Chronic Pain

Biomedical and Spiritual Approaches

By Harold G. Koenig

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• ISBN: 978-0-7890-1638-6
• Binding: Hardback (also available in Paperback)
• Published by: Routledge
• Publication Date: 6th January 2003
• Pages: 334

About the Book

Help your clients achieve victory over chronic pain and lead more fulfilling lives!

This insightful and informative book will help you deliver better pain management services to the people you care for. Incorporating biomedical, surgical, psychological, social, and spiritual perspectives, it provides vital, up-to-date information about how to reduce physical pain and explores techniques for improving people’s ability to cope with it. Helpful tables provide easy access to information on medications for pain and managing side effects.

Chronic Pain: Biomedical and Spiritual Approaches is filled with resources for the person in pain and for the health or religious professionals working to help them. It gives you very specific suggestions on how to manage chronic pain, including detailed information about medications, alternative therapies, psychological treatments, and spiritual strategies for pain management. The book is completed by two thoughtful appendixes: one examining pain medications and ways to manage their side effects and the other providing scriptural passages that can comfort those in pain.

In addition to his experiences treating patients with chronic pain, the author suffers from chronic pain and disability himself. In this very personal book, he explores ways to help people coping with:

• low back pain
• fibromyalgia
• rheumatologic pain
• headaches
• the pain of multiple sclerosis
• other types of chronic unrelenting pain

Chronic Pain: Biomedical and Spiritual Approaches can help people in pain and their families by showing them how to lead satisfying, joy-filled lives--whether their pain goes away or not. It is an essential reference book for everyone who works with pain sufferers as well as patients and their families!

Table of Contents

• Introduction: What's This Book About?
• Who Should Read This Book?
• My Story
• Chapter 1. Pain Is a Common Problem
• Pain Complaints in the Community
• Pain in the Young and Old
• Use of Pain Medicine
• Definition and Causes of Pain
• Types of Pain
• Influence of the Mind
• Physical Causes of Pain
• Specific Pain Syndromes
• Summary
• Chapter 2. A Giant Called Mr. Pain
• Chapter 3. Back Pain—Bob's Story
• Chapter 4. Headache Pain—Penny's Story
• Chapter 5. Rheumatologic Pain—Laura's Story
• Chapter 6. Generalized Pain—Jackie's Story
• Chapter 7. Long-Term Chronic Pain—Joan's Story
• Chapter 8. Assessment of Pain
• Consequences of Pain
• Assessment
• Key Considerations During Assessment
• Overcoming Barriers to Pain Assessment
• Is the Pain Real?
• Summary and Conclusions
• Chapter 9. Medication for Pain
• Medicating Chronic Pain
• Nonnarcotic Analgesics
• Narcotic Analgesics
• Addiction versus Physical Dependence
• Narcotic Pain Reliever of First Choice
• Combining Narcotic and Nonnarcotic Analgesics
• Maximizing Effectiveness of Medications
• Research on New Pain Medicines
• Nondrug Treatments for Pain
• Summary and Conclusions
• Chapter 10. Psychosocial and Behavioral Treatments
• Psychosocial and Behavioral Consequences of Chronic Pain
• Treatments for Psychosocial and Behavioral Problems
• Multidisciplinary Team Approach
• Summary and Conclusions
• Chapter 11. Alternative and Complementary Treatments
• Herbal Medicines
• Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate
• Alternative Medical Procedures
• Summary and Conclusions
• Chapter 12. Surgical and Other Procedures
• Neurosurgery
• Spinal Surgeries
• Negative Consequences of Surgery
• Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation
• Implantable Nerve Stimulator
• Motor Cortex Stimulation
• Implantable Drug Delivery Systems
• Injections for the Relief of Pain
• Experimental Therapies
• Summary and Conclusions
• Chapter 13. Specific Disease Conditions
• Osteoarthritis
• Fibromyalgia
• Headache
• Chronic Back Pain
• Cancer-Related Pain
• Summary and Conclusions
• Chapter 14. Spiritual Approaches to Pain
• A Spiritual Attitude Toward Pain
• Faith Community Involvement
• Scripture
• Prayer
• Summary and Conclusions
• Chapter 15. Ten Practical Steps for Slaying the Giant
• Step 1: Comprehensive Medical Evaluation
• Step 2: Simple, Safe Drugs and Noninvasive Treatments
• Step 3: Exercise and Attention to Diet and Weight
• Step 4: Inexpensive Safe Alternative Therapies
• Step 5: Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)
• Step 6: Psychotherapy and Behavioral Treatments
• Step 7: Low-Dose Antidepressants, Gabapentin, and Muscle Relaxants
• Step 8: Treatment in a Chronic Pain Clinic
• Step 9: Surgical Therapies and Other Mechanical Treatments
• Step 10: Narcotic Analgesics
• Special Spiritual Strategies
• Sources for Further Information
• Summary and Conclusions
• Appendix I. Healing Scriptures for Those in Chronic Pain
• Scriptures Concerning Suffering and Pain
• Scriptures Concerning Healing
• Appendix II. Medications for Pain and Managing Side Effects
• Notes
• Index
• Reference Notes Included

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