Book 2. Disability Basics 2
(Pain Control, Hope, Miracles, Wishes, Disabled Travel, Canadian-World Disability)
Table of Contents
Pain Control/ Pain Management
Chronic Pain Info
Holistic Pain Treatments
Stress & Physical Inactivity Increase Pain
Surgery for Pain Control Should be Rare
Chapter 2. Advanced Ways to Stop Pain
Cryoanalgesia/ Cooling a Nerve
Electrical Stimulation of the Nerves
Nerve Blocks to Stop the Pain Signal
Neurolytic Procedures/ Destroying Nerves to Stop Pain
Radiofrequency Ablation/ Radiofrequency Lesioning to Burn Away Pain
Trigger Point Injection to Stop Pain
Myofascial Pain Syndrome
Neuropathic Pain Info/ Nerve Pain Info
Somatoform Pain Disorder Info
Chapter 4. Pain Resource Guide
Pain Websites
Canadian Pain Websites
Pain Organizations Websites
Chronic Pain Websites
Chronic Pain Support Groups
Pain Experiences/ Pain Stories
Pain Clinics Info by State
Chapter 5. Muscle Pain/ Muscle Problems
Muscle Cramps/ Muscle Spasms
Myositis/ Muscle Inflammation
Muscle Massage/ Muscle Therapy Machines
Muscle Pain/ Myalgia/ Myofascial Pain Syndrome
Chapter 6. World's Most Common Medical Problem
Headache Info/ Cephalalgia Info
Migraine Info
Headache Websites
Headache Organizations Websites
Migraine Websites
Headache Clinics Info
Holistic Headache Treatments
Holistic Migraine Info
Herbal/ Holistic Headache Websites
Volume 2. People With Serious/ Chronic/ Long-Term/ Life-Threatening Challenges
Chapter 1. When it Gets Serious
How to Face a Serious Illness
Devastating Diagnosis Websites
Serious Illness Websites/ Life-Threatening Illness Websites
Children & Serious Illness Websites
Cancer Survivor Info
Terminal Illness Survivor Info
Retreats/ Healing/ Support
Medical Recovery Facilities/ Recovery Retreat/ Post-Surgery Care
Chapter 2. Everything is Reversible
Everything is Reversible
Medical Hope Websites
Medical Miracles Info
Medical Miracles Websites/ Impossible Cure Websites
Medical Mysteries Info
Medical Secrets Info
Spontaneous Remission Info
Chapter 3. Day to Day Life With a Life-Changing Illness
Chronic Diseases/ Chronic Illness
Thrive, Survive, Fight to Heal Yourself
Chronic Illness Websites/ Long-Term Illness Websites
Telling Your Children You Have a Serious Disease
Chapter 4. Wishes Fulfilled for Seriously Ill People
Wish Fulfillment Organizations/ Make a Wish for Terminally Ill People/ Make a Wish for Children
British Make-a-Wish
Canadian Make-a-Wish
Chapter 5. Clinical Trials/ Clinical Research
How They Do Clinical Trials Which is Free Experimental Treatment For Subjects
Clinical Research Organizations/ Companies That do Clinical Trials
Clinical Trials Websites/ Experimental Medical Treatments Websites
Free Experimental Drugs Used for Drug Research
Fraud In Clinical Drug Trials
Cancer Clinical Trials Websites
Volume 3. Social Security BasicsChapter 1. Social Security InfoGeneral Overview of Social SecurityBenefits For Your FamilyBenefits For Divorced People
Joint Survivor Benefits
Survivor & Death Benefits
Supplemental Security Income
Social Security Resources/ Social Security Websites
Social Security Fraud
Social Security Administration
SSA Booklets
SSA Regional OfficesDeposit Social Security Payment into Foreign Account
Chapter 2. If You're Disabled & Can't Work
Disability Insurance Info
Disability Insurance Websites
Social Security Disability Benefits
Social Security Disability Websites
Disability Pension in the United States
Appendix. Your Guide To Social Security Benefits
Volume 4. Disabled People Travel/ Access & Barrier-Free Info
Chapter 1. Travel for Disabled People/ Disabled People Travel 1
Travel Information for Handicapped People
Disabled People Complain About Travel
Air Travel for Disabled People
Service Animal on a Plane
Ground Transport From the Airport/ Accessible Ground Transportation
Disabled, Elderly & Senior Local Transportation
Chapter 2. Travel for Disabled People/ Disabled People Travel 2
Major Accessible Travel Websites
Disabled Travel Websites/ Disability Travel Websites/ Barrier-Free Travel Websites
Disabled People Travel Resources
Professional Travel Companion/ Traveling Caregiver
Tour Operators for Disabled People
Kidney Dialysis Services Worldwide
Special Diets Travel Info
Chapter 3. Travel for Disabled People/ Disabled People Travel 3
Disabled Person Car Rental Info
Accessible Van Rental Websites
Bus Travel for Disabled People/ Accessible Bus Service
