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Chronic Pain and Brain
Atrophy
Ross A. Hauser, M.D.
I suspected it, but now it has been proven:
Chronic Pain Causes the Brain to Shrink - up to 11%. Research has shown that the brain can shrink (atrophy) up
to 11% with chronic pain, like the pain someone experiences with conditions such
as chronic
low back pain or
Fibromyalgia. In other words, the brain can age 10-20
years if pain is not dealt with.
The researchers have found that not only have scans and magnetic imagery
documented the loss of gray matter, a number of other studies complement these
findings in that the brains of chronic pain patients demonstrate altered
neurochemistry and central nervous system processing of input signals such as
odors, taste, heat, emotions, and touch. Studies show that chronic pain patients
do not process external stimuli in a normal fashion.
So what can a chronic pain patient do for this? Obviously, the most
important factor is treating the pain with something that can help cure the
pain!
You must realize that many of the above people in
the above studies were taking pain medications. So one can logically conclude
that
pain medications will not stop the brain atrophy because they do not
stop the cause of the chronic pain!
A recent patient of mine shared with me that he
explains Prolotherapy this way, “It is the greatest concept I’ve come across
for chronic pain. I have had back pain for 19 years and tried numerous
treatments and the pain has remained. If you have hypermobility of a joint, the
joint ligaments need to be strengthened. The concept of Prolotherapy and
regrowth of ligaments and tendons to stabilize joints is the greatest concept I
have ever heard for relieving chronic pain. It makes more sense than anything. .
.”
And I want to tell you that this patient is doing
great, with over 80% of his pain being relieved with a couple of Prolotherapy
treatments to his lower back!
You can’t hide the pain!
Folks with chronic pain need to realize
you can “hide” the pain with narcotic medications or other strong pain
relievers, but your body still knows the pain is there! The pain is still
producing damage, such as brain atrophy! For those with chronic pain, it may be that you have
noticed over the years of having chronic pain that you have mental fatigue,
mental fog, low sex drive, inability to make decisions, more irritable, less
patient, more cranky, forgetful, fatigued, drained, emotionally unstable at
times, or lethargic. Well, I am telling you all of this could be signs of brain
atrophy and the resultant low hormone levels. At Caring Medical we have
suspected this for years, and as such we have prescribed natural hormone
replacement for many patients to replace their low
hormone
levels. Besides
perking them up and making them feel more “normal again,” they regain their zest
for life, as well as prove helpful in improving their healing response to the Prolotherapy
treatments.
If you or someone you love has chronic pain,
realize besides the decreased quality of life that one experiences with chronic
pain, the pain itself could be damaging their brains. Perhaps it is time for
them to get a Prolotherapy evaluation!
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1.
Tennant F. Brain atrophy with chronic pain – a call to enhanced
treatment.
Practical Pain Management. 2009; March: 12-14.
2.
Apkarian AV, Sosa Y, Sonty S, et al. Chronic back pain is
associated with decreased prefrontal and thalamic gray matter density.
Journal of Neuroscience. 2004; 24:10410-10415.
3.Kuchinad A, Schweinhardt P, Seminowicz DA, et al. Accelerated brain gray matter loss in fibromyalgia patients: premature aging of the brain?
Journal of Neuroscience. 1007; 27:4004-4007.
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