil, can cause major health problems including inducing second heart attacks in persons who already have a history of heart disease and heart attacks. In addition, Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can damage the stomach lining and cause kidney complications.  Asprin has been found to cause gastrointestinal ulcers and other stomach problems.  Acetaminophen, a main ingredient in Tylenol, can also pose health risks.  Research has found that Acetaminophen can cause major liver problems, even at recommended doses.  In fact, acetaminophen is the leading cause of liver failure in the U.S. As a result, many health professionals feel that it’s best to avoid these kinds of pain remedies whenever possible and instead choose more natural pain relief.

One proven pain management method is acupuncture.  Acupuncture is the practice of inserting the tips of tiny needles into specific points in the skin in order to treat pain or disease.  Chinese medicine practitioners often employ acupuncture to great effect and it has been shown to relieve pain, reduce inflammation and also to promote feelings of wellbeing.  This natural pain relief is achieved without any narcotic effects or damage to the stomach lining or kidneys. 

Surprisingly exercise can also relieve pain.  Those with lower back pain or joint pain might do well to spend some time on the treadmill or in a yoga class.  Strengthening the muscles in the body can then help to support the weaker areas such as a bad knee or a strained back.  And yoga not only strengthens the body, but it also helps to keep it limber and flexible while promoting feelings of peace and tranquility. 

Of course there is definitely natural pain relief available in the form of nutritional pain supplements.  Glucosamine sulfate can help repair damaged joints, connective tissue and cartilage, which can in turn relieve pain, even if it’s chronic.  And there is an anti-inflammatory pain management supplement derived from the bark of the Phellodendron amurense (cork) tree, which has natural pain relieving properties that is gentle on the stomach and poses no risk to kidney or heart health.  This all-natural plant extract has been used safely and to great success in Chinese medicine for more than two thousand years.

It pays to do some research regarding natural pain relief. There is hope to managing chronic pain.  Pain relief is often just a trip to the gym or a nutritional supplement away!



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How they are important for people with cardiovascular complications:

C – reactive protein (CRP) is an inflammatory protein, produced in the liver, which is the secreted as a first line of defense against any bacterial infection or viral invasion. The levels of CRP have also been found to jump in patients with heart diseases. It has been shown that levels of CRP molecules associated with inflammation are as important as levels of cholesterol in determining the development of heart diseases.

The heart disease most widely associated with CRP molecules is Atherosclerosis which leads to hardening and reduction in the diameter of the arteries. People with blood levels of CRP in the upper third of the population have almost double the risk of atherosclerosis & a “creepy” heart than the rest of the population. Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease and remains the number one killer in western developed societies and its incidence is also rapidly growing in developing countries.

It has been demonstrated that whenever there is any tissue damage or an injury to the inner lining of the arteries, which might also be due to free radical oxidation, CRPs migrate to these areas and together with the Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL), form fatty/wax-like substance (plaques) on these injured sites.

Over time, this narrowing prevents the blood from flowing properly through the arteries, giving rise to congestive heart failure, heart attack, or stroke. The CRP molecules also pump up the migration of White Blood Cells (WBCs) to these sites which break tiny portions of these plaques into the bloodstream. These small fragments of plaque can then be swept away to lodge in small blood vessels in the heart or brain, causing an increase in the frequency of heart attack or stroke.

Since C-reactive protein is a gauge of inflammation, a CRP test that measures C-reactive protein is evidently, quite valuable. One such test is known as the high-sensitivity CRP assay (hs-CRP). Many doctors now believe that it is important to measure hs-CRP levels along with cholesterol to determine the risk of heart disease and to evaluate disease progression and prognosis in those who already have or at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

The good news is that atherosclerosis is reversible and can be prevented. Recent reports have suggested that the patients who cease to smoke, adapt to strict vegetarian diet (no meat, eggs, or other animal foods except for non-fat milk), undergo regular physical activity, have adequate stress management, & regularly monitor themselves for CRP in blood, experience a significant reduction in the degree of hardening of their coronary vessels & redeem themselves of subsequent complications that might arise following atherosclerosis.

Thus, CRP is an important marker for risk assessment in patients and should be monitored closely using CRP blood tests with the help of your doctor, because simply writing a prescription for Statins to address individual symptoms is a tunnel-vision treatment!