Bus Websites
Disabled People on Cruise Ships
Chapter 4. Air Travel for Medical Reasons
Nonprofit Air Ambulance Services
Prepaid Medical Transportation Emergency Providers/ Medical Travel Insurance
Commercial Air Ambulance Services
Canadian Air Ambulance
Air Charter Companies
Helicopter Charters
Chapter 5. Train Travel Basics
Amtrak, Big American Train Company
Train Websites
Canada Trains
United States Trains
Chapter 6. Accessibility in Some Countries
Canadian Accessibility/ Canadian Disability Travel
Australia Accessibility Info
British Accessibility Info
Europe Accessibility
World Accessibility
Volume 5. Canadian Disabilities Basics
Chapter 1. Canadian Disability Basics
Canadian Disability Info
Canadian Disability Websites
Major Canadian Disability Organizations
Canadian Disability Organizations
Canadian Disabled Women/ Canadian Women's Disability Websites
Canadian Disability Insurance
Canadian Disability Products
Canadian Mobility Products
Canadian Disabled People go to College
Canadian Accessibility/ Canadian Disability Travel
Canadian Disability Law
Canadian Independent Living
Canadian Parent of Child With Disabilities
Canadian Disabled Children Organizations
Chapter 2. Canadian Special Education Children
Canadian Learning Disabilities/ Canadian Special Education/ Canadian LD
Canadian Local Learning Disorders Groups
Canadian Children's Reading Websites
Canadian Down Syndrome Info
Chapter 3. Canadian Disabled People at Work
Canadian Disabled People Jobs/ Canadian Disability Job Websites
Canadian Disability Job Accomodation by the Boss
Canadian Business Disabled People
Provincial Disability Offices
Chapter 4. Canadian Homecare & Senior Living
Canadian Homecare Websites/ Canadian Eldercare Websites
Canadian Caregiving/ Home Healthcare by Province
Hire a Private Nurse in Canada
Canadian Long-Term Care Insurance
Canadian Nursing Homes, Etc.
Canadian Senior Housing: Retirement Communities & Homes
Some Specific Canadian Retirement Homes
Canadian Hospice Info
Chapter 5. Specific Canadian Disabilities
Canadian Birth Disorders/ Canadian Genetic Disorders
Canadian Blood & Tissue Disorders
Canadian Brain Info/ Canadian Neuro Info
Canadian Brain Injury Info
Canadian Cerebral Palsy Info
Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Info
Canadian Epilepsy Info
Canadian Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Info
Canadian Fragile X Info
Canadian Genetics Websites
Canadian Multiple Sclerosis Info
Canadian Muscular Dystrophy Info
Canadian Myasthenia Gravis Info
Canadian Neurofibromatosis Info
Canadian Paraplegic Association Local Offices
Canadian Parkinson's Disease Info
Canadian Sickle Cell Info
Canadian Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus Info
Canadian Stuttering Info
Canadian Thalassemia Info
L'Arche Groups in Canada
Chapter 6. Canadian Eye Problems
Canadian Eye Websites
Canadian Blind Info
Canadian National Institute for the Blind Local Offices
Chapter 7. Canadian Hearing Info
Canadian Deaf & Hard of Hearing Info
Canadian Sign Language Learning Course
Acoustic Neuroma Association of Canada Local Offices
Canadian Hard of Hearing Association Local Offices
Canadian Tinnitus Info
Chapter 8. Provincial Disability Info
Canadian Provincial Disabilities
Alberta Disability Info
British Columbia Disability Info
Manitoba Disability Info
New Brunswick Disability Info
Newfoundland Disability Info
Nova Scotia Disability Info
Ontario Disability Info
Prince Edward Island Disability Info
Quebec Disability Info
Saskatchewan Disability Info
Northwest Territories Disability Info
Nunavut Disability Info
Yukon Disability Info
Volume 6. Miscellaneous Disabilities
Chapter 1. Disabilities Around the World
World Disability Websites
Australia Disability Websites
Australia Children's Disability Websites
Australia Disabled Sports
Australia Disability Transportation
British Disability Websites/ British Disabled People
Greece Disabled
India Disability Websites
Ireland Disability Websites
New Zealand Disability Websites
Philippines Disability
Singapore Disability
South Africa Disability Websites
Everybody has disabled people somewhere in their family tree. Lots of people are born disabled due to genetic reasons or as the result of pregnancy complications. People get injured or acquire debilitating diseases at some point in life. I've lived with both, a disabled relative and serious injuries of my own.
