Clinical Psychiatry News articles from February 2005

Clinical Psychiatry News archives from February 2005

rEEG system helps guide prescribing.(News)(referenced electroencephalogram)
February 1, 2005... Brain waves may be the wave of the future when it comes to prescribing medications for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Using a normative EEG database and an extensive and growing outcomes database of more than 12,000 patient...

General psychiatrists worked nearly 46 clinical hours per week in 2003.(VITAL SIGNS)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... General Psychiatrists Worked Nearly 46 Clinical Hours per Week in 2003 Mean Hours per Week Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (n = 25) 47.18 General Psychiatry (n = 198) 45.98 Internal Medicine (n = 4,972) 36.36...

Adolescent use of drugs, tobacco continues decline: more are abusing painkillers, inhalants.(News)
February 1, 2005... Fewer teenagers used drugs and tobacco this past year, continuing a trend that has been seen for the past 3 years among high school seniors and for the last 8 years among younger teens, according to the Monitoring the Future Survey. Among...

Cardiovascular exercise improves the aging brain.(News)
February 1, 2005... SANTA FE, N.M. -- Cardiovascular exercise improves cognitive performance and cortical function in elderly people, and it also appears to roll back age-related losses in brain volume, according to a series of studies described by Stanley J....

Drug use among gay men pervasive.(News)
February 1, 2005... ATLANTA -- Substance abuse is pervasive among gay men and is so intricately intertwined with epidemics of depression, partner abuse, and childhood sexual abuse that adequately addressing one issue requires attention to the others as well, said...

NIH panel concludes that Scare tactics don't stop youth violence.(News)
February 1, 2005... BETHESDA, MD. -- Group detention centers, boot camps, and other "get tough" programs don't help prevent teen violence--and may actually make matters worse--according to a panel convened by the National Institutes of Health. Moreover, laws...

Black box warning is added to antidepressant labeling.(News)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... The Food and Drug Administration has approved the wording of the black box warning that will be added to all antidepressant medications to emphasize the risk of suicide in children and adolescents. The agency advised drug companies to make...

Let data guide Tx of eating disorders.(GUEST EDITORIAL)
February 1, 2005... Evidence-based medicine is as important in eating disorders as it is in every other area of medicine. In this arena, there have been both successes to build upon and failures that must be addressed. First, the successes. When the National...

Value of EMDR.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2005... It is always a pleasure to read about Dr. Robert T. London's approach to psychiatry, which combines not only medication and psychotherapy, but also philosophy and a broad array of psychotherapeutic techniques ("Strategies for Treating PTSD,"...

Not user friendly.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2005... I see two barriers to using electronic health records: * Typing. I can't type fast enough to be productive. * Platforms. There are too many of them. The variety of proprietary software products precludes ease of use for review and...

More on third parties.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2005... I always enjoy the thoughtful discussions of Paul J. Fink, M.D., in Clinical Psychiatry News, but I was dismayed with his suggestion that "younger colleagues cannot do what I have done" with respect to his withdrawing from all insurance payment...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
February 1, 2005... An article about the hesitancy of physicians to prescribe buprenorphine incorrectly stated the number of physicians who have received training "Barriers to Buprenorphine Treatment Examined," January 2005, p. 56). The number is actually 6,500.

Helping the terminally ill.(FINK! STILL AT LARGE)
February 1, 2005... A recently published study found that patients who are terminally ill are able to discuss death, dying, and bereavement with their caregivers with minimal stress (Arch. Intern. Med. 2004;164:1999-2004). In fact, the researchers found that...

Your hardest task.(GUEST EDITORIAL)
February 1, 2005... Firing an employee is arguably the most difficult task most employers face, and it is particularly tough on physicians. We hate doing it so much that many of us prefer to tolerate poor and marginal employees rather than replace them with good...

The 'comedy of neurosis' after Woody.(REEL LIFE)
February 1, 2005... Recently, a psychiatrist friend who doesn't see many films was lamenting the decline of Woody Allen, saying that no one's making intelligent comedies anymore. Hey, Woody could still make a comeback, I said, but what about Alexander Payne? Or...

Women need our help.(GUEST EDITORIAL)
February 1, 2005... Domestic violence is a major public health issue. Listen to any news report today, and too often you will hear about yet another woman being beaten--or even killed--by her intimate partner. We all experienced the horror of the Laci Peterson...