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Abstract:

Background and objective:

Pain is a universal, personal and subjective experience. Many factors are involved in the interpretation of this unpleasant sensation, including past experience, ethnicity and culture. Understanding these factors plays an important role in a comprehensive and multidimensional approach to the assessment and management of acute and chronic pain. The aim of this study is to determine experimental pain perception differences between Arab and western European healthy male subjects.

 

Method:

 Fifty-six healthy Arab and western European male volunteers from Queen Margaret University College recruited to examine pain threshold using the method of limits in Quantitative Sensory Test (TSA 2001) and a Dolorimeter. Thermal and pressure pain threshold was measured on the thenar eminence of the non-dominant hand. Both ethnic groups were analysed separately.

 

Result:

Total fifty-six subjects (28 Arab and 28 European) subjects completed the study. In depended t-test result indicates that no statistically significant difference was found between Arabs and Europeans hot [t (54) =1.150; p>0.05], cold [t (54) =0.568; p>0.05], and pressure [t (54) =-0.279; p>0.05] pain threshold.

 

Conclusion:

No significant statistical difference in pain thresholds between Arab and Western European healthy male subjects was evident. More research is warranted in this field to access the perceptual and psychological aspects associated with pain.

 

          

Introduction

Pain is a subjective experience (French, 1989) and the protective function of life (Turk and Melzack, 1992). A number of factors may influence pain perception, including psychological, sociological and biological. Pain is the most common symptom in people who seek medical help, and is an important growing problem in the world (Strong, 2002).

One of the most important factors affecting the pain perception is Culture. Research indicates that socio-cultural factors have a great influence on pain and it varies across different social situations. Hence, it is important to study pain reactions keeping the socio-cultural factors in mind (Zborowski, 1952). To be able to assess the pain and its effect of the patients, normative data needed for each ethnic group and recorded their normal behaviour in pain stimulation in laboratory setting.

Various methods have been used in the past to induce experimental pain in varied cultural background populations to determine the influence of culture on perception of pain of an individual (Bates et al, 1994; Juarez et al, 1999; woolf et al, 2003; Ibrahim et al, 2003; Rotheram et al, 2000, Zaidi, 1994, Zborowski, 1952, Dunn, 2004).

However, determining cultural differences was not the primary aim of the research in many of these studies. Thus, there is need for further studies to determine the influence of culture on the perception of pain in individuals. (Janal et al, 1994; Mimi et al, 2002). Culture affects the perception of pain and response to pain in different ways (Bates et al, 1993). However, to our knowledge, there has been no research to determine the effect of culture factor on the pain thresholds in respect of Western European and Arab populations. The case study by Chatuverdi et al (1997) portrays the need for this research.

In a study on medical practice in south London showed that there is a delay in South Asians receiving treatment for heart conditions (Chatuverdi et al 1997). This delay was found to be due to the failure to recognise patient behaviour as appropriate for their illness by the assessing clinicians. In other words, the clinicians did not know the normal behaviour of this group and thus failed to recognise the importance of their symptoms.

Cultural diversity is a known risk factor for the under treatment of pain (Kagawa-Singer & Blackhall, L.J 2001). Therefore, understanding the cultural factor in pain management plays an important role in successful modern pain management programs.

The areas of ethnicity and pain seem to have been less well researched than pain related age and gender. The influence of these two latter variables in pain experience has been studies in both healthy subjects and those with pain. Research concerning ethnicity is almost all limited to chronic pain.

   Various studies surrounding this topic suggest that there are different components to pain but, generally, they focus their attention on the social and behavioural dimensions. Westbrook et al (1984) and Chatuverdi et al (1997) compared the pain behaviour of Swedes, Australians, South Asians, and Europeans respectively. Despite the use of different methodologies and populations, both observed differences in pain behaviour in the ethnic groups.

  Bates (1993, 1994) suggested that the attitudes, beliefs and emotional and psychological state of an individual play an important role in the variation in chronic pain experience in different ethnic groups. These factors, which affect the pain perception, should be encountered in any pain assessment and its effect.  Regardless of the design or methodology used in the different studies, the researchers point to the importance of considering ethnic particularities if these is to be a better understanding of patients.

Different methods have been used in the past to induce experimental pain. These include the use of ischemic pain (Rosche et al, 1984), pinch pain (Simmonds et al, 1992) mechanical pain (Simmonds et al, 1992; Walsh et al, 1995) and cold pain (Johnson & Tabasam, 1999). However, the sensitivity and magnitude of stimulus response is poorly estimated with these methods (Price, 1996). Quantitative sensory test and Dolorimeter was used because its show reliability and validity in pain thresholds assessing.