The thing is that the world goes on. It doesn't slow down or stop just because someone is disabled. We can do so much politically and the rest we have to do on our own to fit into the world somehow in a useful, productive way to get the money we want to buy the things that will help us survive and enjoy our lives more.
The best thing I ever saw about disabilities was the 1940s movie called Shaggy Bush which was a movie about a family going through ups and downs. There was a bit in there where the mother said her daughter's disability didn't mean she was doomed. It just meant that she would still do what she felt in her spirit with her life with this extra nuisance to deal with.
There's a lot of discrimination. You can't legislate it away. The only way to solve it is to prove to prejudiced people that you can do the things you do as a job or for a career just as well or better than other people.
As a group, disabled people are the poorest category within society. The government could do more but it won't happen until disabled people of all kinds come together to form a powerful voting block capable of swaying elections like the AARP for people over 50.
There has to be some kind of major aggressive program to train disabled people and put them out into the workforce. They should get preferential treatment for all government jobs.
There are all kinds of assisted living retirement communities for seniors who can afford them. There could be living communities built especially for disabled people. We're wealthy enough as a society to do this but we choose to spend the money on warfare and all kinds of other foolishness like border guards between Canada and the United States. We're spozed to be best friends.
I hope this book will help you but there are a lot of holes in it. It's a first edition. It has lots of room for improvement. To all the disabled and seriously ill people out there, this is your book. Send me articles, websites, tips, etc. to help make it the one central disabilities help book in the world.
Pain Control/ Pain Management
Pain is the body screaming to the mind saying "Danger, Danger" warning you to either sit still to avoid further injury or to do something about it.The span ranges from localized acute pain for injuries to long-term chronic pain.
Pain exists in a relationship between the brain and the body within a complex network of nerves (neurons), hormones and psychological factors.
Pain ranges the spectrum from irritating to agonizing. There are some medications and therapies around to help reduce pain sensations.
Many people who use pain medication then get hooked on it and have a hard time breaking away, if ever. In extreme cases, the doctors will cut the nerves leading to the CNS in order to stop the pain signals from reaching the brain.
There is fast, intense pain and a slow, low level, dull pain. Nobody really knows exactly where pain begins or where it ends but a salient factor is that the mind has a lot to do with its intensity and management.
With the mind, you can will the body to create its own pain killers, i.e. morphine and endorphins usually released automatically in response to painful, stressful situations.
Exercise and an active lifestyle are great ways to prevent pain. Relaxation is the best way to heal pain. Use your common sense to deal with pain. The mind is very powerful in dealing with pain.
Focus the pain away by thinking of other things. If it's really bad, get up and get mobile if you can as a distraction. Most pain will go away as hormones and neurotransmitters come to the rescue to block it away. If something still hurts, rest it rather than strain it.
Beyond drugs, there are many specific suggestions and techniques available to relieve pain from typical conditions and illnesses like stomach cramps, toothache, knee injuries, etc.
Beyond this, there are a whole host of alternative techniques like;
Acupuncture.
Biofeedback (learning body control by watching your performance on machines/ gauges).
Chiropractic.
Physical therapy.
Support groups.
Mind power (switching focus, relaxing, visualization, learning to take it).
Exercise (takes your mind off the pain and releases natural pain killers called endorphins).
