We have know for a long time that migraine pain has a genetic component.  We have also known that childhood migraine syndromes exist, and can affect children as young as 5 years of age.  Well, just when you thought that was terrible enough, there is good evidence that infant colic is a migraine syndrome!  Data from 154 infant-mother pairs was analyzed and there was a strong correlation between the mother's history of migraines and the infants with colic.  Actually, this is not really a stretch if you consider that cyclic vomiting of childhood is a known migraine disorder and many adults have "abdominal migraines" - gastrointestinal symptoms with no obvious cause, and often in the absence of head pain.  This new information teaches us that the migraine brain can be wired from infancy to improperly process pain signals and if we can unravel the genetics of this condition we will be one step closer to solving migraines in adults.  For now, if your baby has colic, I would suggest that you be careful with the foods they eat as they grow up, make sure they get good sleep and teach them as best you can to handle stress - ideally shielding them from stressful situations whenever you can.

A recent study in the journal Obesity has firmly demonstrated a link between obesity and pain.  The study was conducted as a telephone survey and one quarter of the respondents were obese.  Using WHO (world health organization) criteria for obesity levels, the investigators found that there was a linear correlation between body mass index and pain.  In the class 3 group, (BMI > 40), the patients reported 254% higher rates of pain than in thin controls! 

Losing weight is very difficult, and we at neurOasis are sensitive to this.  But data like this can be a huge motivator.  If you know that the light at the end of the tunnel is pain free living, then perhaps you will be more motivated to lose the weight.  Check out our site frequently and "like" us on our facebook fan page as we will be posting news items and blogging about these types of issues to help you achieve your goals and live a pain free life.  Wouldn't that be great?

A recent large study of patients with disc herniations in the lumbar spine has shown that those who underwent surgery within 6 months of symptom onset did better than patients who waited past the 6 month mark.  Now, first let me say that certainly not all patients with disc herniation need surgery, in fact most do not.  But there are a subset of patients in whom physical therapy and muscle relaxants just won't cut the mustard.  This study is the first evidence-based medicine that confirms what many of us have thought and practiced for a long time:  early surgical intervention in these patients is best. 

This is partly because of common sense:  if you have a big piece of disc material crushing your nerve in your low back, then the only way to get better is to removal the disc material.  Also, for those who had the surgery after 6 months and did not do as well, the reason may simply be tied to our current concept of chronic pain and central pain.  After a prolonged period of pain signals entering the central nervous system (spinal cord and brain) the system "becomes used to it" in a manner of speaking.  So, even when the peripheral noxious stimulus is removed (in this case the offending disc material) the brain may take a while to realize this because it has gone into "auto" mode in terms of pain perception. 

So, notwhithstanding all the well-inentioned advice from friends and family, if you find yourself with a herniated disc, find a good neurologist and ask about whether or not you are a candidate for surgery.  If the answer is yes, just grin and bear it!

People who find themselves, at some point in their lives, with chronic, daily pain generally can and do look back in time to an event that seemed to have started it all.  Perhaps a broken bone, or a back injury, or headaches.  And then there is a distinct group of people who literally wake one day with terrible and unrelenting pain in one area of their body: one side of the face or head, the shoulder, the legs.  What all of these people have in common is the desire to rid themselves of their pain and to get back to functioning lives.  Many tell me they feel as though they are spiralling down a large drain to the bottom of a pit that they will never be able to climb out of.  They have been to doctor after doctor only to be told that there is no reason for their pain and they should be seen by a psychiatrist.  Sound familiar?  Many end up in a pain clinic, and, seemingly with no other options are placed on narcotic medications.  They become dependant on the narcotics, they often are housebound, on disability, depressed and certainly not living a life most of us would consider of good quality.

We at neurOasis hope to show you over time, on these pages, why you have progressed to your particular stage of chronic pain, what happens in the brain for this to occur and how narcotics, in many cases, simply make the situation worse.  We will post articles explaining how your medications work and why you may want to discuss alternative techniques with your health care provider.  We will teach you what options exist for you and how you can begin to take back control of your life - empowering yourself to control your pain and slowly learn to live a life that you can be happy in.  We will not patronize you with "guaranteed" cures and we won't insist on ONE way to recovery.  What we WILL do is inform you.  Learning that there are options and how to take advantage of them is the first step to recovery and diminished pain. 

Since we cannot be with each of you as you embark on your own journey, we will guide you in the use of certain techniques and help you find practitioners in your area that can help you.  For you to be successful, we only ask one thing:  that you approach the content on these pages with an open mind and a desire to get better.  So, let's get started on your personal journey to a healthier and better life, with the power to control your pain and free yourself from the bonds of despair that have dragged you down.  To start, we think it best to learn the basics of brain function and how the brain responds to pain signals.  Don't worry, it is not a difficult subject to understand and we will use terms and analogies to help you along the way.  Once you understand how your own brain functions and is involved in your pain, you can then begin to understand and use the techniques that exist to moderate your brain's pain centers.  Impossible, you say?  Keep reading as each article is posted and we are sure you will change your mind.