The study was designed to investigate a limited area of pain perception in a closely defined population using apparatus in which the stimulus eliciting a response is quantified.

·   The premising aim of the study is to determine the difference, if any, in thermal and pressure pain thresholds of western Europeans and Arab healthy male population using Quantitative sensory test and a Dolorimeter.

·   A secondary aim was to obtain subjects normative data from healthy male Arab and Western European subjects for pain threshold. This may be useful for further research.

Method:

Prior to main study pilot study was conducted in order to test various determinants of the study design and methodology. The pilot study was conducted a week prior to the research study to prevent any previous experience, which may cause bias of the result. Two subjects who would not be involved in the main study were selected. The methodology followed during the pilot study was similar to that used in the research study. The results of the pilot study were satisfactory and indicated the feasibility of a full-scale research study.

 After obtaining approval from the university ethics committee, 56 healthy volunteer subjects were recruited from Queen Margaret University College. No examinee had a history of significant medical problems or chronic painful conditions. Informed consent was obtained from all subjects before thermal and pressure threshold measurement was carried out. Heat, cold pain thresholds were measured using a thermal sensory test (Verdugo & Ochoa, 1992).  Pressure pain threshold was measured using a Dolorimeter. The apparatus employed was a thermal sensory analyser (model TSA-2001Medoc Ltd). The Quantitative sensory threshold test device was programmed such that it would discharge five hot and cold stimulations alternately to the non-dominant hand (the thenar aspect was used) (Yarnitsky et al, 1995 & Shy et al, 2003). In order to improve the reliability of the results a starting point for the Thermode was set as 32?C (Yarnitsky & Ochoa, 1991; Hagander et al, 2000). A range of 0°C to 50° C was used during the study. The rate of change in temperature was set to 1° C/sec as the stimulus moved away from the base line (Yarnitsky, 1997).  To increase intrarater reliability the rate of temperature change was increased gradually (Palmer et al, 2000) and a temperature change of 3°C/sec was set as the stimulus returned to the base line of 32°C (Yarnitsky, 1997).

The sensory feedback data of the pain threshold levels was automatically recorded on the computer by a simple push-button response of the subject at the point where he deems the stimulus painful.  The Peltier Thermode was firmly strapped against the thenar eminence by using a tourniquet approximately 20cm in length and 2cm in width (Hagander et al, 2000; Dyck et al, 1993), and to standardise the contact between the Peltier Thermode and thenar eminence surface, the tourniquet was expanded for 2 cm before fixation to the application site. The subject was blinded to the aim of the study and, to prevent the effect of optical feedback, the subjects were prevented from seeing the monitor displaying the information.

The pressure test was performed five minutes after the quantitative sensory test was conducted to avoid possibility of the false sensation and false reaction. The subjects were informed that they would be measured for pressure threshold and that they would feel pressure induced discomfort. The subjects were also informed that the pressure would be applied to the thenar aspect of the nondominant hand, and would be will gradually increased. They were instructed to say “Stop” at the point at which they felt pain; the pressure was then are released immediately (Fischer, 1986).

 The subjects were positioned in comfortable seating and were advised to relax prior to the experiment. The non-dominant hand side and arm were supported on pillow placed on a table (Fischer, 1986).  All subjects were ignorant of the aim of the study and to avoid optical biofeedback effect were prevented from seeing the pressure scale. The Pressure gauge was applied to the thenar eminence of the nondominant hand so that it was vertical and at 90° to the skin surface. To standardise the procedure, the pressure exerted by the Dolorimeter was increased at an even rate of about 1kg/sec.  This was achieved by counting “one and thousand, two and thousand” and so on until the subject said, “STOP” at the point of unacceptable discomfort.  The resulting reading from the Dolorimeter were then recorded (Fischer, 1986).

Statistical methods:

All statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS version 12.0 software.

Normality assumption for the primary response variable pain score was checked using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. In depended t-test was conducted for the differences in pain threshold scores between groups were used when normality of assumption was satisfied.

Result:

The results were derived separately for pain threshold and for the comparison of the age groups. The mean age of two ethnic groups was compared. It was found that the mean age of Arab was 24.2 years with SD of 3.3 years whereas, while the mean ± SD of the European was 23.1years ± 3.0 years (Table1).