Cold for injuries and acute sudden pain like headaches.
Heat for sore joints and arthritis.
Massage.
Hypnosis.
Relaxation.
Meditation.
Sleep.
Social support.
Booze.
Avoid chemicals in foods.
Take aspirin.
Drink water.
Eat something.
Sex.
Be active to take your mind off the pain.
Try to be happy.
Be with other people so you don't focus on the pain as much.
Don't be angry.
Help yourself in the healing process.
Eat healthy foods.
Don't overeat.
Do anything to take your mind off the pain.
For people with extreme pain like cancer, doctors can do what they call a permanent nerve block which is essentially cutting a nerve or a Cordotomy, destroying a bundle of pain transmitting nerve fibers (spinothalamic tract) in the spinal cord to wipe away the pain from the specific area.
Another technique called Deep Brain Stimulation is implanting an electrode in the brain which either/ or stops pain receptors or releases pleasurable endorphins. A wire is attached to it and a radio receiver is implanted just below the collarbone. The patient activates it whenever he feels pain and a mild electrical current goes off in his brain.
Physiatry is a physician specialty concerned with the use of a variety of techniques to relieve pain. There is a machine called Transcutaneous (Across The Skin) Unit (Tens Unit) where little electrodes are put on the skin where the pain is and a small electrical current jams the pain signal from the brain to the body part. The cost is around $500-$1500.
Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA) is a device where the patient is hooked up to a pain drug intravenously and when he presses a button, some medication is released.
Acupuncture, biofeedback, humor, hypnosis and meditation are all techniques used to control pain. Refer to alternative medicine for different techniques.
There are many quack devices on the market. Check with the FDA first to find out if the one you're considering is FDA approved or talk to a physical therapist about them, fda.gov. Since caffeine and tobacco are stimulants, if you're in pain, they may heighten it.
A new technique in pain control is called monochromatic infrared irradiation. It's just the use of infrared light of one wavelength on painful joints. This brings healing blood to these inflicted body parts.
Ask yourself the following questions about pain. Bring it to your doctor.
How often does it occur?
How would you describe the quality of the pain?
What makes your pain worse?
What makes your pain better?
Do you have any other symptoms like nausea, fatigue, constipation, etc?
A&E did an investigative reports show about pain, the neglected crisis. You can buy a video of this program at aetv.com, 800-423-1212 for about $25.
Through fsmb.org, the federation of state medical boards, 817-868-4000, you can get information about state laws regarding prescribing of controlled substances for extreme chronic pain.
Chronic Pain Info
He has seen but half the Universe who has not been shown the house of pain.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Pain has an Element of Blank
It cannot recollect
When it begun-if there were
A time when it was not
It has no Future but itself
Its Infinite realms contain
Its Past-enlightened to perceive
New Periods of Pain.
Emily Dickinson
Acute pain is serious pain right here and now. Chronic pain is lingering pain that could come and go or be there all the time for the rest of a person's life.
Chronic pain was originally defined as pain that has lasted at least 6 months but now it is defined as any pain that lasts longer than it normally should.
Chronic pain can affect your whole life, your sense of identity and social life. Many people say they vecome loners because they're always in pain. Othwer people don't want to deal with it.
Your whole life is affected by chronic pain; the physical, emotional, medical and spiritual.
Many people go outside the bounds of conventional medicine to look for solutions to their pain and some of them work.
Chronic pain is an invisible epidemic. Millions have it but stay quiet about it.
People don't want to tell their doctor because if he can't find a definite reason, they think that he thinks they're nuts.
Relatives and friends get tired of someone always complaining that they can't do anything becaiuse of pain.
The problem with pain is that you never really get used to it.
A patient called chronic pain a long, long slow death.
Chronic pain could happen to anyone. All it takes is one accident or one injury.
Some people say that the usual pleasurable things relieve their pain for awhile like drugs, alcohol, sex, music, nature, love, getting absorbed in an inspirational activity, etc.
If you took a hundred conventional pain experts and asked them a bunch of questions about what is good or bad, they would all contradict each other. Some say exercise is good, some so no. Some say use hot packs, some say use ice, etc.
You have to decide on how much conventional medical you'll take because a lot of it has bad side effects.
Science can only go so far. It cannot solve chronic pain yet.
