MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'health psychology'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:59:37 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159431&cid=t_100943_122_f&fid=34736&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FChannelN-PodcastsPoweredByOdiogo%2F%7E3%2FCte1OyUG5vE%2F The Full Story – Soften the Fck Up Mental health issues and young men, in an awareness campaign about depression, anxiety, suicide, shame, and social issues from male perspectives. Clips of personal narrative in a simple, accessible video. Check out other videos and the whole campaign at the Australian web site. (Source: Channel N) Channel N blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159431 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:30:40 +0100 5159431 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077773&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2F6sS4sxfqvDo%2F URL: http://www.jeffstanden.net/Jeff Standen is a psychology professor. His website is chock full of useful bits of psychology information. Listed on the Jeff Standen website are: links to web resources and other websites that you will find useful, as well as links to recent items of topical interest Links to interactive pages with quizzes, challenges and revision pointers. For: Anyone, StudentsTopics: Academia, Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Educational Psychology, General Psychology, Health Psychology, Life, Mental Health, OCR Level-A Psychology, Social Psychology, Teaching PsychologyFeatures: Articles, File Sharing, Information, Links, Resources, e-learning Jeff Standen is a psychology professor.  His website is chock full of useful bits of psychology information. Listed... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077773 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 17:00:53 +0100 5077773 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975945&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FwH1yAANehcM%2F URL: http://www.iamat.org/editorials.cfmOur mission is to provide impartial and accurate travel health advice and to coordinate an international network of qualified medical practitioners to assist travelers in need of emergency medical care during their trip. For: Anyone, ConsumersTopics: Clinical Psychology, Emotional Health, Health Promotion, Health Psychology, Health and Social Services, Mental Health, Mental Health Promotion, Self-help, Varied TreatmentsFeatures: Articles, Commentary and Blogs, Information, e-learningOur mission is to provide impartial and accurate travel health advice and to coordinate an international network of qualified medical practitioners to assist travellers in need of emergency medical care during their trip. Our goal is to prevent the spread of infectious di... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975945 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 17:00:15 +0100 4975945 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789493&cid=t_100943_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F010RQQLRiew%2F More people are talking openly about depression now than ever (even celebrities like Catherine Zeta-Jones are fessing up to severe emotional disorders like bipolar disease). It’s uplifting to see that we’ve created a better support system for people who experience emotional and mental health problems — a far from negligible portion of the population — but at the end of the day, it’s hard to see depression as anything but a downer. If we could eradicate it, we would. Or would we? According to a new study, there’s an upshot to being down, at least for anyone who’s experienced depression firsthand: Researchers found that depressed people perform better on sequential decision task tests than non-depressed people, exhibiting a possible positive side-effect of m... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789493 Thu, 05 May 2011 15:42:18 +0100 4789493 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4758755&cid=t_100943_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhedonism-versus-finding-meaning-in-life-which-makes-you-happier-and-healthier%2F2011.04.27 Nowadays, a lot of folks pursue happiness as if it were their primary mission in life. But what is happiness? Philosophers tell us there are at least 2 kinds. There is so-called “hedonic well-being” which is short-term pleasure derived from things like a tasty meal, great sex or a day in the amusement park.  Then there’s “eudaimonic well-being” which comes from living with a sense of purpose, which is usually actualized by participating in meaningful activities like volunteering for a worthy cause, raising children or caring for others. Scientists have recently joined their philosopher brethren in the analysis of happiness. Remarkably, they have produced evidence which suggests that people who are driven to achieve eudaimonic  happiness actually have better health outcomes than... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4758755 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:00:42 +0100 4758755 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4747652&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2Ffa0J3zFFe7A%2F URL: http://www.premier.net/~gero/contents.html“building a bridge between the past and the future…” Geropsychology Central helps those who are concerned with helping older persons and their families maintain well-being, overcome problems, and achieve maximum potential during later life stages. This site involves people who have particular knowledge, skill, training and experience related to the aging process, and in dealing with older persons and the special issues that affect them. For: Anyone, ConsumersTopics: Behaviour Management, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Cognitive Fitness, Cognitive Training, Common Factors, Depression, General Psychology, Health Promotion, Health Psychology, Health and Social Services, Life, Lifestyle, Mental Health, Mental Health Promotion, Qual... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4747652 Mon, 25 Apr 2011 17:00:39 +0100 4747652 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4744840&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FEbcqXrugPxg%2F URL: http://www.minddisorders.com/The Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders contains medical articles on mental disorders and conditions. Over 150 mental disorders are organized alphabetically. For: AnyoneTopics: Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Common Factors, Diagnosis, Educational Psychology, General Psychology, Health Psychology, History of Psychology, Mental Health, OCR Level-A Psychology, Pediatric Depression, Psychodynamic, Social PsychologyFeatures: Articles, Databases, Glossary, e-learning The Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders contains medical articles on mental disorders and conditions. Over 150 mental disorders are organized alphabetically. Here are examples of topics of articles on our website: Learning Disorders Magnetic resonance imaging Manic episode Multisyst... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4744840 Sat, 23 Apr 2011 17:00:19 +0100 4744840 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4615192&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FK2_jnK1fizk%2F URL: http://www3.uakron.edu/ahap/The Archives of the History of American Psychology (AHAP) was established in 1965 at The University of Akron to promote research in the history of psychology by collecting, cataloguing, and preserving the historical record of psychology. The central feature of the AHAP is the manuscript collection, which includes the papers of over 740 psychologists. The growth of the repository exceeded projections, both in the rate at which materials were donated and in their diversity. This expansion led in 1976 to the establishment of the Child Development Film Archives, a unit that cares for both research footage and instructional films. This expansion was followed, in 1980, by a decision to supplement the numerous unsolicited gifts of books by devoting space to the pu... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4615192 Sat, 19 Mar 2011 17:00:29 +0100 4615192 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4610849&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2Fr3j9-44Vpwc%2F URL: http://www.psychonomic.org/The Psychonomic Society was founded by a group of experimental psychologists during a meeting in Chicago, Illinois, in December 1959. The main goal was to create a society that would support open communication about psychological science with minimal structure. For: ResearchersTopics: Academia, Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Educational Psychology, General Psychology, Health Psychology, Teaching PsychologyFeatures: Articles, Collaborative News, Community and Social Networking, Group Management, Information, Journals, Links, Research, Societal or Organizational Membership The Society currently consists of approximately 2,000 members and 650 associate members. To be eligible for membership, a person must hold the Ph.D. degree or equivalent, a... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4610849 Fri, 18 Mar 2011 18:41:34 +0100 4610849 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4570588&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FGiBsQliafv8%2F URL: http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/society/psychol_soc.htmlThis is one of a set of subject pages in the Scholarly Societies Project, which facilitates access to websites of scholarly societies across the world. This subset of the main website, is set up to try and include ALL websites of societies involved with psychology. The main website includes MOST websites that are involved with any scientific societies. For: Anyone, Clinicians, Researchers, StudentsTopics: Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Educational Psychology, General Psychology, Health Psychology, History of Psychology, Mental Health, Mental Health Promotion, OCR Level-A Psychology, Psychology and Technology, Social Psychology, Teaching PsychologyFeatures: Community and Social Networking, Group Management, Information, L... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4570588 Thu, 10 Mar 2011 17:00:49 +0100 4570588 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4190545&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F11%2F23%2Fflare-ups-breakthrough-pain-or-set-backs-self-managing-exacerbations-of-pain%2F A couple of days ago I wrote about medication and managing flare-ups, and out of that post there was a bit of discussion about what exactly I meant by flare-up, and whether it might be better defined as break-through pain.  I’ve found that there is not a lot of agreement in the literature – nor with clinicians! – in terms of distinctions between flare-up or breakthrough, so I’ve decided to redefine the problem completely. Not that I’m the first to do so, as you’ll see from the paper I’ve referred to today.  I have to admit that I like Turk’s approach to chronic pain, as it’s the way I have been trained to approach pain management.  Turk is also the author of a self-help book for chronic pain management that I still think is one of th... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4190545 Mon, 22 Nov 2010 21:34:13 +0100 4190545 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4053345&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2F8aalU4fvQHc%2F URL: http://community.pflag.org/Page.aspx?pid=194&srcid=-2Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) is a national non-profit organization with over 200,000 members and supporters and over 500 affiliates in the United States. For: AnyoneTopics: Child and Adolescent, Emotional Health, Family Therapy, General Psychology, Health Promotion, Health Psychology, Health and Social Services, Life, Lifestyle, Parenting, YouthFeatures: Advertising, Articles, Books, Collaborative News, Group Management, Information, Links, Societal or Organizational MembershipWe, the parents, families and friends of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons, celebrate diversity and envision a society that embraces everyone, including those of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. Only... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4053345 Sat, 09 Oct 2010 17:00:22 +0100 4053345 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3983559&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F09%2F20%2Fsleep-problems-in-chronic-pain-what-helps%2F I have written about sleep problems in people with chronic pain several times. It is one of those aspects of dealing with pain that inevitably arise as I talk with people about energy, their activity through the day, and their mood. Many people blame the pain for their sleep problems, which is unsurprising really – once you’re awake in the middle of the night, there’s not a lot else to think about! But it seems like while pain might be associated with a sense of poorer quality sleep, and could well have been a factor influencing the onset of insomnia, it’s often other factors that maintain unsatisfying sleep. What are those factors? Well, one of the first ones is ‘general affective disturbance’ - in other words, feeling low or flat, whether frankly depre... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3983559 Mon, 20 Sep 2010 08:02:29 +0100 3983559 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3980869&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F09%2F17%2Fthe-going-mental-kindle-sweepstakes%2F We love our readers, but we are always looking for ways to reach even more people to help them learn more about mental health and psychology. We love to read and we hope you do too! In fact, we compose and distribute a weekly newsletter so that folks can keep up-to-date about what’s going on at Psych Central. But we’re always looking for new subscribers. To that end, we’ve decided to launch our first Sweepstakes — the ‘Going Mental’ Kindle Sweepstakes. We’re ‘going mental’ by giving away 5 new Amazon.com Kindle Readers — one a week — to new subscribers of our weekly Psych Central newsletter. These are the high-end Kindle readers — the ones with 3G built-in. That means you don’t have to have an Internet connection... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3980869 Fri, 17 Sep 2010 18:12:45 +0100 3980869 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3942788&cid=t_100943_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2F5-reasons-why-people-dont-ask-their-doctor-questions%2F2010.09.07 A neighbor of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer about the same time my wife was being treated for lung cancer. I saw my neighbor the other day for the first time in several years. I asked her how she was doing. She said great. In turn I asked her how her PET/CT exam looked. PET/CT scans are often done to make sure that one’s cancer hasn’t spread. My wife gets one every year. My neighbor told me her doctor never told her she needed one, that mammograms would suffice. She went on to say a friend had also recently asked her if she had a PET/CT as well. “Maybe I should ask my doctor,” she told me. That was the same response she gave me the last time I raised the subject two years earlier: “I should ask my doctor.”   So Why Don’t People Ask More Questions?   My nei... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3942788 Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:14:14 +0100 3942788 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3902946&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F08%2F25%2Fsxsw-2011-psychology-and-mental-health-panels%2F It’s that time of the year again — to help people learn more about human behavior, psychology, and mental health issues at the annual technology conference held in Austin, Texas called SXSW. I’d like to highlight some of the panels I need your help with — your vote helps panels make it into the final conference! (Voting is simple, but does require a free registration with the SXSW website.) There is a specific health track this year — the first time in SXSWi’s history. This means that panel topics on health and mental health have a better chance than ever in making it in! I first presented at SXSW on a health topic in 1999, so it’s great to see this dream finally become a reality. Without further ado, here are some of my favorite picks in the SXSW ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3902946 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:45:33 +0100 3902946 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3854774&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F08%2F11%2Fis-reassurance-reassuring%2F Having started yesterday’s post by discussing health anxiety, and pointing out that one of the things people do to cope with their anxiety about their pain is to seek reassurance, I thought it might be useful to go back to a paper published a couple of years ago by Linton, McCracken & Vlaeyen (2008).  In this paper, the authors reviewed the concept of reassurance and see whether it is, in fact, reassuring. What is reassurance anyway? We talk about it as if we know what we mean, and it’s even part of most guidelines for managing acute low back pain – but what is it? In this paper, the authors refer to the Oxford dictionary definition where reassurance is defined as ‘‘. . .removes the fears or doubts of (pain/illness); to comfort’’. As they point out, “Re... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3854774 Tue, 10 Aug 2010 18:43:41 +0100 3854774 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3845298&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F08%2F09%2Ftop-down-bottom-up-or-both-attention-to-pain%2F I guess we all pretty much know that our brains don’t seem to capture everything that goes on around us – thankfully we can filter out a lot of unnecessary information (no, I don’t want to know what that funny noise outside is right now!) so that we can focus on what is important. When it comes to pain, the limited capacity of our brains to process information has been used to explain why there are times that, despite a large amount of nociceptive input, we can remain pretty much oblivious to it. Clearly it would be wonderful if we could harness this and use it as a form of analgesia. The place to start, I guess, is with recognition that one function of our brain is to keep us focused on important goal-directed activity. Because of this function, some information that is ... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3845298 Sun, 08 Aug 2010 19:41:48 +0100 3845298 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3808857&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F08%2F02%2Fmeasuring-the-total-impact-of-a-health-condition%2F When I think of the ‘cost’ of having a disability, I have to say I usually think about the effect of the disorder alone on the ability to do valued activities – I haven’t usually thought about the impact of the treatment itself on how people live their lives. I came across this paper by Gerald Devins while searching for ways to measure the effectiveness of interventions on the lives of people attending the Pain Management Centre in which I work.  (I had been looking for something that could measure ‘interference’ of pain on activity and found a couple of good measures such as the Interference subscale from the Westhaven Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory and the Interference bank of statements from the PROMIS bank.) Anyway, Devins introduced me to the... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3808857 Mon, 02 Aug 2010 08:25:40 +0100 3808857 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3808664&cid=t_100943_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-choice-of-taking-tests-in-life%2F2010.08.01 Do you remember the visceral sensations of angst over an upcoming final exam? Or the first procedure as an independent doctor? A major presentation, perhaps? Life’s exams test not only specific knowledge and skill, but one’s self esteem as well. And it’s the self esteem portion that creates the stomach churn, the palpitations, and the random thoughts of doom. The future lurks over you for weeks, like a weighty backpack, or the possibility of encountering the bully on your walk home from elementary school. (For my bony self, her name was Marilyn.) (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Dr John M* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3808664 Mon, 02 Aug 2010 03:10:14 +0100 3808664 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3808665&cid=t_100943_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Finternet-moderitis-a-new-social-disease%2F2010.08.01 There’s a new profession in the Internet era, the so-called “Internet Content Reviewer.” These people check all of the submissions and uploads on huge social networking sites, review tens of thousands of pictures, and make sure only legal content is being uploaded to these communities. It seems a new mental health, “social” disease is starting to spread: Internet Moderitis. An excerpt from a New York Times piece on the topic: Ricky Bess spends eight hours a day in front of a computer near Orlando, Fla., viewing some of the worst depravities harbored on the Internet. He has seen photographs of graphic gang killings, animal abuse and twisted forms of pornography. One recent sighting was a photo of two teenage boys gleefully pointing guns at another boy, who is... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3808665 Sun, 01 Aug 2010 20:00:55 +0100 3808665 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3798845&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F07%2F29%2Fwhat-do-we-do-about-placebo%2F Body in Mind recently featured a piece on the ‘Moral Dilemma of Offering a Known Placebo’ in which Neil O’Connell talks about how the ‘placebo effect … in part rests on the effects of expectation, belief in the treatment and possibly a re-evaluation by the patient of their symptoms’. He was referring to treatments like acupuncture, electrotherapy and so on, and calls them ‘magic kisses’ because they work in a similar fashion to the ‘Mummy will kiss it better’ treatment I’ve given to my kids when they were younger.  The dilemma lies in the fact that placebo is simply an inert, inactive ‘intervention’ given as if it was active - inevitably requiring deception on the part of the practitioner, and what this can do t... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3798845 Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:29:41 +0100 3798845 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3776629&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F07%2F21%2Faccepting-what-life-throws-at-ya%2F This study sought to look at whether the people who are more prepared to accept and be willing to ‘have undesirable psychological experiences without attempting to control them’, might be functioning better and suffer less. The study involved a group of 144 people referred to an interdisciplinary tertiary pain management centre in the UK.  Before treatment, they completed a set of questionnaires including several about acceptance.  And as usual, a whole bunch of statistical things were carried out on the results.  I won’t be too descriptive about these stats, but basically, multiple regression analyses were carried out to ‘establish the contribution of general psychological acceptance to patient functioning, after the variance contributed by patient background ch... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3776629 Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:17:07 +0100 3776629 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3753876&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F07%2F14%2Fmental-health-bloggers-we-miss-2010%2F It seems that a year doesn’t go by that another mental health, psychology or psychiatry blogger doesn’t hang up their keyboards and step out of the blogosphere (heck, we still miss Shrinkette from 2006). People stop blogging for all sorts of reasons (anonymous bloggers who fear for their future professional career; lack of interest or boredom; moving on in life to other projects or interests; family or personal life or issues; etc.). But we still miss them nonetheless. So for 2010, here’s our list of bloggers who have either stopped blogging or stopped blogging nearly so much on mental health, psychology or psychiatry issues that we miss them. Furious Seasons One of our favorite journalism-driven bloggers from the past few years, Philip Dawdy seems to be MIA after focusi... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3753876 Wed, 14 Jul 2010 23:47:45 +0100 3753876 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3714463&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F07%2F01%2Fconcurrent-pain-reduction-self-management%2F I don’t have the answer to this conundrum, so my post this morning is a piece of thinking out loud… For most of my pain management career it’s been a policy of mine not to try working with people to develop self management of their pain while they’re continuing to get ‘on-demand’ pain reduction treatment (primarily injections and infusions).  The main reason for this has been the contrary ends of the two approaches. Pain reduction through injections/infusions (from now on referred to as procedures) is often given to people to see whether their pain will remain at lower levels, and for the patient to use this reduced pain to increase function.  Often people are given ‘reactivation’ during this time, usually from a physiotherapist, consisting... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3714463 Wed, 30 Jun 2010 19:34:19 +0100 3714463 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3691125&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F06%2F24%2Fgreat-blog-posts-by-people-i-respect%2F First up from How to Live with Pain - Making positive psychological changes – including acceptance.  Just don’t put a timeframe on it, is my opinion.  Acceptance doesn’t mean you have to like your pain, it just means you let it be there without judging it. You just HAVE to go to Dr Rob’s Musings of a Distractible Mind.  He always makes me laugh and think all at the same time!  Beware of grammatical elitism – those who would say that by ‘wantonly leav[ing] out spaces betweenwords and endanger the very fabric of the spacetime continuum by doingso’.  You decide whether healthcare should be two words or one… OK? Psychology of pain – for hours of reading pleasure – Through this blog I found this link to ‘Overlapping Conditio... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3691125 Thu, 24 Jun 2010 08:09:58 +0100 3691125 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3687165&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FXCPGD0tfDkU%2F URL: http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Classics in the History of Psychology is an effort to make the full texts of a large number of historically significant public domain documents from the scholarly literature of psychology and allied disciplines available on the World Wide Web. There are now over 25 books and about 200 articles and chapters on-line. The site also contains links to over 200 relevant works posted at other sites. For: AnyoneTopics: Academia, Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Educational Psychology, General Psychology, General Science, Health Psychology, Health and Social Services, History of Psychology, Psychology and the Media, Teaching, Teaching PsychologyFeatures: Articles, Author Lists, Information, Research, e-learning, ebookClassics in the History of Psy... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3687165 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:00:12 +0100 3687165 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3614716&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F05%2F31%2Ftalking-pain-seeking-validation-social-interaction-in-pain%2F While we might laugh about the so-called typical ‘I will fix it’ response of some men when their partners talk about problems (when what the woman really wants is a hug), it seems that much of our research into pain behaviour, particularly verbal expressions of pain, has missed something. I’m not a major reader of relationship literature, but I do read a lot about pain behaviour, and something I’ve noticed is the almost exclusive orientation toward the operant conditioning model when it comes to expressing pain in a social setting. In operant model of pain behaviour, these behaviours are enacted to communicate to others. Responses to those behaviours may reinforce or punish those behaviours – and there is a good deal of evidence to support this model. It seems... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3614716 Sun, 30 May 2010 19:43:12 +0100 3614716 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3577663&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F05%2F19%2Fan-accidental-form-of-control-when-mindfulness-produces-happiness-acting-well-living-well-iv%2F I’ve had some success while working with a man I’ll call Peter.  He’s got chronic pain, and has been incredibly fearful of what it might mean – in fact, you’d probably call him a classic catastrophiser because each time his pain flared up he immediately thought it was something like cancer and he would rush off to his GP or the Emergency Department to have it checked out.  Luckily any scans he’s had haven’t shown anything operable because I’m sure with the amount of distress he was been experiencing, he would have been able to persuade a surgeon to operate had there been anything odd-but-common found. We’ve been using mindful breathing as a way to get in touch with the sensations, emotions and thoughts that occur to him, and especiall... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3577663 Tue, 18 May 2010 19:58:08 +0100 3577663 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3573755&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2Fzpt1KQw8A4g%2F URL: http://psychbloggers.groupsite.com/main/summaryThe PBN is an international online community for health professionals, researchers, academics and writers who blog in the areas of psychology, neuroscience, mental health and academia. For: Clinicians, ResearchersTopics: Academia, Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Educational Psychology, General Psychology, Health Psychology, Mental Health, Psychology and Technology, Social PsychologyFeatures: Careers, Commentary and Blogs, Community and Social Networking, Research Commentary, Research Tools, Societal or Organizational Membership Welcome to the Psychology Bloggers Network (PBN). The PBN is an international online community for health professionals, researchers, academics and writers who blog in the areas of psychology, neuro... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3573755 Mon, 17 May 2010 17:00:19 +0100 3573755 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3444004&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F04%2F07%2Fpain-and-health-anxiety-working-with-beliefs%2F Over the past few posts I’ve been looking at pain and health anxiety, and how anxiety about body symptoms can be misinterpreted to represent something sinister when it may be a reflection of the level of physiological arousal in the individual. In fact, one definition of anxiety is ‘over-estimating the threat’ while ‘under-estimating the resources to cope with the threat’. I really like Salkovskis statement ‘People suffer from anxiety because they think situations as more dangerous than they really are’, and ‘Treatment helps the person to consider alternative, less threatening explanations of their problem’. These explanations have to fit with past experiences of the person – and work when they’re tested out. The process of ... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3444004 Tue, 06 Apr 2010 21:13:41 +0100 3444004 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3327028&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2Fatluf_Ejd5Q%2F URL: http://www.something-fishy.org/Dedicated to raising awareness and providing support to people with Eating Disorders, and their loved-ones… since 1995. For: AnyoneTopics: Addiction, Eating Disorders, General Psychology, Health Promotion, Health Psychology, Life, LifestyleFeatures: Articles, Case Studies, Collaborative News, Commentary and Blogs, Conferences, Databases, Forums, Glossary, Information, Interviews, Links, Research, Therapist Directory, e-learning Dedicated to raising awareness and providing support to people with Eating Disorders, and their loved-ones… since 1995.  A pro-recovery site with help for those who suffer from Eating Disorders, with treatment centers, treatment locators, and support from those who have been there already, and are going through it... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3327028 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:00:33 +0100 3327028 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3322504&cid=t_100943_122_f&fid=34736&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FChannelN-PodcastsPoweredByOdiogo%2F%7E3%2FyZCZf9UqW3Y%2Fworkplace-bullying.html There Oughta be a Law, episode 1 The devastating effects of abusive bosses on mental health, and lobbying for a law against workplace harassment. Episode one in a documentary series by director Beverly Peterson, keep watching for more. If you are struggling with depression and anxiety at work (for any reason) also check out these free self-help workbooks, Antidepressant Skills at Work: Dealing with Mood Problems in the Workplace. (Source: Channel N) Channel N blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3322504 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:30:43 +0100 3322504 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3283846&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F02%2F18%2Fdo-patients-take-their-medications%2F I don’t often write about medications, not because I don’t believe in their use but because that’s not my focus.  However, just to put the record straight: medications and medical management of chronic pain has a place in the model of pain management I use.  After all, it is the ‘bio-psychosocial’ model, not the psychosocial one! I am interested in how often people follow the advice of their health providers, because if my aim is for people to manage their pain by themselves I really would like them to go away having tried something and knowing whether it is helpful or not.  A treatment can’t be useful if the person doesn’t actually give it a good go. So something I usually ask about is how closely a person follows the advice of a doctor with re... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3283846 Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:25:20 +0100 3283846 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4060664&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.davemsw.com%2Farchives%2F2010%2F01%2Femotional_intelligence_for_personal_growth.php This is the first in a series of articles on the topic of emotional intelligence for personal growth. I got this quote in one of those anonymous emails that has been forwarded through thousands of inboxes all over the planet: "Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting '..holy sh*t ....what a ride!' Enjoy the ride. There is no return ticket." Image via Wikipedia I had heard something like this decades ago and remember that it had a profound effect on me. It was one of those "Aha!" moments we all have from time to time. I had always been a cautious man and taken great pains to avoid unnecessary risks on my way to building a career. While this new perspective didn't change a lot about what I did, i... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4060664 Sun, 10 Jan 2010 01:52:36 +0100 4060664 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3157534&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34859&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dare-to-dream.us%2Farchives%2F2010%2F01%2Femotional_intelligence_for_personal_growth.php This is the first in a series of articles on the topic of emotional intelligence for personal growth. I got this quote in one of those anonymous emails that has been forwarded through thousands of inboxes all over the planet: Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting '..holy sh*t ....what a ride!' Enjoy the ride. There is no return ticket. Image via Wikipedia I had heard something like this decades ago and remember that it had a profound effect on me. It was one of those "Aha!" moments we all have from time to time. I had always been a cautious man and taken great pains to avoid unnecessary risks on my way to building a career. While this new perspective didn't change a lot about what I did, it ... Ψ Dare To Dream... blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3157534 Sun, 10 Jan 2010 01:52:36 +0100 3157534 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3153425&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FmZ814SwzSHk%2F URL: http://www.siop.org/default.aspxWelcome to the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology’s (SIOP) Web site. For: Anyone, Clinicians, Researchers, Students, TeachersTopics: Abnormal, Academia, Bipolar, Chronic Disease, Health Psychology, InsomniaFeatures: Welcome to the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology’s (SIOP) Web site.  We are pleased to introduce you to the field of industrial and organizational (I-O) psychology.  SIOP is the premier membership organization for those practicing and teaching I-O psychology.  While an independent organization with its own governance, SIOP is also a division within the American Psychological Association and an organizational affiliate of the Association for Psychological Science. (Source: PsychSplash) PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3153425 Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:59:09 +0100 3153425 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3118923&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FTw5_sFh-E9A%2F URL: http://www.tuition.com.hk/psychology/Welcome to ITS Tutorial School’s comprehensive source of definitions for Psychology and Mental Health related terms. The definitions and concepts cover a wide range of terms, concepts and theories related to psychology and mental health. For: StudentsTopics: Mental Health, Psychology and Technology, PsychotherapyFeatures: Dictionary, InformationWelcome to ITS Tutorial School’s comprehensive source of definitions for Psychology and Mental Health related terms. The definitions and concepts cover a wide range of terms, concepts and theories related to psychology and mental health. Over 1200 terms defined. This dictionary is primarily aimed at supporting secondary/senior/high school and early tertiary students who are studying psychology or... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3118923 Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:00:18 +0100 3118923 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3067332&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F12%2F08%2Fthere-is-nothing-new-under-the-sun%2F A new journal of pain has been published: The Scandinavian Journal of Pain, published by Elsevier, and contents lists available at ScienceDirect. One of the papers I flicked through today caught my eye – and it reminds me that although there is a huge amount of new information about chronic pain available now, many of the concepts are not really all that new. Stephen Butler, a well-respected researcher and clinician in the chronic pain world, writes about his experiences learning from two of the great ‘pain pioneers’, JJ Bonica and W Fordyce. Dr John Bonica was the editor and author of the monumental ‘The Management of Pain’, which has evolved into ‘The Textbook of Pain’, he was also the founder of the International Association for the Study of P... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3067332 Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:37:22 +0100 3067332 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3012432&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F11%2F20%2Fyear-in-review-your-picks%2F It’s that time of the year again, when we pull together our top picks for mental health and psychology stories in the news in the past year. There’s no magic to our choices, we’re just looking for stories that you believe had the biggest positive or negative impact in this area. For instance, last year the passage of the mental health parity law here in the U.S. was the biggest mental health news story of 2008. One example for this year might’ve been the debate we had surrounding what I thought was a pretty sensible law about postpartum depression. You can take a look at last year’s Year in Review to get a feel for what we’re looking for here. Note your top picks in the comments and we’ll review those and the ones on our own list to come up with ou... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3012432 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:13:04 +0100 3012432 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2958913&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FRFuLqBhF0w0%2F URL: http://posbase.uib.no/posbase/index.phpThis is a prototype system containing presentations from experimental psychology. We hope that it can guide both students and teachers in gaining a deeper understanding within the field of psychology. For: Students, TeachersTopics: Academia, Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Common Factors, Educational Psychology, Emotional Health, General Psychology, Health Psychology, Mental Health, Psychiatry, Psychology and TechnologyFeatures: Articles, Databases, Information, Links, Multimedia, PresentationsThis is a prototype system containing presentations from experimental psychology. We hope that it can guide both students and teachers in gaining a deeper understanding within the field of psychology. (S... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2958913 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:00:13 +0100 2958913 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2931310&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F10%2F27%2Fit-was-a-piece-of-cake-hypnosis-for-sleep-and-tummy-pain%2F After briefly looking at hypnosis yesterday, I found this lovely case study written by Leora Kuttner of an 11 year old girl with problems going off to sleep, including tummy pain and anxiety. The girl had been through CBT, and introduced to the idea that she had a ‘worry bug’, and that the way to rid herself of the ‘worry bug’ was to ‘climb the fear ladder’. The ‘fear ladder’ being a graded hierarchy where her mother would gradually ease away from her side when going off to sleep. The problem being that this little girl kept waking as her mother left the room – and would start to panic. At 11 years old, this wasn’t exactly the best thing for her, given that girls like to go to sleep-overs! Apparently this young girl had always bee... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2931310 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:33:51 +0100 2931310 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2927588&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F10%2F26%2Fhypnosis-for-chronic-pain-management-how-it-works-maybe%2F There are plenty of people who look at me as if I’m stepping right into woowoo when I start to talk about hypnosis for managing chronic pain. I’m happy to say that science has provided some good evidence that not only does hypnosis have a neurophysiological basis, but it also has some good effect. What exactly is hypnosis? Well, contrary to popular belief, it is NOT about a ‘hypnotist’ doing something to someone else – and most especially NOT about making people do things that they wouldn’t ordinarily consent to. This is the misconception that stage hypnotists perpetuate in an attempt to keep their mystique. Hypnosis is ‘an induction followed by a suggestion (or set of suggestions)’ - now that has a lot of mystique, doesn’t it?! ‘... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2927588 Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:59:23 +0100 2927588 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2882973&cid=t_100943_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F10%2F12%2Fdraft-psychological-support-measures%2F Title: Draft psychological support measures Skinny: Draft version of the Psychological Support measures for the Manual of Cancer Services issued for a three month consultation. Publisher: DH Size of Publication: 26p Published: 08/10/2009 Posted in Cancer, Grey Literature, NHS Tagged: Cancer, Consultations, Grey Literature, Mental Health, Psychology (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2882973 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:27:13 +0100 2882973 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2883228&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F10%2F12%2Facceptance-in-chronic-pain%2F It’s a truism that no-one really wants to have pain (and if they do, we probably need to ‘talk’!).  Accepting pain may be equated with ‘giving up hope’ or ‘giving in’ – perhaps acceptance is thought to be about resignation rather than acknowledgement.  In any event, very few of the people I work with seem to be ready to acknowledge the reality of having pain and at the same time being aware of the ability to also experience joy, peace, fun and all the other good things in life. I’m not entirely surprised by this when I consider the way we’re raised to believe that: (1) pain is bad and must be avoided (2) doctors are all-powerful and can fix anything if only they try hard enough (except the common cold – but we can take ant... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2883228 Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:26:01 +0100 2883228 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2865944&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F10%2F07%2Fwhat-is-an-acceptable-outcome%2F This study didn’t appear to directly look at the relationship between distress and treatment expectation – it would be an interesting area to study. What I’ll take from this study is this: part of my role is to help people move toward accepting that even if pain is present, and it’s more intense than hoped-for, life is still good and there are things we can do to make life better. Thorne, F., & Morley, S. (2009). Prospective judgments of acceptable outcomes for pain, interference and activity: Patient-determined outcome criteria Pain, 144 (3), 262-269 DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2009.04.004 Scheier MF, Carver CS. Optimism, coping, and health: assessment and implications of generalized outcome expectancies. Health Psychol 1985;5:219–47. (Source: HealthSkills Weblog) HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2865944 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:37:59 +0100 2865944 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2846424&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FWPGRnM5gDsc%2F URL: http://www.psycline.org/PSYCLINE is owned and managed by psychologist Dr. Armin Günther, University of Augsburg, Germany. The website started in 1995 under its former name Links to Psychological Journals and has won a high reputation as one of the (if not as the) most comprehensive and up-to-date index of psychology and social science journals on the web. For: Clinicians, Researchers, Students, TeachersTopics: ADHD, Abnormal, Academia, Addiction, Behaviour Management, Bipolar, General Psychology, Health Psychology, Mental Health, Psychology and Technology, Teaching, WritingFeatures: Author Lists, Books, Databases, Information, JournalsPSYCLINE is owned and managed by psychologist Dr. Armin Günther, University of Augsburg, Germany. The website started in 1995 under its former... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2846424 Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:00:37 +0100 2846424 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2836164&cid=t_100943_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blisstree.com%2Fhealthbolt%2Fhealthbolt-reading-room%2F What I’ve been reading this week… Healing through writing is the theme of Writing Away The Demons: Stories of Creative Coping through Transformative Writing edited by Dr. Sherry Reiter. The book is a collection of stories written by those who took up a pen and paper during their crisis -  be it alcoholism, domestic violence, cancer, and addiction.  Informative, enlightening, and inspiring, each story offers encouragement and insight to readers who might be in similar circumstances. Deborah King suggests that what you hide can hurt you in Truth Heals, a book that focuses on the relationship between the suppression of truth and how this can later manifest into pain or illness. Using her own personal journey as well as client and celebrity profiles, Deborah offers a roadmap for people w... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2836164 Sun, 27 Sep 2009 04:02:44 +0100 2836164 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2820282&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2F8fZXLLY7Q7w%2F URL: http://www.stopsilentsuffering.com/If a loved one or someone you know is going through a progressive late-stage illness… and taking certain prescription pain relievers, a common side effect is constipation that can be debilitating and difficult for them to talk about. But even if they remain silent, you can be their voice. To learn more about ways that can help break the silence, go to our website. For: Anyone, Consumers, ConsumersTopics: Anger, Anxiety, Attachment, Behaviour Management, Child and Adolescent, Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Depression, Educational Psychology, Emotional Health, Family Therapy, Fatherhood, General Psychology, General Science, Health Promotion, Health Psychology, Health and Social Services, Life, Lifestyle, Mental Health, Parentin... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2820282 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:47:34 +0100 2820282 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2741426&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FSYUSouYcfuo%2F URL: http://www.sleepnet.com/ Sleepnet.com has updated its homepage trying to consolidate all the information available by disorder to make it easier to find the information you are looking for. The size of the site keeps growing and with over 250,000 pages it needs a total reorganization. Hope this helps and I will keep working to make the site’s navigation easier. Hope all is well with everyone. For: Anyone, StudentsTopics: Academia, Behaviour Management, Depression, General Psychology, General Science, Health Promotion, Health Psychology, Health and Social Services, Insomnia, Life, LifestyleFeatures: Articles, Clinical Tools, Databases, Forums, Information, Links, e-learning Sleepnet.com has updated its homepage trying to consolidate all the information available by ... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2741426 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:00:22 +0100 2741426 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2730383&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F25%2Freal-world-outcomes-still-matter-why-medical-and-psychological-is-not-enough-in-pain-management%2F NB: The following rant does not reflect the opinions of my employers, colleagues, family or pets! It is MY opinion! I feel rather weary today, having come to a realisation that although pain management as a field of work has become much more recognised, there are some serious differences of opinion around approach and priorities between various members of the health care team.  I could list my current gripes and take up more than one screen on this blog, but I’ll try and confine myself to whining about just one: the lack of recognition of  ‘real world’ functional outcomes. What I mean is this – we can have the widest range of self report questionnaires covering all the variables in the world from pain intensity, pain quality, pain location to self efficacy, depres... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2730383 Tue, 25 Aug 2009 06:03:48 +0100 2730383 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2727453&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F24%2Fcorrelation-even-multivariate-analysis-is-not-causation%2F Discussion’ and miss the important details of how the researchers drew those conclusions.  Only then can we decide how much weight we put on the findings. Jensen, M. (2009). Research on coping with chronic pain: The importance of active avoidance of inappropriate conclusions Pain DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2009.07.036 (Source: HealthSkills Weblog) HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2727453 Sun, 23 Aug 2009 19:17:53 +0100 2727453 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2685388&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F10%2Fthinking-about-thinking%2F For a long time I thought everyone thought about what they think about, how they think about it, and what their thinking concluded – now I know that some people never do this and live on simply following the rules (and probably having a fun and relaxed time of it!).  I, on the other hand, have always spent time at the end of the day thinking about my thoughts and what they mean and how I come up with them.  