            Minimum

Maximum

Mean

Std. Deviation

Arab age

20 years

30 years

24.2 years

3.3 years

W.E Age

20 years

30 years

23.1 years

3.0 years

Table 1: descriptive statistics for the ages involved in the study.

Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test was conducted to test the normality of age’s distribution (Pallant, 2001). The result of the test indicates that there is no evidence against the claim that the distribution is normal: a Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for goodness-of-fit was insignificant: Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z=1.189; p>0.05 (Table2).

age

N

56

Normal Parameters

Mean

23.70

Std. Deviation

3.219

Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z

1.189

Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed)

.118

Table 2: Normal distribution of the involved ages

The result of independent t-test of involved ages were show that There were no statistically significant differences with a P value of 0.435 (P>0.05) between the two ethnic groups suggesting an equal variance could be assumed. The result of the independent t-test for equality of means for the involved ages are found 0.116 (P>0.05) (table 2).

Levene’s Test for Equality of Variances

t-test for Equality of Means of ages

F

Sig.

t

f

Sig. (2tailed)

95% Confidence Interval of the Difference

Lower

Upper

Equal variances assumed

.618

.435

1.209

54

.232

-.682

2.753

Table 3: Independent t-test values for the equality of means of ages of Arab and European.

Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test was conducted to test the distribution of hot, cold and pressure pain thresholds of Arab and western European subjects. The Result of Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for Hot Pain Thresholds was found with value of 0.094 at a significance of 0.200.  The result of the present test shows that there is evidence that the distribution of hot pain threshold is normal distributed (p>0.05). The result of Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for Cold Pain Thresholds was found with value of 0.094 at a significance of 0.200. The result of the present test shows that there is evidence that the distribution of cold pain threshold is normal distributed (p>0.05). Finally, Result of Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for Pressure Pain Thresholds were found with value of 0.153 at a significance of 0.002. The result of the test shows the data is non-normal distributed, as the p value was less than 0.05. However, this result may due to biasing in sampling selecting (Pallant, 2001). Thus, the result was dealt as normal distributed (Table 5).

Kolmogorov-Smirnov test

Statistic

df

Sig.

Hot Pain Threshold

.094

56

.200(*)

Cold Pain Threshold

.094

56

.200(*)

Pressure Pain Threshold

.153

56

.002

Table 4: Normality test for data delivered from hot, cold and pressure pain threshold for both ethnic groups.

Using the in depended t-test test on the data for hot pain threshold (N=28), the result was found to be non-significant at P>0.05 for one tailed test, thus suggesting no statistically significant difference in the hot pain threshold between Arab and western European subjects [t (54) =1.150; p>0.05].

Levene’s Test for Equality of Variances

t-test for Equality of Means of Hot, Cold and Pressure pain thresholds

F

Sig.

t

df

Sig. (2-tailed)

95% Confidence Interval of the Difference

Lower

Upper

Hot Pain Threshold

Equal variances assumed

7.739

.007

1.150

54

.255

-.6135

2.2635

Cold Pain Threshold

Equal variances assumed

.995

.323

-.568

54

.572

-3.4112

1.9041

Pressure Pain Threshold

Equal variances not  assumed

15.407

.000

.279

42.113

.782

-.5349

.7064

Table 5:  The independent t-test result for hot, cold and pressure pain thresholds of Arab and European.

 On using the in depended t-test on the data for cold pain threshold (N=28), the result was found to be non-significant at P>0.05 level for one tailed test, thus suggesting no statistically significant difference in the cold pain threshold between Arab and western European subjects [t (54) =0.568; p>0.05]. Finally, using the in depended t-test test on the data for pressure pain threshold for both ethnic groups (N=28), the result found to be non-significant at P>0.05 level for one tailed test, thus suggesting no statistically significant difference in pressure pain the threshold between Arabs and western European subjects [t (54) =-0.279; p>0.05](table 6).

Although the result of independent t-test for hot, cold, and pressure pain thresholds show that that statistically, there are no significant differences between Arab and western European healthy male subjects. However, there were differences in standard deviation (SD) between the ethnic groups.

The SD of Europeans hot, cold and pressure pain threshold was shown to have

greater discrepancy when compared to the Arab output, as shown in the Table 2.