Pain relievers.(Opinion)
February 1, 2005... "I'm prescribing a squiggly line, two slanted loops, and something that looks like a P or J."

The art of Jane Gerus.(VISIONARY ART)
February 1, 2005... Jane Gerus went to Minnesota to get well. In the process of getting off drugs and alcohol, she found a name for her vivid and debilitating hallucinations with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. She also discovered a hidden artistic talent. ...

Making dual therapy work.(THE PSYCHIATRIST'S TOOLBOX)
February 1, 2005... We're in the midst of a crisis in psychiatry. Why? Partly because much of our world has been turned over to a group of caregivers called "psychotherapists." Many of these psychotherapists are fine at what they do. And given the shortages...

Black Alzheimer's caregivers less likely to be depressed.(Adult Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Black women who are caring for patients with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias are less likely to be depressed than are their nonblack counterparts, Betsy Sleath, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina School of Pharmacy,...

T3 therapy not yet ready for psychiatric use.(Adult Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Triiodothyronine therapy is most definitely not a treatment whose time has come, a panel of experts agreed at a satellite symposium held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Thyroid Association. Despite...

In medicating anger, consider comorbidities.(PRACTICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY)
February 1, 2005... The prevalence of anger in psychiatric practice is comparable with that of anxiety and depressive symptoms. In a survey of 1,300 consecutive outpatients with diverse Axis I and Axis II diagnoses, half reported moderate to severe levels of...

Partial hospitalization benefits phobia and anxiety patients.(Adult Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... LOS ANGELES -- A program of partial hospitalization is helping patients with phobias and anxiety disorders get a handle on their fears, Alexander Bystritsky, M.D., said at a psychopharmacology update sponsored by the University of California,...

Psychosis may alter brain structures.(Adult Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... NEW YORK -- Repeated episodes of psychosis seem to result in measurable changes in several brain structures, and these tend to become worse the longer a patient remains untreated, reported Paola Dazzan, M.D., at a symposium sponsored by the...

SSRIs for negative symptoms of schizophrenia.(EVIDENCE-BASED PSYCHIATRIC MEDICINE)
February 1, 2005... The Problem You have a patient diagnosed with schizophrenia. Positive symptoms of psychosis have been brought under remission with atypical antipsychotic therapy. But the patient continues to experience negative symptoms that prevent him...

Acute dysphoric mania.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... In combination with either valproate or lithium, olanzapine therapy was effective in treating patients with coexisting manic and depressive symptoms who did not respond adequately to lithium or valproate monotherapy, said Robert W. Baker, M.D.,...

PTSD and terrorism.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Posttraumatic stress disorder begins immediately after a terrorism-related trauma, but many patients may be missed because subthreshold cases often don't meet the criteria for full-blown PTSD until months after the traumatic event, according to...

Postpartum OCD.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... The addition of quetiapine to antidepressant therapy may benefit treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder in women diagnosed with major depression postpartum onset and OCD, said Shaila Misri, M.D., and Lisa Milis, both of St. Paul's...

Gender differences in panic disorder.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Gender differences exist in panic disorder patients with or without agoraphobia in the areas of anxiety symptoms and the personality characteristics of extraversion, with fewer differences seen in other areas, said Meredith Foot and Dianna...

Navigating Tx of bipolar disorder in pregnancy.(Adult Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... BOSTON -- Managing bipolar disorder during pregnancy requires balancing the competing risks and benefits to the woman and her fetus, said Adele Viguera, M.D. "Pregnancy, and particularly the post-partum period, is associated with a high...

Bipolar drugs may raise risk of osteoporosis.(Adult Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... NEW YORK -- Lithium, Depakote, and other antiepileptic medications commonly used to treat bipolar disorder are associated with loss of bone mineral density and increased risk of osteoporosis, Claudia Baldassano, M.D., reported at a symposium...

Bulimic patients respond to family therapy, CBT.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Family-based therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy with guided self-help both show promise for the treatment of adolescents with bulimia nervosa, according to data presented at an international conference sponsored by the...

Video feedback eases attachment problems: short-term intervention appears to enhance parent-child relationship, minimize later psychopathology.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... BERLIN -- A short-term video feedback intervention in early childhood can enhance parent-child relationships in adoptive families and minimize later child psychopathology associated with attachment problems, Femmie Juffer, Ph.D., said at the...