People say the best way to deal with chronic pain is to form or join a support group.
Beware of fraudsters offering snake oil as a pain relief product.
Chronic pain of the body which cannot easily be explained as injuries or infection could be a signal of chronic water shortage.
Many people write stories about their chronic pain.
People in chronic pain want the right to die which is why you should check out right to die organizations if you''e interested.
Try #616.0472 or RB127 at the library.
Holistic Pain Treatments
Refer to the holistic relaxation section in my health book.
The following holistic substances have been linked to pain control.
Aloe.
Amino acids.
Arnica.
Black beans.
Boswellia.
Cayenne.
Elderberry juice and tea.
Feverfew.
Fruit juice, celery juice.
Garlic mixed with milk.
Gingko biloba.
Horse chestnut.
Horseradish poultice to affected area.
Kava.
MSM.
Nux vomica.
Parsley.
Peppermint.
Sulphur.
Tree bark, willow bark, bark extract.
Vegetable juice.
Vitex.
Watercress.
Use a hot water bag on the afflicted area.
Take hot baths.
Olive oil massage on afflicted area.
ampainsoc.org, american pain society.
beliefnet.com
benmoonpharma.com
blatmanpainclinic.com, cincinnati clinic specializing in holistic management of myofascial painchronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.
bodymemory.com/treatment.html
chiromfa.com, holistic care, hands-on treatment, and pain control.
cure-back-pain.org/holistic-medicine-for-back-pain.html
ehow.com, how to use holistic medicine for pain management.
ezinearticles.com, try-holistic-treatment-for-arthritis-pain.
globalhealingseminars.com/treatment.html, holistic treatment of pain, stress, infertility and body memory.
gouldchiropractic.com, cincinnati, ohio.
healthzine.org/pain-treatment
herniateddiscrelief.com
holisticacupuncture.net
holistichealthtools.com
holisticjunction.com/categories/hpd/back-pain.html
holisticmed.com/www/treatment.html
holisticspecifics.com
mayoclinic.com/health/back-pain-treatment
medscape.com/medline/abstract/15798880, holistic medicine seems to be efficient in the treatment of chronic pain in internal organs.
miamiacupuncture.com
naturalandholistic.com
naturalholisticmedicine.com/pain-alleviation-management.html
nextstepinstitute.org
ohiowholisticacupuncture.com, columbus, oh.
quick-pain-relief.com, herbal plasters, herbal scent and herbal ointments.
quick-pain-relief.com/html/alternate_pain1.html
secretsofeden.com
theholisticcare.com
ventpain.com, venting the chronic pain.
wholisticphysicaltherapy.com
youtube.com, type in chronic pain holistic treatment.
Health Journey
800-800-8661
Healing imagery tapes.
Stress & Physical Inactivity Increase Pain
The more stressed out you are, the less active you are and the more unhealthy your body is, the worse your pain is.
The more relaxed you are, the more physically active you are and the more healthy your body is, the less your pain bothers you.
Physical inactivity can cause muscle atrophy (shrinkage), muscle tightness and spasm (myofascial dysfunction),
loss of elasticity in tendons and ligaments and brittle bones, potentially causing fractures.
Surgery for Pain Control Should be Rare
Barbers give haircuts, surgeons do surgery. A surgeon wants to do what he was trained to do even if the patient doesn't really need it. If a doctor recommends surgery to you to relieve pain, decline, get a second opinion then regardless of what the second doctor says, go on a physical fitness and healthy eating regimen for at least a year to see if that helps minimize pain. There are a few exceptions to this like:
1.) A piece of disc has broken off from your spinal cord and is pressing up against it.
2.) A bulging disc is blocking a blood vessel or otherwise causing bowel or bladder incontinence.
3.) You have severe knee or hip osteoarthritis where there is no spongy material left between he joints.
4.) Extreme carpal tunnel syndrome.
5.) A tumor on a nerve causing neuropathic (nerve injury) pain.
Other possible exceptions are if you're in extreme pain all the time or if you have a terminal disease and you want your last months to be comfortable.
The most common unnecessary pain surgeries are back surgery and sinus surgery supposedly for sinus headaches but many medical professionals don't even believe there is such a thing as a sinus headache. A headache is a headache. It has nothing to do with the sinuses. It's all in the brain.