N

Minimum

Maximum

Mean

Std. Deviation

Arabs Hot Pain Threshold

28

40.0ºC

46.4 ºC

42.6 ºC

1.9 ºC

W.European Hot Pain Threshold

28

3.1 ºC

47.8 ºC

43.4 ºC

3.2 ºC

Arabs Cold Pain Threshold

28

10.4 ºC

23.8 ºC

18.0 ºC

4.2 ºC

W.European Cold Pain Threshold

28

11.0 ºC

28.1 ºC

17.2 ºC

5.5 ºC

Arabs Pressure Pain Threshold

28

2.0kg

4.8kg

3.4kg

0.7kg

W.European Pressure Pain Threshold

28

2.1kg

6.2kg

3.4kg

1.4kg

                     

                           Table6: The mean and SD of Arab and European hot, cold and pressure pain thresholds.

Discussion:

This study was unable to demonstrate differences in pain perception threshold between Arab and western European healthy male subjects. This is in agreement with studies examining other ethnic groups (Yosipovitch et al, 2004; Dimsdale, 2000; Greenwald, 1991). These studies, showed no significant difference in pain perception between ethnic groups. Although there are theories to explain possible threshold differences between ethnic groups (Juarez et al, 1999; Westbrook et al, 1984; and Chatuverdi et al, 1997) no significant difference was found in this study.

These results are in contrast with other studies, which show that there is a difference in pain perception between different ethnic groups (Bates et al, 1993; Elton, 1983; Melzack &Wall, 1982; McCaffery, 1999; Zborowski, 1952; Main & Spanswick, 2000; Juarez, 1999; Westbrook, 1984; Chaturvedi et al, 1997; Sheffield, 2000).

When comparing the mean values of the criteria, the Arab subjects in this study appeared more sensitive to painful stimuli than the Western European subjects.  As the Arab subjects were African in origin, the result of present study is in agreement with a study by Edwards et al (1999, 2001) which suggested that African-American subjects showed increased unpleasantness ratings at the lowest temperatures when compared to white Americans, as well as enhanced sensitivity to noxious stimuli.

One interesting factor observed in this study is that a greater degree of homogeneity was displayed by the Arab subjects for hot, cold and pain thresholds when compared to the Western European subjects.  The standard deviations for the Western European subjects for hot, cold and pressure pain threshold were higher than for the Arab subjects.  This may be explained by two factors.  The first is the origin of the Arab subjects:  due to limitations in availability, they were taken from two African countries very close culturally and sociologically.  The Western European subjects, however, were selected from a wider range group with many sub-groups and wide variation in cultural backgrounds.  Previous studies have shown wide variations within different sub-groups of the same ethnic group (Zborowski, 1950).  The second factor was the time of year at which the study was conducted.  As it was shortly after the Christmas and New Year period, there is the possibility of alcohol intake by the Western European subjects being greater than at other times in the year (Jurgen Rehm and Gerhard Geml, 2002).  Previous studies have shown that alcohol consumption may play a role in the degree of pain perception (Gustafson and Kallimén, 1988; Stewart et al, 2005).  The greater consistency of results from Arab subjects could be explained by them being less likely to have consumed alcohol.

The present study disagrees with the studies by Juarez et al (1999); Westbrook et al (1984) and Chatuverdi et al (1997), which, demonstrate differences between the ethnic groups examined and indicate the need to include cultural considerations in acute and chronic pain management.

The present study agrees with the study done by Reed et al (1995), whose results suggested that subjects’ skin pigmented levels may play an important role in pain perception The skin of the Arab subjects was generally more pigmented, and they were more sensitive to hot pain stimulation than Western European subjects.

The present study is in agreement with those of Yosipovitch et al (2004) and Greenwald et al (1991), whose results suggest that there are no differences between ethnic groups in pain threshold.

Conclusion:

This study demonstrated thermal and pressure pain threshold is not affected by the ethnicity and culture of Arabs and western Europeans. Within ethnic groups, subject’s variability may be seen. Given that, the evidence from this limited study indicates little or no difference in pain thresholds between ethnic groups. Further research to investigate the psychological aspects of pain is justified.

References

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Bates, M. S. & Rankin-Hill, L. 1994, Control, culture and chronic pain, Social science & medicine (1982, vol. 39, no. 5, pp. 629-645.

Chaturvedi, N., Rai, H., & Ben-Shlomo, Y. 1997, Lay diagnosis and health-care-seeking behaviour for chest pain in south Asians and Europeans, Lancet., vol. 350, no. 9091, pp. 1578-1583.

Dimsdale, J. E. 2000, Stalked by the past: the influence of ethnicity on health,       psychosomatic medicine. vol. 62, no. 2, pp. 161-170.