Adopted youths no more likely to engage in high-risk activities.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... ST. LOUIS -- Despite feeling more emotional distress and disconnection from their families, adolescents who are adopted don't appear to engage in more high-risk behaviors or have worse adult outcomes than nonadopted adolescents, Dr. Cheryl...

Internationally adopted exhibit more behavior problems as teens.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... BALTIMORE -- Most internationally adopted children become well-adjusted adolescents, Femmie Juffer, Ph.D, said at a meeting sponsored by the Society for Research on Adolescence. But internationally adopted teens do have more behavior...

Only 25% of adults would allow their children to participate in a clinical trial.(DATA WATCH)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Only 25% of Adults Would Allow Their Children to Participate in a Clinical Trial Yes 25% No 30% Not sure 45% Note: Based on a nationwide survey of 5,822 adults conducted May 10-17, 2004. Sources: Harris...

Atypical antipsychotics in youth: use caution.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... BERLIN -- When prescribing atypical antipsychotic drugs to children with major psychiatric disorders, physicians "can't be guided by scientific data alone because there are just not enough from properly conducted trials," Stanley Kutcher, M.D.,...

School-based intervention helps aggressive kids cope.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... BERLIN -- School-based preventive interventions can positively affect children's antisocial behavior at the time of transition to middle school, and the gains can be maintained for at least a year after the intervention ends. Elementary...

Enlist teens in smoking cessation.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Ninety percent of adolescents who identified a smoker who was close to them would be willing to help that person quit, said Christi A. Patten, Ph.D., of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and her associates. The investigators surveyed...

Clozapine calms aggression.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... In a retrospective study of clozapine, 20 children and adolescents with treatment-refractory schizophrenia showed significant decreases in three indices of aggression--administration of emergency oral medications, administration of emergency...

CBT relieves chronic fatigue.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(cognitive-behavioral therapy)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Teens with chronic fatigue syndrome who received cognitive-behavioral therapy had a 14% improvement in fatigue, a 17% improvement in physical functioning, and an 18% improvement in school attendance, compared with a placebo group, reported Maja...

Sex and out-of-school care.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... In a sample of 494 young adolescents aged 11-13 years living in poor urban neighborhoods, those who spent out-of-school time away from home were significantly more likely to initiate sex early, compared with those who spent more spare time at...

Risperidone reduces disruptiveness.(CLINICAL CAPSULES)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Children with disruptive behavior disorders and subaverage intelligence showed improved scores on a conduct scale after taking risperidone (Risperdal) daily for 1 year, said Jan Croonenberghs, M.D., of the University of Antwerp (Belgium) and...

Experiencing nature may help to quell ADHD.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)(Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)
February 1, 2005... Exposure to natural, or "green," environments appears to reduce symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children from different locales and social strata, according to Frances E. Kuo, Ph.D., and Andrea Faber Taylor, Ph.D., of...

Two ADHD drugs affect sleep differently.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)(attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder)
February 1, 2005... PHILADELPHIA -- Children who had attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder had a shorter time to sleep onset and more actual sleep time when they were treated with atomoxetine than with methylphenidate, according to a study comparing the two...

Sleep found surprisingly inadequate in children of all ages.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... BETHESDA, MD. -- American children aren't getting enough sleep. Children in every age group "don't even meet the low end of the range recommended by experts" for sleep in a 24-hour period, according to a national survey, Mary A. Carskadon,...

Imaging can match brain structure to behavior.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... IRVINE, CALIF. -- Neuroimaging is offering a window into the brain structure abnormalities that underlie the unique mental and behavioral features of some rare genetic disorders, Allan Reiss, M.D., said at the annual conference of the EEG and...

Gay, bisexual teens face greater parenthood risk.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... ST. LOUIS -- Homosexual and bisexual youth appear to be overrepresented among teen parents, with 1 in 3 teen fathers and 1 in 10 teen mothers reporting either same- or both-gender sexual partners, Rebekah Forrest, R.N., said at the annual...

Explore emotions of atopic dermatitis patients.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... ROME -- A pediatric atopic dermatitis treatment plan is not complete without a psychological element, Dr. Caroline Koblenzer said at the 10th World Congress of Pediatric Dermatology. "Without adding a psychological component to treatment,...

