Meditation can help cope with pain

November 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Using common painkillers - Advil, Tylenol, aspirin - at the time of getting flu shot may weaken the effect of the injection and have a negative effect on the immune system, according to a research from the University of Rochester Medical Center. Dr. Richard P. Phipps has been studying this issue for years and recently presented his latest findings to an international conference on inflammatory diseases.

October 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The pain of torture can make people appear guilty even if they are not, reveals a new study. "Our research suggests that torture may not uncover guilt so much as lead to its perception," Kurt Gray, Harvard graduate student in psychology.

October 14th, 2009 LONDON - When calves are slaughtered according to Jewish and Muslim religious law, they really do feel the pain, that's what a new study suggests. "I think our work is the best evidence yet that it's painful," New Scientist quoted Craig Johnson, who led the study at Massey University in Palmerston North, New Zealand, as saying.

September 29th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Wearing high heels early in life can make women wince in pain in later years, says a new research. Men, however, do not experience the same foot pain as women because of the type of shoes they wear.

September 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The world's first patient to have been implanted with the smallest ever neurostimulator for chronic pain is celebrating the one-year anniversary of his procedure today. One year ago, former U.S.

August 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The idea of medical use of marijuana for pain relief has been thrown into doubt after researchers from University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have found that active ingredients in marijuana can instead spread and prolong pain. The team has found that a group of compounds in marijuana called the cannabinoids prolong pain rather than damping it down.

June 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - While it is known that chronic pain and depression go hand in hand, a new study has shown that the link between pain and depression is strongest in middle-age women. For the study, researchers at Wayne State University examined a representative community sample of 1,100 Michigan residents and found that the incidence of chronic pain, defined as pain persisting for six months, was 22 percent.

June 7th, 2009 LONDON - From now onwards it will be possible to feel someone's pain, literally - thanks to the efforts of scientists who have for the first time discovered a way to measure the true depth of a person's suffering. Up till now, the only major way of assessing pain is to ask people what they are feeling.

May 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - An unfortunate fall, sudden twist or blow to the ankle often causes sprains leading to chronic ankle pain among many sufferers. But scientists have said that the underlying cause of the pain could be more than just a sprain.

April 28th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A specific method of meditation may temporarily boost visuospatial abilities, the ability to retain an image in visual memory for a long time, according to a new study. The study suggests that the meditation allows practitioners to access a heightened state of visual-spatial awareness that lasts for a limited period of time.

April 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - It has been four months since her mother, brother and nephew were brutally murdered, but Jennifer Hudson is still trying to cope up with the tragedy. "It was so, so horrible what happened, and she's still hurting," People magazine quoted Hudson's childhood friend and longtime assistant Walter Williams III as telling Entertainment Weekly.

March 31st, 2009 WASHINGTON - A commonly used painkiller has been found to be effective against treating the acute pain of shingles, an illness that often causes severe pain along with a rash. The painkiller oxycodone can help in treating acute pain of shingles, which is caused by reactivation of the varicella zoster virus, a bug that causes chicken pox.

March 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Hollywood actress Christina Applegate, who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, has revealed that it was her sense of humour that helped her cope with the disease. Applegate tells that "the only way to cope" with the disease was laughing throughout the painful treatment.

March 21st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Vitamin D deficiency might worsen the condition of people suffering from chronic pain, according to a new study. The research from Mayo Clinic has found a link between inadequate vitamin D levels and the amount of narcotic medication taken by patients who have chronic pain.

February 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Capsaicin, the active agent in spicy hot chili peppers, often acts as an irritant, but it may also be used to reduce pain. Feng Qin, associate professor of physiology and biophysics at the University at Buffalo School of Medicine, and Jing Yao used capsaicin to unravel how pain-receptor systems can adapt to painful stimuli.