Dunn, K. S. & Horgas, A. L. 2004, Religious and nonreligious coping in older adults experiencing chronic pain, Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses., vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 19-28.

Edwards, R. R. & Fillingim, R. B. 1999, Ethnic differences in thermal pain responses, Psychosomatic medicine., vol. 61, no. 3, pp. 346-354.

Edwards, R. R., Doleys, D. M., Fillingim, R. B., & Lowery, D. 2001, Ethnic differences in pain tolerance: clinical implications in a chronic pain population, Psychosomatic medicine., vol. 63, no. 2, pp. 316-323.

Fischer, A. A. 1986, Pressure threshold meter: its use for quantification of tender spots, Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation. vol. 67, no. 11, pp. 836-838.

French S. 1989, Pain: some psychological and sociological aspects, Physiotherapy, vol. 75, no. 5, pp. 255-260.

Greenwald, H. P. 1991, Interethnic differences in pain perception, Pain., vol. 44, no. 2, pp. 157-163.

Gustafson, R. & Källmén, H. 1988, Alcohol and unpleasant stimulation: subjective shock calibration and pain and discomfort perception, Perceptual and motor skills., vol. 66, no. 3, pp. 739-742.

Hagander, L. G., Midani, H. A., Kuskowski, M. A., & Parry, G. J. 2000, Quantitative sensory testing: effect of site and skin temperature on thermal thresholds, Clinical Neurophysiology : vol. 111, no. 1, pp. 17-22.

Ibrahim, S. A., Burant, C. J., Mercer, M. B., Siminoff, L. A., & Kwoh, C. K. 2003, Older patients’ perceptions of quality of chronic knee or hip pain: differences by ethnicity and relationship to clinical variables,  Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences., vol. 58, no. 5, p. M472-M477.

Juarez, G., Ferrell, B., & Borneman, T. 1999, Cultural considerations in education for cancer pain management, Journal of Cancer education, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 168-173.

Rehm J. & Gerhard G, 2002. Average volume of alcohol consumption, patterns of drinking and mortality among young Europeans in 1999. Addiction 97[1], 105.

Kagawa-Singer M, Blackhall LJ, 2001. Negotiating cross-cultural issues at the end of life. JAMA. 286:2993-3001.

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Palmer, S. T., Martin, D. J., Stedman, W. M., & Ravey, J. 2000, C- and A delta-fibre mediated thermal perception: response to rate of temperature change using method of limits, Somatosensory & Motor research. vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 325-333.

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Sheffield, D., Biles, P. L., Orom, H., Maixner, W., & Sheps, D. S. 2000, Race and sex differences in cutaneous pain perception, Psychosomatic medicine., vol. 62, no. 4, pp. 517-523.

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Pallant 2001



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emt seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine. Overdose of tramadol and acetaminophen can be fatal.

May Overdose symptoms include drowsiness, breathing, slow heartbeat, extreme weakness, cold or clammy skin, stomach pain, loss of appetite, dark urine, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes, dizziness, unconsciousness or coma.

What should I avoid while taking tramadol and acetaminophen?

noalcohol Do not drink alcohol while taking acetaminophen and tramadol. May cause alcohol a dangerous decrease in breathing when used with acetaminophen and tramadol.

dizziness or cold allergy medicine, narcotic pain medicine, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, and seizure of drugs, depression or anxiety can add to sleepiness caused by tramadol. Talk to your doctor if you regularly use any of these medicines.

dizzy tramadol and acetaminophen can cause side effects that affect your thinking May or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to stay awake and alert.

Do not use any other over-the-counter cough, cold, allergies or medications against pain, without first asking your doctor or pharmacist. Acetaminophen is contained in the cold and the pain of many drugs available on the counter. If you take certain products in May, all you have accidentally taken too much acetaminophen. Read the label of any other medicine you are using to see if it contains acetaminophen.

What are the possible side effects of acetaminophen and tramadol?

emt Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives, difficulty breathing, swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat.

emt Stop using tramadol and acetaminophen and call your doctor immediately if you have any of these serious side effects:

* Seizure (convulsions);

* A red, blistering, peeling skin rash, or

* Breathing, weak pulse.

Less serious side effects May include:

* Dizziness, drowsiness, weakness;

* Nausea, vomiting, constipation, loss of appetite;

* Blurred vision;

* Flushing (redness, warmth, or Tingly feeling), or

* Sleep disorders (insomnia).