The technical term for this is ‘metacognition’, or ‘thinking about thinking’, and it’s a strategy that can be really useful in cognitive therapy as well as pain management – and even more useful in your professional work as a therapist. I started writing this post after reading this from the Skeptical Methodologist… in it The Skeptical M... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2685388 Sun, 09 Aug 2009 20:05:45 +0100 2685388 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2674528&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F06%2Flearning-cognitive-behavioural-therapy-an-illustrated-guide%2F Despite this book being unrelated to pain management, I can’t go past this one for learning how to develop the basic skills in cognitive behavioural therapy. It’s (you guessed it!) ‘Learning cognitive behavior therapy: An illustrated guide’ written by JW Wright, MR Basco & ME Thase, published by American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc, Washington, 2006.  It is one of the titles included in the ‘Core Competencies in Psychotherapy’ series, and was written to provide ‘an immersion in the fundamentals of each form of psychotherapy and explicitly addresses the seix core areas of competency needed in medical practice as outlined by ACGME and the American Board of Medical Specialties’. More importantly for me, it’s a really clear guide, base... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2674528 Thu, 06 Aug 2009 08:32:23 +0100 2674528 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2641284&cid=t_100943_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blisstree.com%2Fhealthbolt%2Fthe-big-five-personality-traits%2F Back in the 1970’s two research teams (Paul Costa and Robert McCrae (National Institutes of Health), and Warren Norman ( University of Michigan)/Lewis Goldberg ( University of Oregon))  discovered that most human personality traits can be boiled down to five broad dimensions of personality, regardless of language or culture. The ‘Big Five’ as they became known are… Extroversion Openness  Agreeableness Conscientiousness Neuroticism So, want to know where you sit on the Big Five Scale? Then take this free personality test to find out. Post from: Healthbolt (Source: Healthbolt) Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2641284 Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:35:37 +0100 2641284 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2613898&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FlnugTf92w3o%2F URL: http://library.med.utah.edu/24languages/Electronic access to over 200 health education brochures in 24 different languages. For: AnyoneTopics: ADHD, Abnormal, Academia, Addiction, Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Health Promotion, Health Psychology, Health and Social Services, Healthcare Information TechnologyFeatures: Articles, Information, e-learning Electronic access to over 200 health education brochures in 24 different languages.  This is a project of the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library, in partnership with the Utah Department of Health, the Immunization Action Coalition, AAPCHO, and many others to improve access to health materials in multiple languages. We wish to thank the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Network of Libraries ... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2613898 Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:00:19 +0100 2613898 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2584432&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F07%2F09%2Flight-relief%2F Because laughter is the best medicine, I thought to share the occasional links I locate while recovering from having my tonsils removed. The operation was on Tuesday, today is Thursday evening, and I have a neck that is twice its normal width, a throat that is a strange combination of colours and textures, and probably far too much codiene in my system to make any sense at all. Despite this I managed to find The Devil’s Dictionary, by Ambrose Bierce with some of the best witticisms there are – I particularly liked this definition of Accident - n. An inevitable occurrence due to the action of immutable natural laws. and this: Wedding - n. A ceremony at which two persons undertake to become one, one undertakes to become nothing, and nothing undertakes to become supportable. Final... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2584432 Thu, 09 Jul 2009 08:15:54 +0100 2584432 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2576648&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FqxFsVEAqxfg%2F URL: http://www.cci.org/site/c.cdKGIRNqEmG/b.3978475/k.BED8/Home.htmCanine Companions for Independence provides assistance dogs to people with developmental or physical disabilities who can demonstrate that a Canine Companion will enhance their independence or quality of life. CCI dogs are provided at virtually no cost to the graduates. All the expenses of breeding, raising, and training a Canine Companion is funded through private donations. For: ConsumersTopics: Chronic Disease, Depression, Emotional Health, Health Psychology, Health and Social Services, Quality of LifeFeatures: Articles, Information, Networking Canine Companions for Independence provides assistance dogs to people with developmental or physical disabilities who can demonstrate that a Canine Companion will enhance the... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2576648 Tue, 07 Jul 2009 01:00:54 +0100 2576648 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2570603&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FqxFsVEAqxfg%2F URL: http://www.cci.org/site/c.cdKGIRNqEmG/b.3978475/k.BED8/Home.htmCanine Companions for Independence provides assistance dogs to people with developmental or physical disabilities who can demonstrate that a Canine Companion will enhance their independence or quality of life. CCI dogs are provided at virtually no cost to the graduates. All the expenses of breeding, raising, and training a Canine Companion is funded through private donations. For: ConsumersTopics: Chronic Disease, Depression, Emotional Health, Health Psychology, Health and Social Services, Quality of LifeFeatures: Articles, Information, Networking Canine Companions for Independence provides assistance dogs to people with developmental or physical disabilities who can demonstrate that a Canine Companion will enhance the... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2570603 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:00:17 +0100 2570603 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2442921&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F05%2F27%2Ftravel-to-interesting-places-online%2F Today’s post is about some of the interesting links you can find online.  Mostly links to do with brains, psychology and pain – but not all! Genes to Cognition Online – featuring the 3-D brain, lovely interactive graphical interface to burrow down into really interesting topics like cognitive processes, disorders, research approaches and neuroimaging research, you can lose yourself for hours. Deric Bownds’ MindBlog is full of brain and music information.  It’s in-depth material that can challenge and intrigue – some great podcasts available, and loads of links. If you’re ever in need of some stimulating discourse on neuroplasticity and things to do with the nervous system, head to Neurotonics: a PT team blog.  The above two links are courtesy of... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2442921 Tue, 26 May 2009 19:24:02 +0100 2442921 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441258&cid=t_100943_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blisstree.com%2Fhealthbolt%2Fsuper-recognizers-never-forget-a-face%2F How good are you at recognizing faces? Would you be able to recognize, say for example, a waitress that served you once five years ago? Or  someone at the checkout counter at the grocery store you visited while on holiday in, say, California a decade ago? If the answer is no, then you are like most of the population that sits in the middle of the face recognition spectrum. But if the answer is yes, then you are probably a ’super-recognizer’. It’s a term coined  by Harvard researchers  following a recent study they conducted on face recognition. They administered  standardized face recognition tests to a group of participants and discovered  that some people scored way above average on these tests. Of course, there are also, around 2% of the population,  tho... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441258 Sat, 23 May 2009 01:38:17 +0100 2441258 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2406265&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F05%2F15%2Ffrivolous-friday-a-bit-like-liquorice-allsorts%2F Sorry guys, but first up is for the girls (mainly)! Ladies, if you haven’t ever experimented with real makeovers, today you can do it without spending a cent, without having to get the makeup on or off, and it’s as simple as loading up a photo and playing!  Go here for hours (really? maybe minutes) of free fun trying on new looks without the fear that it’s actually happening in the real world.  OK so I really hate the ‘choose a star’ to look like aspect, but what a hoot if you have a spare few moments! And now for something completely different – AllPysch Online, the Virtual Psychology Classroom.  If you’ve ever wanted to recap on your old psych 101 learning, you can head into here and take one (or more) of the ‘academic’ tests, like... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2406265 Thu, 14 May 2009 20:05:16 +0100 2406265 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2348535&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F04%2F20%2Fhappy-14th-birthday-psych-central%2F So here we are, 14 years later after Psych Central first went online in 1995. And what a great 14 years it’s been! If you had asked me 14 years ago, “Hey, John, will this little dinky mental health website still be around 14 years from now?” I would’ve guessed “No.” Of course, I would’ve been happily wrong. The latest stats out from Media Metrix/Comscore shows that Psych Central reaches as many people each month as the British Medical Journal, the famed Mayo Clinic, and even our friends over at the American Psychological Association. But we’re not stopping — we’re experiencing one of the best growth rates for sites in our niche — mental health & psychology — and will continue to provide you with an interesting an... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2348535 Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:00:51 +0100 2348535 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2342022&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F04%2F14%2Fwhen-and-how-should-new-therapies-become-routine-clinical-practice%2F Following on from my last post about when to adopt new therapies - a wonderful colleague of mine (who shall remain nameless, but You Know I Know Who You Are) sent me a copy of this paper from a physiotherapy journal. Bo and Herbert argue that the current way that new therapies become integrated into our daily clinical work is ‘far from optimal because innovative therapies still become accepted practice on the basis of laboratory research alone.’ I agree. Worse still, old therapies that have little evidence to support them continue to be used - even in the face of clinical studies demonstrating that they have no greater effect than placebo. Bo and Herbert suggest there are several ways that new therapies are adopted within physiotherapy practice. I suggest that there is little d... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2342022 Tue, 14 Apr 2009 05:41:55 +0100 2342022 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2302540&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F04%2F01%2Ffeeling-the-fear-and-not-even-thinking-about-doing-it%2F Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is basically the fear of feeling anxious, or feeling anxiety-related symptoms. Typically, when people are fearful of their own symptoms of anxiety, they’ll work to avoid getting into situations where they may experience these symptoms.  AS has been shown to be a predisposing factor in some anxiety-related disorders such as panic attacks.   Lance McCracken and others at the University of Bath have been studying AS in pain, as well as producing a substantial amount of research relating to acceptance of pain, and contextual cognitive behavioural therapy. This paper examines various measures of acceptance, mindfulness and values-based action, along with distress, disability and a measure of anxiety sensitivity in a group of patients with chronic pain. I’... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2302540 Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:33:49 +0100 2302540 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2305863&cid=t_100943_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F03%2F30%2Femotional-health-and-wellbeing-horizon-scanning%2F Volume 1 Issue 2 of the North West Primary Care Group’s Emotional Health and Wellbeing Horizon Scanning Newsletter is published today.  If you want to recieve future issues in your mail box you can Subscribe to Emotional Health and Wellbeing Horizon Scanning by Email. You can also By TwitterButtons.com Posted in Current Awareness, Currently Watching Tagged: Current Awareness, Emotional Health and Wellbeing, Good Practice, Horizon Scanning, Mental Health, Psychology (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2305863 Mon, 30 Mar 2009 21:30:45 +0100 2305863 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2269395&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F03%2F16%2Fplacebo-and-social-observational-learning%2F In this study, hoping to investigate the effect of learning through observing someone experience placebo analgesia as compared with first-hand experience and verbal suggestion alone. The premise is that some placebo analgesia is influenced by expectancy, some by conditioning, some by reinforcement - and in this experiment, by social observational learning. Social observational learning is where an individual watches another person and learns through ‘vicarious learning’. In this experiment, the participants were asked to sit beside a person who had been trained to simulate the experimental session. This person ‘always rated as painful the stimuli paired to red light and as non-painful the stimuli paired to green light. In this way, he simulated an analgesic benefit follo... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2269395 Sun, 15 Mar 2009 18:18:58 +0100 2269395 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2235676&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F03%2F04%2Fmy-pain-is-no-different-but-i-feel-differently-about-it%2F Anyone who works in pain management knows that sense of profound satisfaction when someone says ‘My pain is no different, but I feel differently about it’.  It’s a sign that something has shifted for the person, that they’ve started to move towards accepting it, taking charge of life again instead of waiting for, hoping for something to take it all away. After working for about 12 weeks with one man, yesterday was the last session.  We reviewed his formulation together - looking not so much at how his pain arose (it’s neuropathic post-surgical pain), but the influences on his experience of his pain.  We looked at the problems he was having with his pain - poor sleep, feeling unwell and nauseous when it spiked, trouble concentrating and managing work, feelin... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2235676 Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:17:42 +0100 2235676 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2202570&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F02%2F20%2Fcontinuing-professional-education-videos-online%2F It’s been a while since I put up some links to good free online video material, so today’s the day! University of Maryland has a range of medical videos on manytopics.  There is a heavy bias towards medical and surgical options, and little on ‘allied health’.  The information on spine disorders and ‘oh my aching back’ is focused on surgical and peripheral disorders, and little attention is paid to the limited relationship between ‘ruptured discs’ and pain.  No matter, there are some nice podcasts on ‘forgiveness’, ‘medical crisis counselling’, and ‘depression’, and the series under ‘preventive medicine’ has a nice one on ‘walking for wellness’. PBS website NOVA has some really int... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2202570 Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:09:32 +0100 2202570 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2192400&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F02%2F16%2Fperhaps-the-tail-is-wagging-the-dog-a-tussle-about-ethics%2F As health professionals we are privileged to hold a lot of information about people that we work with. Along with the personal information people give us through interviews, we have information we obtain from questionnaires, the observations we make, and from our reading of historical information the person (and other health providers) has provided. We also have our professional training and ongoing learning. This training means we are able to interpret the raw information that people trust us with, and make meaning of it through the models we have learned. We then use this insight, sharing it with the person, and develop therapy that helps them achieve the goals in their life. As a result of our training and experience, too, we learn that what looks simple, superficially, often is not. A... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2192400 Mon, 16 Feb 2009 08:22:02 +0100 2192400 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2167553&cid=t_100943_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2009%2F02%2F06%2Fand-the-winner-of-road-trip-guide-to-the-soul-is%2F Am happy to see that so many of you are like me and love hitting the road. Road trips really are exhilerating and result in such memorable experiences. But road trips aren’t only about getting in the car and driving off in the sunset. They can also be about looking for change, looking for answers, and clearing the mind. And that’s really what the book ‘Road Trip Guide to the Soul’ is all about. I can guarantee that by the time you’ve finished reading it and following some of the ideas and action plans, you’ll be feeling as exhilerated as when you got into the car and took off. One lucky Healthbolt reader will be able to discover this for themselves. The winner of Sadie Nardini’s Road Trip Guide to the Soul is… Brandlyn Congratulations Brandly... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2167553 Fri, 06 Feb 2009 23:13:27 +0100 2167553 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2117334&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F01%2F21%2Fintermittent-pain%2F I think intermittent pain must be one of the more challenging types of pain to have - one minute everything is going fine, then WHAMMO! out of the blue there is a bolt of electricity to hit the body.  The sort of pain I’m talking about here is primarily neuropathic pain, and I’m working with two people (and another one very soon) who have this pain.  One is an amputee with not only the WHAMMO type of electric shock pain, but also a nasty cramping phantom, and the other has intermittent noncardiac chest pain. There are lots of types of neuropathic pain - in the last year or so I’ve worked with a couple of people with postsurgical neuropathic pain (lower back pain with intermittent leg pain), a couple of people with CRPS pain, one with diabetic neuropathic pain in both fe... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2117334 Wed, 21 Jan 2009 09:23:35 +0100 2117334 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2096209&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F01%2F12%2Freflections-on-act-case-formulation-in-chronic-pain%2F I’ve been reviewing ACT and contextual cognitive behavioural therapy in chronic pain management over the past year or so, and it’s really interesting reflecting on the different way in which I see people after being exposed to the ACT approach. Just to recap, some of the main precepts of ACT and CCBT are: people’s attempts to control their negative emotions lead them to avoid encountering these emotions but in doing so they often increase the intensity and frequency with which they experience them and their attempts to avoid the experiences also lead them away from pursuing activities that enable them to achieve things that are important to them (eg values) this becomes evident through ‘cognitive inflexibility’ or the difficulty to do things in different ways... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2096209 Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:19:10 +0100 2096209 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2056688&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F12%2F22%2Fseven-things-that-made-me-go-gggrrrrrrrr-in-2008%2F It’s the time of year to reflect and review, so today I’m going to look at some of the stand-out events and issues that got me riled.  You might, after reading these, think that a kind of theme fits these things but as I write them I promise I’m not choosing them to fit any preconceived ideas!  They appear in no particular order, either… Health professionals ‘turf protecting’ - it could be occupational therapists holding out to be ‘the only ones who do goal-setting’; clinical psychologists saying ‘but we’re the only ones who can really do CBT’; physiotherapists proclaiming ‘but only we can do talk about posture’; anyone who says ‘but I don’t want to do generic case work because I’m special&#8... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2056688 Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:42:40 +0100 2056688 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2052688&cid=t_100943_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthbolt.net%2F2008%2F12%2F18%2Fand-the-winner-of-the-relieving-your-holiday-stress-cd-is%2F According to the trusty random number selector, the winner of this useful ‘Relieving Your Holiday Stress’ CD by practicing psychologist Ronald G. Nathan, Ph.D is… Audrey Congratulations Audrey. You should be receiving an email shortly with directions on how and where to provide your mailing address. By the way, I have a sure fire why to avoid stress these holidays. Hibernate. Okay, so that might not work for most people. But remember, when you are getting stressed, the best thing to do is take time out for yourself. Try to relax, treat yourself to a massage or manicure, take a long walk somewhere away from crowds and shops, meet friends for coffee or lunch, watch a funny movie or sitcom, and just sit back and breathe. And don’t forget, ‘every day is a giveaway’ this month a... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2052688 Thu, 18 Dec 2008 23:07:04 +0100 2052688 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2042734&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F12%2F18%2Fcoping-strategies-survey-the-results-3%2F Today’s post completes the results from my coping strategies survey by identifying how important the skills are in the respondent’s view. Remember these are all health professionals who work in pain management, and the questionnaire was completed online and confidentially. What you can see there is that the most important skill, as identified in this survey, is ‘Working with realistic thoughts’. What’s surprising about this is that respondents were not ALL psychologists! In some ways, this is probably one of the most important components in pain management because it encompasses all the cognitive elements involved in reconceptualising chronic pain from something that represents alarm and harm, into something that is simply ‘noise in the system’. S... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2042734 Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:18:52 +0100 2042734 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2036208&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F12%2F15%2Fcoping-strategies-survey-the-results%2F Over the next couple of days I’m going to review the coping strategies survey I’ve been running.  I’ve had 33 participants, so it’s not a large sample, but it does represent some of the professions working in the field of chronic pain. Who responded? 12.5%   Social workers 4.2%     Nurse 29.2%  Occupational therapists 25%      Physiotherapists 12.5%  Medical practitioners 20.8% Psychologists (health or clinical) plus 4 ‘others’ - students mainly.  You’ll see the total is more than 100% - rounding, or so I understand from SurveyMonkey! The first set of questions related to defining three terms commonly used in pain management. I’ve just reviewed a paper about ‘pacing’, so it’s interesting to see how these participan... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2036208 Mon, 15 Dec 2008 08:05:05 +0100 2036208 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2029512&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F12%2F11%2Fgoals-so-little-clinical-research%2F Despite the frequency with which the terms ‘goals’ and ‘goal-setting’ is used in many health professions, to find good clinical research demonstrating effectiveness of different ways of setting goals, or even the origins of goal-setting is actually really difficult to do.  I’m grateful for the work of Dr Diane Playford and colleagues who have written about goals within a neurology inpatient setting (the Neurological Rehabilitation Unit at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK), because in terms of clinical research, this unit has produced some helpful material.  Otherwise the pickings are quite slim. Most of the research relating to the mechanics of goal-setting comes from the occupational or work context, along the lines of the wo... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2029512 Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:24:08 +0100 2029512 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2005912&cid=t_100943_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F7O5AhJ55fMY%2F There’s a new study by Molly Helt et al. out about recovery from autism in the December Neuropsychology Review. Kev at Left Brain/Right Brain has an overview; here’s the abstract: Although Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are generally assumed to be lifelong, we review evidence that between 3% and 25% of children reportedly lose their ASD diagnosis and enter the normal range of cognitive, adaptive and social skills. Predictors of recovery include relatively high intelligence, receptive language, verbal and motor imitation, and motor development, but not overall symptom severity. Earlier age of diagnosis and treatment, and a diagnosis of Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified are also favorable signs. The presence of seizures, mental retardation and genetic synd... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2005912 Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:32:15 +0100 2005912 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2008134&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F12%2F03%2Fwhat-happens-when-you-cant-do-what-you-want-to%2F Intendus interruptus, or ‘I want to but I can’t do it’ There is no doubt that having chronic pain stops many people from working towards things they want in their life.  At least for some of the time, especially during the early phases of their experience, people tend to focus on obtaining a diagnosis, then either a cure or some form of pain reduction.  Comments from people during this time are ‘I put my life on hold’, ‘I’m just focusing on getting through each day’. What we then see, as chronic pain persists, is a gradual reduction of engagement in firstly leisure activities, then work activities (however you construe this), and finally self care activities. Over time, as Paul Karoly puts it, they develop ‘… a self-defeating r... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2008134 Wed, 03 Dec 2008 05:20:39 +0100 2008134 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2008135&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F12%2F02%2Fmeeting-needs-and-making-meaning-the-pursuit-of-goals%2F Goals: setting them, working towards them, achieving them - they’re part of being human or so Brian Griffith and Catherine Graham say. In this article, they explore the Adlerian interpretation of goals as embodying the meaning of human life saying ‘goals reflect core values, reinforce an image of the ideal self, compensate for inferiority feelings, guard against pain, provide meaning in the present, and promote hope for the future.’(Griffith & Graham, 2004). I was searching for some of the theoretical background to goal setting and came across this paper, which although is really a philosophical exploration of some of the models that occupational therapists drew on early in the development of the profession, also contains some references to more empirical and modern w... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2008135 Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:27:43 +0100 2008135 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1985782&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F25%2Fwhen-is-a-good-time-to-start-to-accept-chronic-pain%2F Acceptance is a real buzz word in many chronic health and wellbeing writing at the moment.  This is partly due to the popularity of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and similar therapies, and possibly also due to the wide range of health problems that don’t respond to medical interventions.  As that wonderful movie said ‘Perhaps this is as good as it gets‘. Some studies show that acceptance is one of the greater predictors of ’success’ in a pain management programme (eg McCracken & Eccleston, 2003; Morley, Davies & Barton, 2005; Paez-Blarrina et al., 2008).  And it’s certainly something participants ask about often in the pain management programme I work on - when should I start to accept this pain? I can’t exactly answer that question ... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1985782 Tue, 25 Nov 2008 07:21:06 +0100 1985782 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1982188&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F23%2Fmaking-the-most-of-a-referral-for-pain-management%2F This is a post for people who may refer someone for pain management, or someone who is personally being referred. When I talk about pain management, I’m meaning a multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary pain management programme where participants learn about their pain, develop strategies to cope with life despite their pain, and get involved in reactivation. The contents of a cognitive behavioural pain management programme (eg INPUT, ADAPT, vary considerably - it’s essential that the approach includes these concepts: That clients can learn to accept the chronicity of their pain. That clients can change their relationship to their pain in a way that allows them to broaden their sense of identity/self beyond the pain to that of “a well person with pain”. That clients... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1982188 Sun, 23 Nov 2008 06:57:25 +0100 1982188 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1977375&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F20%2Facceptance-musings%2F I asked the participants in the pain management group to think about the words ‘acceptance’ and ‘change‘ yesterday.  One person asked whether you had to ‘give up hope’ to accept chronic pain, and another said he could ‘never accept that things wouldn’t return to normal, I don’t want this change’. At the time I didn’t want to add my own thoughts about acceptance, but as I mulled over the words myself, I found myself trying to define acceptance - and kept coming up with phrases that included the word ‘change‘ every time. According to wikipedia (oh yes, the font of all wisdom!), ‘Acceptance usually refers to cases where a person experiences a situation or condition (often a negative or uncomfortable situation... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1977375 Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:28:07 +0100 1977375 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1970820&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F19%2Fcarrying-on-with-self-management-strategies-doesnt-make-a-difference%2F Continuing in the vein of yesterday’s post where I discussed a study showing no additional benefit from adding graded exposure or graded activity to treatment by classification, today I want to discuss a recent finding showing that all the hard work put into helping people develop and use self management may not make a difference to their recovery in the end.  It’s this study (doi:10.1016/j.ejpain.2008.06.009) by Charlotte Curran, Amanda C. de C. Williams, and Henry W.W. Potts - Cognitive-behavioral therapy for persistent pain: Does adherence after treatment affect outcome?  European Journal of Pain What?! Shock and panic around the world! Pain management skills are not used! The whole basis of self management lies with the idea that people develop practical skills they can... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1970820 Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:23:28 +0100 1970820 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1970821&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F18%2Fadding-graded-exposure-or-graded-activity-makes-no-difference%2F This study by George, Zeppieri, Cere et al. (2008) looks at a clinical trial comparing the effectiveness of treatment-based classification (TBC) physical therapy alone to TBC augmented with graded activity (GA) or graded exposure (GX) for patients with acute and sub-acute LBP. ‘Graded exercise and graded exposure are specific behavioral interventions that dose exercise and activity parameters on factors other than pain intensity. Briefly, graded exercise uses a quota system to progress subjects’ therapeutic exercise and activity. In contrast, graded exposure hierarchically exposes subjects to specific situations of which they are fearful by starting with exercise or activity that elicits minimal amounts of fear, and then gradually increasing to situations that elicit larger amounts... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1970821 Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:34:45 +0100 1970821 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1956521&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F13%2Fpain-related-anxiety-and-avoidance-a-practical-application-of-theory-and-research-to-clinical-practice%2F In 1995 I started work at the Burwood Pain Management Centre.  It wasn’t my first foray into pain management, but it was the first time I had worked in a fully integrated interdiscipinary team environment.  It was also significant because of the use of the words ‘fear-avoidance’, ‘guarding’ and ‘anticipatory anxiety’. What the team had observed was that there were a specific group of patients who were not just worried about experiencing pain, but were also showing the signs of increased physiological arousal, avoidance of specific activities, and firm beliefs about harm, reinjury, or doing further damage. At the time we used an operant conditioning model (based on Fordyce, 1971 & 1976), along with graded reactivation using a physical conditio... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1956521 Thu, 13 Nov 2008 08:55:51 +0100 1956521 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1947284&cid=t_100943_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FxD3Dg2h1PYs%2F “[A] sweeping theory of brain development that would change the way mental disorders like autism and schizophrenia are understood”——a “new idea” that “provides psychiatry with perhaps its grandest working theory since Freud, and one that is grounded in work at the forefront of science”: Today’s New York Times uses such grand language to introduce a new theory of psychiatric disorders in which parents’ genes are “in competition.” The theory is the work of Bernard Crespi, a biologist at Simon Fraser University in Canada, and Christopher Badcock, a sociologist at the London School of Economics. Here’s how the New York Times describes it: Dr. Crespi and Dr. Badcock propose that an evolutionary tug of war between gene... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1947284 Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:32:10 +0100 1947284 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1948489&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F11%2Fwhere-does-theory-fit-with-practise%2F When I was an undergraduate, thinking about what postgraduate study I wanted to do, I wavered between enrolling in a Science Masters, or an Arts Masters. It made absolutely no difference in terms of the papers I could study - they were the same for either degree - but it did make a difference to the end degree. I decided on science. This is despite people saying ‘but therapy is just as much an art as it is a science’! Why? Loads of reasons, but several really spring to mind: Science emphasises the importance of and reliance on empirical observations and theory Science doesn’t rely on ‘intuition’ and ’special insights’ into people and how they tick Scientific method supplies the tools I want to use to understand and investigate treatments that wor... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1948489 Mon, 10 Nov 2008 18:59:26 +0100 1948489 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1944345&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F08%2Fbelated-friday-funny%2F Ooops, I got so carried away with my rant yesterday, I didn’t put my Friday Funnies on! So here ’tis - I have a sad, sad sense of humour… Do you think I need some psychotherapy?  You do? I beg to differ - I think YOU need to visit a therapist, here - click here And this is definitely both serious - and quirky.  Head to the Annals of Improbable Research (AIR) to read about REAL research that is just a bit off the wall - but makes you think. Have a great weekend!        (Source: HealthSkills Weblog) HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1944345 Sat, 08 Nov 2008 09:05:06 +0100 1944345 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1940960&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F06%2Fdecision-making-and-cognitive-psychology-ii%2F Yesterday I discussed several systematic biases that are known to influence decision making.  Today I want to look at two more - and briefly some thoughts about ‘debiasing’ (if that’s a word!). Imagining the consequences of a decision is a really influential part of making that decision - cognitive psychologists call this ‘affective forecasting’.  What this means is that people imagine how it will feel emotionally if they make a certain choice. While it seems that humans are pretty good at identifying whether they’ll feel good or bad about their choice, what they don’t do so well is estimate how long they’ll feel this way, or how intense that feeling will be.  Wilson and Gilbert are researchers who look at this area of decision making, and... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1940960 Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:26:30 +0100 1940960 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1931405&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F05%2Fdecision-making-and-cognitive-psychology%2F How do we make decisions about treatment? What errors are we likely to make and can we counter those errors? These are really important questions to ask ourselves as clinicians if we want to avoid leaping into decisions that won’t stand up to scrutiny. Unfortunately it does mean we need to learn a bit about our human fallibility - oh and something about cognitive psychology. And the latter means reading some fairly intense material! Thankfully the paper I’m discussing to day helps to unpack some of the cognitive psychology literature into a form that I can make sense of… This is a paper by Abraham Schwab, who is based in the Philosophy Department of Brooklyn College. That in itself is interesting - philosophy being about reasoning… Anyway, he has summarised some of ... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1931405 Tue, 04 Nov 2008 18:26:40 +0100 1931405 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1928159&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F04%2Fbasic-biofeedback-in-pain-management%2F I’m no techno-whizz in biofeedback - you have to speak to one of my colleagues (she knows who she is!) to get the technical data on things like heart rate variability - but I do use several modalities reasonably often. So today I thought I’d discuss some of the ways I use biofeedback with the people I work with. Biofeedback basically provides visual or auditory information about normally undetectable physiological processes. It ranges from temperature sensors through to skin conduction (galvanic skin response), and includes surface EMG, respiration, blood volume pulse and sometimes these are put together to provide feedback on heart rate variability. I’m not going into HRV yet, that’s for another day! The most common sensors I use everyday are GSR, which is a reaso... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1928159 Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:11:15 +0100 1928159 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1918640&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F10%2F30%2Flinks-and-placebo%2F I’m going to ‘cheat’ a little today - I want to link to someone else’s blog and an article I’ve previously posted on to discuss placebo. It’s a vexed question for people working in pain management - the ‘meaning response’, or interpretation of the meaning the patient and clinicians place on the health care interaction and the context in which it occurs, is at the heart of so much of pain relief that we can’t ignore it. But at the same time, we know so little about the ‘meaning response’ and have incredible difficulty studying placebo especially in the field of persistant pain. I did discuss this article a couple of days ago, but I think the questions it raises are worth considering again. This blog post by Jake Young, who wr... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1918640 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 06:30:52 +0100 1918640 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1920943&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2F436028721%2F URL: http://www.phinished.org/index.phpPhinisheD is the place on the web to find friendly advice and support as you struggle with your dissertation or thesis, and afterwards as you navigate the stormy seas of academia. For: StudentsTopics: Academia, Clinical Psychology, Counselling, Educational Psychology, General Psychology, General Science, Health Psychology, Health and Social Services, Mental Health, Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Teaching, Teaching Psychology, Varied, Varied Disorders, YouthFeatures: Articles, Databases, Forums, Information, Links PhinisheD is the place on the web to find friendly advice and support as you struggle with your dissertation or thesis, and afterwards as you navigate the stormy seas of academia. If this is your first visit and you’re curious about the... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1920943 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 18:13:13 +0100 1920943 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1912476&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F10%2F28%2Fexplaining-pain-to-people-with-chronic-pain%2F One of the most challenging jobs we do in chronic pain management is help people get their heads around what chronic pain is…without giving them the idea that we think they’re imagining it, they’re mentally unwell, they’re ‘pretending’, ‘malingering’ or otherwise ‘not coping’. While I can’t say I’ve got the answer, after explaining what pain is for a few years (not telling how many!), there are some things I find work better than others… The first thing is to have a bunch of examples of everyday pain (mainly acute pain) to act as examples - mine include getting a flu jab, sunburn, a stubbed toe, sports bruises, and shark bites!  This helps people understand that pain is a normal, everyday experience that is unde... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1912476 Tue, 28 Oct 2008 07:48:14 +0100 1912476 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1909321&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fradio4%2Fscience%2Frams%2Fsci9_mon_20080825.ram It’s been a long time since I posted on placebo, but it’s a topic I keep returning to whenever I think about the complexities of carrying out randomised controlled trials on pain management. I’ve recently joined an on-line group called SomaSimple in which some of the most interesting debates I’ve seen in a while have been raging on… one of which is about placebo. And it was while I was on there I was lead to this site which actually sells REAL small, inert, side-effect-free sugar pills that are often used in drug research as the control condition (otherwise called ‘placebo’). One of my favourite sites is Ben Goldacre’s Bad Science site. He’s one of my favourite writers, and has been featured on BBC Radio talking about placebo. He&#8217... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1909321 Mon, 27 Oct 2008 04:34:11 +0100 1909321 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1905851&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34730&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychiatrist-blog.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F10%2Fparity-as-bogus-bail-out-bonus.html [credit: flickr user The_Leader]Nice to see Clink sharing her AAPL learnings with us, as the forensic experts try to understand the behavior of forensic bogeymen (or the gender-neutral bogeypeople) like Freddie and Jason.   Just in time for Halloween. I was struck by the total lack of understanding by two nay-sayers in yesterday's Opinion column in the Baltimore Sun.  Richard Vatz and Jeffrey Schaler often write about the so-called "myth of mental illness", taking a page from the 1960 Szasz book of the same name.In the newspaper article, they lambast our legislators for using "political legerdemain" to sneak the long-negotiated Mental Health Parity Bill into the $700B bank bail-out bill.  Their opinion is that the category of "mental illness" is too broad and too costly, and provides a... Shrink Rap blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1905851 Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:00:00 +0100 1905851 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1892586&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F10%2F21%2Fif-youre-new-to-pain-management-ii%2F Now it’s time to turn to the details of the biopsychosocial model as it is applied to pain. There are some excellent resources available to look at this in both a simple way, and in much greater detail. This site is written by a physiotherapist - and contains some well-written and reasonably simple information both about pain and more especially about low back pain. I’d suggest heading to this page on biopsychosocial model for a quick overview. As far back as 1953, pain has been seen as more than simply either body or mind… Pain is no longer considered exclusively either as a neurophysiological or a psychological phenomenon. Such a rigid dichotomy is obsolete, because pain is now recognised as the compound result of physiopsychological processes whose complexity is almos... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1892586 Tue, 21 Oct 2008 08:15:49 +0100 1892586 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1889366&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F10%2F20%2Fscreening-for-the-risk-of-chronic-disability%2F In this study, again the total score was found to be most predictive of future sick leave ‘The prediction of future sick leave with the OMPSQ is based on the total score. As in earlier studies the results showed that the total score of the screening questionnaire was related to future sick leave and functional ability; the higher the score, the higher the risk for long term sick leave and developing of chronic problems.’ The higher functional limitation scores the greater disability in the long term, which is slightly different from previous studies which have suggested psychosocial distress and avoidance were more predictive. Again, this study shows that using this screening tool early in the course of an episode of low back pain (whether the first episode or subsequent episo... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1889366 Sun, 19 Oct 2008 18:23:40 +0100 1889366 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1881387&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F10%2F16%2Fif-youre-new-to-pain-management%2F This is just a brief foray into thinking about what people new to pain management might need to know in the first few months.  I’m definitely not being academic about this, and I don’t have any references - it’s my reflections on seeing people starting in the field looking a bit like a possum in the headlights!  (For non-kiwi’s, the possum is high on cuteness, and more than high on destructiveness - and one of the best ways to catch a possum is to go spotlighting!) There are no easy ways to learn about chronic pain management - as a field it’s huge and I think the complexity of it needs to be acknowledged.  I don’t, for example, think it’s the best field for a new graduate occupational therapist, physiotherapist, nurse or psychologist to work i... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1881387 Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:31:06 +0100 1881387 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1877199&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F10%2F15%2Foccupational-therapists-unite-wiihabilitation-is-more-fun-than-prescribed-exercises%2F As the proud possessor of a brand new Wii and WiiFit, I’m a convert to the addictive powers of the Wii.  I’m not the only, and certainly not the first person to think of the rehabilitative potential of the Wii - in fact it’s been one of the most successful ‘cross-over’ toys that the computer geeks have come up with. I am planning to use the Wii and WiiFit to study whether it can help develop balance, activity tolerance and especially increase proprioceptive awareness in people experiencing persistent pain and complex regional pain syndrome.  There are clinical guidelines I’ve just discovered here at RehabCare who have produced a podcast covering clinical practice guidelines for using the Nintendo Wii.  And I’ve just found an occupational therapi... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1877199 Wed, 15 Oct 2008 05:09:04 +0100 1877199 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1877200&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F10%2F15%2Fcue-cards-for-coping%2F One problem people have when learning coping skills is remembering what to do and when to do it.   In the heat of the moment it can be really difficult to recall exactly what the new strategy is!  We also know that pain interferes with recall because of the disruptive effect on attention, and this effect is heightened when people are anxious about their pain.  One good measure for whether attention and thinking processes are disrupted is the Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale (McCracken & Dhingra, 2002). There are a few techniques for helping people to remember what to do - including some of my favourites like a sticker on a doorframe, post-it notes on the computer or dashboard of the car, or reminders on a cellphone or computer.  But one way that has been helpful for several reasons is ... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1877200 Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:16:08 +0100 1877200 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1871456&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F10%2F12%2Fon-evidence-and-practise%2F An opinion piece to restart my blogging after my lovely holiday… I’ve been reading ABC Therapeutics blog where Chris Alterio writes in response to a long comment by Michele Karnes suggesting that occupational therapists (and by inference all health care providers) ’should be made aware of treatments that are offered to clients/patients, whether it is traditional or non-traditional, a long existing treatment or new one. This enables our OT profession and professionals to better educate the people they treat and interact with.’ I don’t have any particular concerns about this part of Michele’s comment - but I do have a problem with this part ‘while Evidence Based Practice is on all of our minds, and ultimately the best to utilize with our patients, i... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1871456 Sat, 11 Oct 2008 22:10:02 +0100 1871456 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1856117&cid=t_100943_87_f&fid=35062&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffibroresearch.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F10%2Fstudy-reveals-subgroups-of-fibromyalgia.html This study is particularly relevance to the debate within both medical and patient communities as to the relationship between fibromyalgia and anxiety/depression. Some patients experience depression and/or anxiety before developing fibromyalgia. Some develop these symptoms long after the onset of pain and other fibromyalgia symptomsm. Still others never experience depression and anxiety at all, even as they struggle with the stress of chronic widespread pain. It also brings up questions about whether those fibromyalgia patients who do have depression or anxiety experience more severity of their pain and fatigue symptoms. (Source: The Fibromyalgia Research Blog) The Fibromyalgia Research Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1856117 Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:41:00 +0100 1856117 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1845866&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F10%2F03%2Fwhy-am-i-doing-this%2F This is not a whining post, just that I thought it was time I mentioned why I write this blog. I looked on the internet for ages to find a resource that gave me good information about nonmedical approaches to managing chronic pain and other chronic disorders. If you use a search engine to look for ‘chronic pain’ or ‘back pain’ you’ll find endless listings for organisations (I used Google just now and found 8,320,000 in 0.34 seconds!)  and many of them are designed for patients, but not a lot for the nonmedical treatment providers who work with them! And we need to remember that the majority of health care providers working with people with chronic pain are nonmedical. We don’t prescribe! You’ll see I also wrote ‘good information’.  Th... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1845866 Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:15:25 +0100 1845866 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1841978&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F10%2F01%2Fcase-formulation-a-simplified-example%2F Over the past few days I’ve been posting about case formulation. While I’ve presented the abductive theory of method (ATOM) which is a process of inferring from phenomena to underlying causal mechanisms, it’s not the only way to develop a formulation.  I posted on some of the other ways formulations can be developed, and today I’m going to describe a simplified formulation to show how it can work in practice. Don’t forget that when I write about patients I make sure details that can identify the individual are changed - or I describe a composite of several patients. Robert is a 39 year old previously self-employed electrician who sustained a fracture of a his nondominant hand when he fell from a ladder two years ago.  This fracture developed into a complex r... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1841978 Wed, 01 Oct 2008 07:43:29 +0100 1841978 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1838589&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F09%2F30%2Fcase-formulation-the-next-few-steps%2F Over the past few days I’ve been writing about case formulation because in pain management, it’s rare to find only one single causal factor that is influencing either the pain or the disability. Most times we are looking at many factors coming from all three areas of the biopsychosocial model. In each person, the relationships between and combinations of these factors will be unique. And that’s the value of a case formulation as opposed to a diagnosis, which is more like ’shorthand’ for a group of symptoms that go together and are supposedly linked by a causal mechanism (in the case of non-mental health problems). After identifying stable phenomena (symptoms that are present over time and in different places), the next step is to identify the underlying biopsy... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1838589 Tue, 30 Sep 2008 08:54:55 +0100 1838589 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1838590&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F09%2F29%2Fsome-readings%2F Here are a couple of readings on case formulation… Enjoy ‘em! This one is a chapter from a book ‘Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in Mental Health Care’, this chapter is written by Alec Grant, Jem Mills, Ronan Mulhern and Nigel Short, and discusses cognitive behavioural case formulation as a method for strengthening the therapeutic relationship, as well as describing some of the models used in cognitive behavioural therapy for mental health. This paper is written by Eoin Stephens, from PCI College & Centre for Sexual Addictions.  It discusses some of the pro’s and con’s of the approach. And this presentation is about clinical reasoning, written by PA Mabe, Medical College of Georgia.  It suggests that problem-based learning may provide a somewhat easi... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1838590 Mon, 29 Sep 2008 08:19:05 +0100 1838590 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1838591&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F09%2F29%2Fcase-formulation-a-diagram-illustrating-the-first-stage%2F This is an illustration of the first step of case formulation - identifying patterns from the data collected, using a range of ways to obtain the information so that it can be relied upon for both accuracy and to cover the range of possible features of the person’s presentation. In this case, I’ve shown some of the ways we collect information in the centre I work - from interview, observation, clinical testing, questionnaires, and other team members.  We use a semi-structured interview that allows the clinician to explore relevant areas in more detail through the interview.  If we have questionnaire results before the interview, we’re able to enquire about areas that these suggest could be problematic.  At the conclusion of our assessment morning, the team meets to dis... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1838591 Mon, 29 Sep 2008 07:34:31 +0100 1838591 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1834934&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F09%2F29%2Fcase-formulation-abductive-reasoning-applied%2F Before moving on any further with the ATOM (abductive theory of method) as used in case formulation, I need to define what is data and what is phenomenon. Haig defines data as individual pieces of information, often unique to the person or situation, whereas phenomenon are patterns amongst those pieces of data that form distinctive features. For example, difficulty getting off to sleep, lack of energy and poor appetite are data; when they’re tied together with tearfulness and feelings of guilt and poor concentration, and occur over the period of at least two weeks and are causing problems in work, home and social life, we can call it part of a pattern that we recognise as depression. Data are the evidence for the underlying phenomenon, they’re visible or reportable, but in them... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1834934 Sun, 28 Sep 2008 18:34:51 +0100 1834934 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1827168&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F09%2F25%2Fan-introduction-to-case-formulation%2F One definition of case formulation is ‘Case formulation aims to describe a person’s presenting problems and use theory to make explanatory inferences about causes and maintaining factors that can inform interventions’. What this means is that it is essentially a story not just to describe, but explain, how a person’s problem has developed, and how it is maintained so that treatments can be based on influencing those factors. There are many different frameworks for case formulation, but several key elements are usually present: a description of the presenting issues; the factors that act to create vulnerability or precipitate the problems developing; factors that may not have been involved in the initial problem developing, but are helping to maintain the problems; and ... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1827168 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:34:04 +0100 1827168 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1827169&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F09%2F24%2Frevelation-im-experimenting-on-patients%2F Actually, the heading should read ‘I’m experimenting on with patients! Does that not help?  Sorry, perhaps I should unpack what I mean! Chronic pain, or actually, chronic disability associated with pain, is multifactorial.  What that means is there are many different factors that influence how and why a person has chronic pain and disability.  It also means that each person is likely to have a different set of factors that is contributing to why they are having this set of problems in this specific situation. And the implications of this are that it’s highly unlikely that any one single treatment will ‘work’ to ‘fix’ the problem! In fact, the only time we can be certain about our treatments is when the following conditions are met: a reliable a... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1827169 Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:08:01 +0100 1827169 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1817340&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F09%2F23%2Fself-management-helping-a-person-become-their-own-healthcare-expert%2F and how we can help Health care in many places hasn’t moved an awful lot from a ‘patch ‘em up and send ‘em out’ mentality.  This is a great approach if you’re basically healthy, have acute appendicitis, and a quick recovery.  It’s not so good if you have chronic pain, are having to learn to live with it, and find your general coping is compromised. Most of our health care training, however, is designed to follow the medical model (despite arguments that occupational therapists, for example, are trained in a biopsychosocial model - just watch what happens when a referral for therapy is received without a diagnosis!).  There is nothing fundamentally wrong with the medical model when it’s being used in the right place - it’s simply inad... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1817340 Tue, 23 Sep 2008 05:54:28 +0100 1817340 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1813109&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F09%2F22%2Fmigraine-information-site%2F I came across this site today as I was looking for some visuals on migraine.  It’s a site run by the Migraine Aura Foundation, and contains some incredible imagery, as well as some very technical and scientific information on the neurology of migraine.  One of the ones I really liked was a simulation showing a traveling wave in gyrate cortex and the corresponding visual field defect.  Look at it on the website for more information and background on it.  And if you head into the section ‘Migraine Aura’ you’ll see an incredible simulation of the visual aura some people get prior to a migraine.  It’s a wee bit migraine-inducing actually, but soooo like mine (except mine’s not colourful, more like blank areas). That section also has a great series of v... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1813109 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 08:48:48 +0100 1813109 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1813110&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F09%2F22%2Fwhy-do-they-want-me-to-see-a-psychologist-im-not-nuts-i-just-have-pain%2F Explaining to someone that seeing a psychologist about chronic pain might be helpful can be a bit like this: Yup, brick wall - hard object! I can see it from the person’s point of view - it’s taken a long time (usually) for medical and other people to recognise that this pain isn’t simply going away, and isn’t about the person being ‘pathetic-why-don’t-you-just-pull-yourself-together’, so when someone suggests that psychology might be helpful it’s like saying ‘You’re nuts, you’re just losing it’ - or worse, ‘you’re a hypochondriac’. I thought it might be helpful to review some ways to introduce the idea of seeing a psychologist (or other allied health person), or using a CBT perspective in pain manag... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1813110 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 05:58:06 +0100 1813110 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1811670&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F09%2F21%2Fpain-management-cbt-or-a-cbt-perspective%2F There is a bit of a misconception about CBT for chronic pain management. Some people think that it consists only of cognitive behavioural therapy as it is used for depression or other mental health problems. And this often means people think mainly of cognitive therapy as conducted by clinical psychologists - meaning that clinicians from other professions can lack confidence to be involved. I thought today I’d outline the views of one of the ‘founding fathers’ of the cognitive behavioural perspective for chronic pain, Dennis Turk. In a paper by Turk and colleagues Kimberley Swanson from University of Washington School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Seattle, and Eldon Tunk, Emeritus Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMast... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1811670 Sun, 21 Sep 2008 07:56:51 +0100 1811670 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1803855&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F09%2F18%2Fsuccess-why-measuring-outcome-is-so-rewarding%2F Not a research post today, but a great experience that I hope will encourage anyone who is not already a fan of regular outcome measurement to get on with it! I saw a person yesterday who has had pain for about 3 years.  Superficially she’d been managing quite well - still working, having a social life, managing all her household activities and in general, looking good.  BUT - and you knew there would be a ‘but’ - once I started to look a little deeper, it was absolutely amazing to see how much she had adapted her life to avoid specific movements. I used the PHODA (photographs of daily activities) to assess the specific movements and activities she didn’t like to do.  I’ve blogged about PHODA (Kugler et al, 1999) before - a set of photographs of everyday ac... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1803855 Thu, 18 Sep 2008 06:10:08 +0100 1803855 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1783878&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F09%2F11%2Fit-just-hurts%2F This article from Positive Psychology Daily discusses meaningful work. Perhaps one way of reminding ourselves to be empathic, compassionate and human is to remember the meaning in our work. If you’ve enjoyed the post and want to read more like it - you can subscribe using the RSS feed button above. Or you can bookmark this page and come on back! I love comments and do respond, and if you want to contact me, drop into my ‘About’ page and you’ll find out how. Have a great day! (Source: HealthSkills Weblog) HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1783878 Wed, 10 Sep 2008 19:27:22 +0100 1783878 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1754656&cid=t_100943_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F09%2F02%2Freflections-at-13%2F We are in the midst of our 13th year on the Web and our 16th year online. And while 13 years on the Web seems old, it still seems like yesterday when I began publishing Psych Central. Thirteen years ago, I was starting my internship year in Poughkeepsie, New York, working in the local community mental health center. It was a great time for me, as I looked forward to moving back up north after four years in South Florida. I met some great people on internship, including my fellow interns (you know who you are!), most of whom went on to successful practices in psychotherapy and such. But this was also the year I came to the realization that as much as I enjoyed doing psychotherapy, it was not the path I was meant for. I’m a great listener, but I’m not as empathetic as I shoul... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1754656 Tue, 02 Sep 2008 23:35:16 +0100 1754656 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1776710&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F09%2F03%2Fcoping-skills-and-goals-living-a-valued-life%2F After musing about the previous two posts on coping and motivation (this is the second one), today I want to complete the set and think about how we as treatment providers might view the range of coping skills a person uses. Van Damme, Crombez & Eccleston (2008) point out that ‘behaviour will emerge to be adaptive or maladaptive depending upon the match between a person’s appraisal of their abilities and their real abilities, the accuracy of their appraisal of the threat, and their ability to switch to a different coping approach if their chosen strategy fails.’ They use the Brandtstadter and Rothermund model of goal-directed coping - assimilative in which people try to work out how to achieve the goal despite barriers, and accommodative in which people adjust their expec... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1776710 Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:32:50 +0100 1776710 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1776711&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F09%2F02%2Fcoping-and-motivation-take-two%2F After yesterdays’ post on coping and motivation, I’ve been pondering how we classify coping into ‘good’ and ‘not so good’. And what pain management is really doing by helping people develop new ways of coping, as if their old ways were ‘bad’. And feeling a bit of a fraud actually because when I’m working with people I do say ‘what you’ve done in the past has worked at least once’, so I do believe that people make the best decisions at the time, given the resources they have. Today I want to go into this article a bit more, but at the same time reflect on coping as I see it. Van Damme, Crombez and Eccleston propose that coping be classified not according to external features (eg active vs passive), but rather into funct... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1776711 Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:22:58 +0100 1776711 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1776712&cid=t_100943_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F09%2F01%2Fcoping-with-pain-a-motivational-perspective%2F What is coping all about really?  Why on earth do people want to ‘cope’? When I talk to people who have long-term pain, they are often offended when I ask them how they are ‘coping’ as if it’s some negative thing to talk about.  Of course they’re coping aren’t they? After all they’re getting up, getting out to care for their families, going to work, maintaining their homes - so of course they’re coping. Well, they have a point - coping is defined as ‘any behaviour that can be observed in response to threat, regardless of its success’ according to Tunks and Bellissimo (1988).  I’ve written before about Lazarus and Folkman who define it as ‘effortful behaviour engaged in response to a stressor’ (1984).  T... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1776712 Sun, 31 Aug 2008 19:36:13 +0100 1776712 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1683113&cid=t_100943_140_f&fid=35448&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseemedlikeagoodideathetime.com%2F2008%2F08%2F05%2Ftake-this-pill-purge-it%2F I think they should take their idea for this poison and shove it… Treatment for anorexia….bulk up with zyprexa. Why torture yourself with food and the hell that goes along with that during your recovery, when you can put weight on with a handy pill? WTF?! I’m glad Ms. WIseman (is that really her name?) is [...] (Source: bipolar chicks blogging) bipolar chicks blogging blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1683113 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 03:56:03 +0100 1683113 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1638116&cid=t_100943_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F338400751%2F This article was written by Pascale Michelon, Ph. D., for SharpBrains.com. Dr. Michelon, Copyright 2008. Dr. Michelon has a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology and has worked as a Research Scientist at Washington University in Saint Louis, in the Psychology Department. She conducted several research projects to understand how the brain makes use of visual information and memorizes facts. She is now an Adjunct Faculty at Washington University, and teaches Memory Workshops in numerous retirement communities in the St Louis area. Further reading: - Link to the citation and study: Here. - Promising Cognitive Training Studies for ADHD. - Mindfulness Meditation for Adults & Teens with ADHD. - Working Memory Training for Adults. AD/HD, adhd, adult AD/HD, Attention Deficit, brain, cognitiv... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1638116 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:20:13 +0100 1638116 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1623071&cid=t_100943_158_f&fid=36043&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.thirdage.com%2F%3Fp%3D1375 Jacqueline MarcellAuthor: Elder Rage www.ElderRage.comHost: Coping With Caregiving Radio www.wsRadio.com/CopingWithCaregiving Jacqueline’s lecture CD: 2.5/hr or 14 hr w/12 Eldercare Experts! WELCOME BACK ALL MY CAREGIVERS! Alzheimer’s Disease makes up 65% of all dementias, but there are many other diseases that cause dementia which can mistakenly be diagnosed as Alzheimer’s. Therefore, a thorough evaluation by a dementia [...] (Source: ThirdAge Blog) ThirdAge Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1623071 Tue, 15 Jul 2008 05:49:41 +0100 1623071 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1623072&cid=t_100943_158_f&fid=36043&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.thirdage.com%2F%3Fp%3D1373 I cannot do everything, but I still can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do. – Edward Everett Hale I started back to teaching my yoga and cycle classes this week.  I cannot do everything but I can do some things and the some things [...] (Source: ThirdAge Blog) ThirdAge Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1623072 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:33:09 +0100 1623072 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1596926&cid=t_100943_158_f&fid=36043&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.thirdage.com%2F%3Fp%3D1360 Dr. Mitchell is co-author of Fat is Not Your Fate, Eat to Stay Young and I’d Kill for a Cookie. Listen to her weekly Internet Show on AM580 WDBO http://580wdbo.com/healthcenter/ Visit her websites: http://www.susanmitchell.org and http://www.fatisnotyourfate.com Have you ever been asked by a store clerk to “show your ID” when in fact you are YEARS past the [...] (Source: ThirdAge Blog) ThirdAge Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1596926 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:00:40 +0100 1596926 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1594049&cid=t_100943_158_f&fid=36043&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.thirdage.com%2F%3Fp%3D1368 When you have a great and difficult task, something perhaps almost impossible, if you only work a little at a time, every day a little, suddenly the work will finish itself. – Isak Dinesen Coming back from an injury, sickness, stress, or major set back can seem like a monumental task. As we inch back, step [...] (Source: ThirdAge Blog) ThirdAge Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1594049 Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:44:13 +0100 1594049 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1583033&cid=t_100943_158_f&fid=36043&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.thirdage.com%2F%3Fp%3D1369 Come visit me at www.MenAlive.com and receive a free subscription to my e-newsletter. Emmet Thompson was 51 when he suddenly found himself struggling for breath, his blood pressure dropping dangerously low, according to Nancy Churnin reporting in The Dallas Morning News. Before he knew it, he was in an ambulance, racing to the hospital with encephalitic shock. [...] (Source: ThirdAge Blog) ThirdAge Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1583033 Sun, 06 Jul 2008 15:30:05 +0100 1583033 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1575679&cid=t_100943_158_f&fid=36043&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.thirdage.com%2F%3Fp%3D1367 Jacqueline MarcellAuthor: Elder Rage www.ElderRage.comHost: Coping With Caregiving Radio www.wsRadio.com/CopingWithCaregiving Jacqueline’s lecture CD: 2.5/hr or 14 hr w/12 Eldercare Experts! WELCOME BACK ALL MY CAREGIVERS! Are you one of millions experiencing those pesky senior moments, which seem to occur more frequently with each advancing year? We whisper to our friends with a Gallo’s laugh about [...] (Source: ThirdAge Blog) ThirdAge Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1575679 Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:21:44 +0100 1575679 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1564244&cid=t_100943_158_f&fid=36043&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.thirdage.com%2F%3Fp%3D1359 Dr. Mitchell is co-author of Fat is Not Your Fate, Eat to Stay Young and I’d Kill for a Cookie. Listen to her weekly Internet Show on AM580 WDBO http://580wdbo.com/healthcenter/ Visit her websites: http://www.susanmitchell.org and http://www.fatisnotyourfate.com Do you notice how many magazines for both men and women have teases on their covers about anti-aging products and foods [...] (Source: ThirdAge Blog) ThirdAge Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1564244 Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:00:27 +0100 1564244 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1552026&cid=t_100943_158_f&fid=36043&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.thirdage.com%2F%3Fp%3D1364 Come visit me at www.MenAlive.com to learn more about depression, irritable male syndrome, and male menopause. As I write this article, in 11 hours, 6 minutes, and 49 seconds, 44 year-old, Ian Usher will be selling his life. Born in Great Britain, now living in Perth, Western Australia, he is planning to do what many of [...] (Source: ThirdAge Blog) ThirdAge Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1552026 Sat, 28 Jun 2008 17:19:19 +0100 1552026 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1544109&cid=t_100943_158_f&fid=36043&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.thirdage.com%2F%3Fp%3D1358 Dr. Mitchell is co-author of Fat is Not Your Fate, Eat to Stay Young and I’d Kill for a Cookie. Listen to her weekly Internet Show on AM580 WDBO http://580wdbo.com/healthcenter/ Visit her websites: http://www.susanmitchell.org and http://www.fatisnotyourfate.com If you are one of the over 70 million people in the United States in the “baby boomer” category that are [...] (Source: ThirdAge Blog) ThirdAge Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1544109 Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:00:13 +0100 1544109 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1538395&cid=t_100943_158_f&fid=36043&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.thirdage.com%2F%3Fp%3D1354 God gave you 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say, “thank you”? –William A. Ward It is often times not until we can’t do something that we begin to appreciate what we can do. When you can not get up and out of bed life seems difficult. Then when you are able to get [...] (Source: ThirdAge Blog) ThirdAge Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1538395 Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:07:27 +0100 1538395 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1536780&cid=t_100943_158_f&fid=36043&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.thirdage.com%2F%3Fp%3D1357 Please come visit me at www.MenAlive.com and get your free e-newsletter. We live in Northern California, Mendocino County, in a wonderful little town called Willits. We actually live up in the hills outside of town. We are surrounded by beautiful, tall trees, and wild-life abounds. Each summer we worry about fire and each summer some crazy [...] (Source: ThirdAge Blog) ThirdAge Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1536780 Sun, 22 Jun 2008 14:42:51 +0100 1536780 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1526906&cid=t_100943_158_f&fid=36043&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.thirdage.com%2F%3Fp%3D1352 Dr. Mitchell is co-author of Fat is Not Your Fate, Eat to Stay Young and I’d Kill for a Cookie. Listen to her weekly Internet Show on AM580 WDBO http://580wdbo.com/healthcenter/ Visit her websites: http://www.susanmitchell.org and http://www.fatisnotyourfate.com Detox diets have been around for years but have seen a surge in popularity recently in part due to celebrity promotion. [...] (Source: ThirdAge Blog) ThirdAge Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1526906 Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:00:55 +0100 1526906 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1526908&cid=t_100943_158_f&fid=36043&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.thirdage.com%2F%3Fp%3D1349 Please visit me at www.MenAlive.com and claim your free e-newsletter. Popular culture may paint men as the stronger sex, but from the moment a boy is born, his life is more likely than his sister’s to be cut short. Across national and cultural boundaries, men die an average of seven years earlier than women; the disparity [...] (Source: ThirdAge Blog) ThirdAge Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1526908 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:00:54 +0100 1526908 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1522534&cid=t_100943_158_f&fid=36043&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.thirdage.com%2F%3Fp%3D1351 Too many people miss the silver linings because they are expecting gold. – Maurice Setter I am one week post major surgery for a radical hysterectomy. I was diagnosed with cancer. I am on the couch unable to move. I am fifty-five and this is the first time in my life I have been down. With [...] (Source: ThirdAge Blog) ThirdAge Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1522534 Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:03:51 +0100 1522534 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1502836&cid=t_100943_158_f&fid=36043&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.thirdage.com%2F%3Fp%3D1345 I am writing this blog before my surgery to post after my surgery because I know I won’t be able to write this after I come home from the hospital. So… To be glad of life, because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the [...] (Source: ThirdAge Blog) ThirdAge Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1502836 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:33:33 +0100 1502836 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1501514&cid=t_100943_158_f&fid=36043&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.thirdage.com%2F%3Fp%3D1346 I invite you to receive a copy of my free e-newsletter by going to www.MenAlive.com      The week leading up to Father’s Day (June 15, 2008) has been designated Men’s Health Week. According to the Men’s Health Network  the purpose of Men’s Health Week is to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early [...] (Source: ThirdAge Blog) ThirdAge Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1501514 Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:24:23 +0100 1501514 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1492362&cid=t_100943_158_f&fid=36043&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.thirdage.com%2F%3Fp%3D1341 Dr. Mitchell is co-author of Fat is Not Your Fate, Eat to Stay Young and I’d Kill for a Cookie. Listen to her weekly Internet Show on AM580 WDBO http://580wdbo.com/healthcenter/ Visit her websites: http://www.susanmitchell.org and http://www.fatisnotyourfate.com It’s summertime and the living is supposed to be easy. It’s a great time to start walking. Walking is great for [...] (Source: ThirdAge Blog) ThirdAge Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1492362 Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:42:35 +0100 1492362 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1485040&cid=t_100943_158_f&fid=36043&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.thirdage.com%2F%3Fp%3D1339 To accept whatever comes, regardless of the consequences, is to be afraid. – John Cage As I sit here to write I realize that next week at this time I will be coming out of surgery. No more mysteries or questions or anticipations. The job will be done and the results will be cast. I have [...] (Source: ThirdAge Blog) ThirdAge Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1485040 Mon, 02 Jun 2008 11:33:57 +0100 1485040 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1472746&cid=t_100943_158_f&fid=36043&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.thirdage.com%2F%3Fp%3D1334 Dr. Mitchell is co-author of Fat is Not Your Fate, Eat to Stay Young and I’d Kill for a Cookie. Listen to her weekly Internet Show on AM580 WDBO http://580wdbo.com/healthcenter/ Visit her websites: http://www.susanmitchell.org and http://www.fatisnotyourfate.com Lately it seems that the rising cost of gas and food prices is all we hear about. It takes an outrageous [...] (Source: ThirdAge Blog) ThirdAge Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1472746 Wed, 28 May 2008 11:00:21 +0100 1472746 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1472747&cid=t_100943_158_f&fid=36043&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.thirdage.com%2F%3Fp%3D1337 I’m a little hesitant to bring up the subject of anti-depressants and astrology, for lots of reasons. But I’m going to mention it because the use of anti-depressants is so widespread in our society today, as is the use of other long-term medications that can have an effect on mood. Indeed, I read recently that [...] (Source: ThirdAge Blog) ThirdAge Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1472747 Wed, 28 May 2008 11:00:01 +0100 1472747 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1464299&cid=t_100943_158_f&fid=36043&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.thirdage.com%2F%3Fp%3D1327 Come visit me at www.MenAlive.com or www.TheIrritableMale.com      I’m generally not drawn to the latest new age spiritual thinking. My spiritual practice usually involves long walks in the woods or moseying around town enjoying the chance meetings that occur with people, dogs, cats, clouds, trees, and sunshine. But everyone and their brother and sister has been [...] (Source: ThirdAge Blog) ThirdAge Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1464299 Fri, 23 May 2008 11:01:04 +0100 1464299 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1464300&cid=t_100943_158_f&fid=36043&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.thirdage.com%2F%3Fp%3D1333 Jacqueline MarcellAuthor: Elder Rage www.ElderRage.comHost: Coping With Caregiving Radio www.wsRadio.com/CopingWithCaregiving Jacqueline’s lecture CD: 2.5/hr or 14 hr w/12 Eldercare Experts! WELCOME BACK ALL MY CAREGIVERS! After eight years of working so hard to spread the importance of early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s (and any kind of dementia), I am still having a hard time convincing people [...] (Source: ThirdAge Blog) ThirdAge Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1464300 Fri, 23 May 2008 00:30:14 +0100 1464300