Chapter 2. Advanced Ways to Stop Pain
Cryoanalgesia/ Cooling a Nerve
Cryoanalgesia causes the destruction of peripheral nerves by extreme cold (destroys flesh) which helps stop pain signals to the brain. It is used mostly for cancer pain, facial pain and chest pain. The duration of pain relief lasts anywhere from a few days to seven months or longer.
Electrical Stimulation of the Nerves
Within the peripheral nervous system, electrical stimulation blocks some types of sensory nerves.
Electrical stimulation can also help block pain signals in the central nervous system.
The peripheral nerve stimulator/ PNS is a device that is first used on a trial basis on the outside of a patient's body for a week or so. If the patient says the PNS helps him or her and there are no adverse effects, the PNS is implanted under the skin so that nothing shows on the surface of the skin.
The patient turns the stimulator on and off with a magnet.
This is an advanced treatment. Make sure the doctor implanting it has done at least ten before doing it to you.
There are possible side effects like bleeding, infection, the wires moving out of position and battery failure which means you have to be cut open to put a new battery in.
Nerve Blocks to Stop the Pain Signal
A nerve block is a procedure that interferes with normal nerve electrical activity to prevent or decrease the pain signal from getting to the brain. A local anesthetic like lidocaine or medications like cortisone and tnamcinolone are injected around the nerve to block electrical activity within the nerve so that it can't send a pain signal to the brain.
Nerve blocks can work anywhere from days to months.
There are four types of nerve blocks:
1.) Diagnostic nerve blocks to help your doctor discover the cause of pain.
2.) Prognostic nerve blocks are used to try another pain control method that may work better than a nerve block.
3.) Prophylactic nerve blocks (preemptive analgesia) are performed to prevent pain from developing after surgery or trauma. Research is being done to try to stop chronic pain from developing.
4.) Therapeutic nerve blocks are used to stop or lessen pain.
The types of pain that can benefit from nerve blocks are:
headaches
myofascial pain syndromes
nerve root compression
neuromas, nerve endings that develop after surgery or injury
osteoarthritis
painful scars
sacroiliac joint dysfunction
spinal degenerative conditions like degenerative or herniated discs
Neurolytic Procedures/ Destroying Nerves to Stop Pain
If a persion's pain is very great or he has a terminal illness, neurosurgeons will sometimes destroy portions of the nervous system to reduce pain. This stops the pain signal from going to the brain.
Radiofrequency Ablation/ Radiofrequency Lesioning to Burn Away Pain
The doctor uses a thermal probe and a radiofrequency generator to burn away specific nerve fibers for pain control.
Radiofrequency ablation is most often used for spinal pain disorders and trigeminal neuralgia.
Trigger Point Injection to Stop Pain
Doctors can put a needle into the trigger point of pain within a muscle, inject some substance into it (botulinum toxin which is an off-label use of this drug) which can cause pain relief for several days.
Usually more than one trigger point is injected during a treatment session.
It's only temporary relief.
Myofascial Pain Syndrome
Myofascial pain is related to fibromyalgia which is related to arthritis.
dpdc-mbf.com, 760-634-3565, muscle balance and function.
myofascialrelease.com, 800-fascial
myofascialtherapy.org
myopain.org, myopain society.
npimall.com/amtpt, academy for myofascial trigger point therapy.
Neuropathic Pain Info/ Nerve Pain Info
Whenever there is damage to a nerve in the body, it can cause chronic nerve pain or neuropathic pain.
Neuropathic pain has two categories depending on which part of the nervous system is damaged:
1.) peripheral neuropathic pain in the peripheral nervous system (peripheral nerves)
2.) central neuropathic pain in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).
The three most common peripheral neuropathic pain conditions are:
1.) painful polyneuropathy (which includes diabetic neuropathy)
2.) therapeutic neuralgia (PHN, also known as chronic shingles pain)
3.) RSD/CRPS.
Peripheral neuropathic pain often develops after damage or inflammation to the peripheral nerves like the small nerves that provide sensory information from the skin, muscles and organs to the spinal cord and the brain.
Think of an electrical wire. When it's damaged, it short-circuits. When the nerves in the body get injured or inflamed, they send pain signals to the spinal cord which go up to the brain.
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