This is not a complete list of side effects and others occur in May Talk to your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect.

What other drugs will affect tramadol and acetaminophen?

Before taking acetaminophen and tramadol, tell your doctor if you also use:

* Carbamazepine (Tegretol);

* Warfarin (Coumadin);

* Digoxin (Lanoxin, Lanoxicaps);

* Ketoconazole (Nizoral);

* Erythromycin (E-mycin, E.E.S., ery-Tab);

* Rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane, Rifater);

* St. John’s wort;

* Quinidine (Quinaglute, Quinidex, Cardioquin, Quinora), or

* An antidepressant such as amitriptyline (Elavil), citalopram (Celexa), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem), fluvoxamine (Luvox), imipramine (Tofranil), nortriptyline (Pamelor), paroxetine (Paxil) or sertraline (Zoloft).

This list is not complete and in May there be other drugs that can interact with tramadol and acetaminophen. Talk to your doctor all prescription medications and you are using. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbs and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.



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Copyright (c) 2007 Hailey Harris

Fibromyalgia is an age old problem that dates back many centuries. It is a condition that has muslce and joint pain that seems to persist without any identifiable reason. There are three specific things you should know about fibromyalgia. They are: what is fibromyalgia, what causes fibromyalgia, and what can I do about fibromyalgia.

So what is fibromyalgia? Fibro is a word that refers to connective tissue that cushions your joints. Myalgia is a word that is used to refer to pain in the muscles. So, fibromyalgia is a condition that causes pain in your connective tissue and muscles.

However, fibromyalgia is more than just pain in the muscle and joints. It causes many other symptoms as well. The primary symptoms are stiff aching muscles and pain, however, fatigue is a big problem as well. Fibromyalgia can cause certain distinct areas or points on the body to being tender to the touch. These are cleverly named tender points.

Some people who suffer from fibromyalgia also complain of heart palpitations, headaches, sleeping problems, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and more. The range of severity with fibromyalgia often fluctuates between flares and between different people. Some people are only mildly affected while others have their lives severely altered due to the severity of the symptoms.

Although fibromyalgia involves joint pain, doctors do not believe that this condition is a form of arthritis. It falls more in the category of inflammatory conditions.

The cause of fibromyalgia is not conclusive, yet there are many advances and studies being done that are getting closer to finding the cause or causes. Some believe that it can come from a past trauma to the body, others may think a certain type of virus may be responsible. Some think that a pervasive candida may be to blame, while others say that it could be from toxin build up. No matter the cause, there are some great studies being done to push fibromyalgia to the forefront of medicines eyes.

Although there isn’t a conclusive cause to fibromyalgia, treatment courses are available to help sufferers deal with their symptoms. Treatments that are natural and targeted at the symptoms have been shown to provide significant relief. This along with the progression of medicine and studies targeted toward fibromyalgia, provide needed hope for solutions and relief of fibromyalgia symptoms.

There is hope out there. Treatment can work for you and there is pain and fatigue relief that will help you in your battle to stomp out fibromyalgia symptoms.



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Research has suggested that migraine sufferers are up to 600% more likely to suffer a stroke in their lifetime than non-sufferers. It is True! In fact, migraines are actually much more serious than many people believed. And it carries with it a whole range of risk factors, which can be very serious indeed. Over the past few years, notable studies have revealed that migraine sufferers are at a higher risk of the following conditions:

Chronic Depression, Stroke, Alzheimer’s, Panic Disorder, Epilepsy, Anxiety Disorders, Manic Depressive Illness, Glaucoma, Asthma, and Multiple Sclerosis.

So what have you been doing to control your migraine headaches? If you are like most people, you take migraine medicine that has been prescribed by your doctor. But is that the best course of action for your eventual recovery?

Let me ask you, the migraine medicine may help to reduce the pain today, but does it do anything to prevent the migraine you will get tomorrow? Of course not! That’s why you have to keep taking the medication. It only treats the symptoms of migraines, it does nothing to prevent, or God forbid, cure them. You see, the way drug companies make money is by selling you pills on a regular basis. You need to buy their pills every month to get any relief. Drug companies are in the business of selling short term remedies and making long term profits.

In the last 50 years, how many illnesses have been cured with drugs? I don’t mean controlled, I mean cured. I can only think of a few. And when you consider the billions of dollars spent on drugs…

Do you think that drug companies might do that intentionally? I mean look for a treatment instead of a cure. Financially it makes more sense. But is it in yours and my best interests? Certainly not… It is only in the best interests of the drug companies.

So what should you do if you get migraines headaches and are being scammed by the drug companies? If you suffer from the disabling pain of migraines, there is hope. There are migraine treatments that can effectively eradicate migraine pain forever. The remedy that worked for me is called The Migraine Solution. It involves an easy, simple 3 step system. And if you’ve been buying expensive pills for your migraine headaches every month, you’ll appreciate how important a complete cure is to your health, as well as your pocketbook.

Using this simple 3 step system, people throughout the world have completely eliminated migraines from their lives forever. If you are afflicted by frequent migraine headaches, you know you need to do something. Isn’t it time that you got rid of the disabling pain and eliminated migraines forever?

If migraine headaches are a significant problem for you, check out this incredibly easy 3 step system. It is one of the best permanent migraine treatments available. And, you only pay for it once, not every month! For more information, get all the details on this incredible, permanent Migraine Headache Cure.



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ead muscoloskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue characterizes Fibromylagia. The exact causes of Fibromyalgia are still unknown. Fibromyalgia means pain in the muscles, ligaments, tendons, and other fibrous tissues in the body.

Women are more prone to develop Fibromyalgia, although men are also afflicted by it. Patients suffering from Fibromyalgia may have one or a combination of all the following symptoms such as chronic pain, insomnia or sleep disorder, hypersensitivity to touch, chronic fatigue, depression, and irritable bowel syndrome. Some patients have also reported symptoms such as sensitivity to light, noise, odors, certain foods, and medications. Other symptoms reported are temporomandibular joint dysfunctions, morning stiffness, memory loss, dizziness, and dry eyes and mouth.

Fibromyalgia is often referred to as the invisible illness, as no apparent pathology is present. It is believed that psychosocial factors are responsible for this disease. Fibromyalgia is neither a fatal nor a degenerative disease; however it can affect almost all the aspects of a person’s life. The chronic pain associated with the disease is pervasive and persistent and can affect normal social and recreational activity. It has been estimated that about 30% of those affected by this disease are unable to work full time. The United States government recognizes Fibromyalgia as a genuine medical condition and patients can apply for social security disability benefits.

Physicians all over the world consider Fibromyalgia as a functional illness in which the symptoms are real but the medical tests turn out to be normal. Trying to understand Fibromyalgia through the bio-medical model is a futile exercise. Bio-medical model explains the illness as cause and effect and is based on dualism. The bio-medical model considers the mind and body as separate.

The reality is in fact contrary to this belief and most diseases like Fibromyalgia need to be understood through the bio-psychosocial-spiritual model. It is now well accepted that Fibromyalgia needs to be addressed after addressing, understanding, and accepting the inter-dependence of the mind, body and the spirit. Factors such as genetics, environment and the influence of the conscious and unconscious mind also play an important role in patients developing Fibromyalgia.

The root causes of Fibromyalgia are not in the head but in the mind and body. The brain is connected to the body by the spinal cord through the autonomic nervous system. Small protein molecules in the neuropeptide messenger system circulate in the body and carry messages back and forth between the body and the brain and vice versa. Hence, we need to look at the mind and the body to really understand Fibromyalgia and not through the bio-medical model. There is a direct relationship between stress and the symptoms of Fibromyalgia.

Stress is the perception of psychological or physical threat and the perception of being unable to deal with it. Two important things about stress need to be kept in mind. First, stress can occur at the unconscious level and the individual may be unaware that he or she is under stress from a cognitive perspective. Second, stress is always perceptual. Certain individuals may find a situation extremely stressful while others may not be affected by it.

Although there are a number of factors that are responsible for Fibromyalgia, one common factor in all patients suffering from Fibromyalgia is ‘STRESS’. Another factor commonly associated with Fibromyalgia is sleep disorder or insomnia. It is still not clear whether these two factors cause Fibromyalgia or vice versa.

It is important that all concerned understand and accept connection between the mind and the body. Treatment and healing are two different processes. Treatment involves the application of something external and something given orally or intravenously, but healing happens from within. Patients should be encouraged to use their own power to heal themselves. It is a fact that Neuropeptides can be switched off and on through relaxation, exercise, diet, sleep, belief, and medication.

A change in lifestyle, improved eating habits, regular exercise, sleep and medication such as anti-depressants taken under medical supervision are beneficial for managing Fibromyalgia.



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