Drugs remain secondary in autism treatment: psychopharmacologic agents are frequently used but still do not correct the core deficits of the disorder.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... BALTIMORE -- Psychopharmacologic medications now are often used to alleviate or modify behavior symptoms or comorbid disorders in children with autism, but they do not appear to correct the disorder's core deficits, Scott M. Myers, M.D., said...

Link found between maternal asthma/allergy and autism.(Child/Adolescent Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Maternal asthma and allergic disorders may somehow be linked with autism spectrum disorders, according to preliminary research presented at a meeting of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Birth...

Seniors receptive to exercise counseling.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- When doctors talk about exercise, older adults listen, Shaun Nelson said at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America. A caring, empathetic physician who counsels patients aged 60 and older about exercise...

Home visits, phone calls help ease depression.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... FORT MYERS, FLA. -- Home visits and follow-up telephone calls improved elderly depression in a program that used existing community services for seniors in Seattle, according to a presentation at the annual meeting of the Academy of...

Broad approach required in treating agitation, psychosis.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... SANTA FE, N.M. -- Atypical antipsychotics remain the treatment of choice for the agitation and psychosis that often accompany dementia, but these agents have only modest effects, Murray A. Raskind, M.D., said at a psychiatric symposium...

Alzheimer's cognition falls as depression spikes.(Geriatric Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... PHILADELPHIA -- Patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease have a faster rate of cognitive decline as they accumulate more symptoms of depression, Ann Marie Hake, M.D., reported in a poster at the Ninth International Conference on...

Diabetes drug appears to slow cognitive decline.(Geriatric Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... PHILADELPHIA -- The diabetes drug rosiglitazone appears to preserve cognitive function in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease, G. Stennis Watson, Ph.D., reported at the Ninth International Conference on Alzheimer's...

Smoking cessation: physicians urged to lead.(Addiction Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Pharmacogenetics will play a major role in the war on tobacco, Sean P. David, M.D., predicted at Wonca 2004, the conference of the World Organization of Family Doctors. It's already possible in research settings to...

States continue to wrestle with meth addiction: Oklahoma's system will allow pharmacists to learn who has bought the drug--and in what amounts.(Addiction Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... Need a good treatment program for a patient addicted to methamphetamines? Good luck finding one, law enforcement experts say. "Regrettably, there are not enough treatment beds in any area of the country to offer timely and adequate...

Injectable naltrexone shows improved efficacy.(Addiction Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... NEW YORK -- An injectable depot formulation of naltrexone, now in phase III trials, may help overcome the adherence problems that have compromised the drug's efficacy in the treatment of alcohol dependence, Helen M. Pettinati, Ph.D., said at...

Primary care alcohol screen raised patient trust.(Addiction Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Screening and intervention for alcohol problems can enhance the quality of a primary care visit, at least from a hazardous drinker's perspective. Perceived quality of care, however, was not associated with the odds of...

Buprenorphine adherence is a struggle for some.(Addiction Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Patients with severe opioid use immediately prior to treatment may not adhere to buprenorphine in an office-based setting, said Michael Pantalon, Ph.D. In an ongoing randomized clinical trial, 91 opioid-dependent patients...

Action, advocacy empower survivors of suicide.(Community Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... MIAMI -- Transforming grief into action after the suicide of a loved one can be empowering, according to a panel presentation at the annual conference of the American Association of Suicidology. The four panelists explained how losing a...

Suicide the third-leading cause of death in 15- to 24-year-olds.(DATA WATCH)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... Suicide the Third-Leading Cause of Death in 15- to 24-Year-Olds Accidents 46% Homicide 15% Suicide 12% Malignant neoplasms 5% Heart disease 3% All other causes 19% Note:...

Watch for suicidal ideation in pediatric epilepsy patients.(Community Psychiatry)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- Children with epilepsy are much more likely to have suicidal ideation or plans than are normal controls, especially when there is a comorbid psychiatric diagnosis. This finding points out the need for psychiatric evaluation...

Perspective.(Community Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... Some psychiatrists do not believe it is reasonable or practical to identify early and successfully intervene with people who are at risk for developing psychotic disorders. We used to think the same about PKU. It is not only reasonable and...

Early intervention key to schizophrenia Tx.(PREVENTION IN ACTION)
February 1, 2005... Early detection and aggressive therapy is the battle cry of mental health professionals who treat patients with schizophrenia. Several studies have shown that the immediate treatment of emerging psychotic symptoms can greatly reduce the...

Debate continues over categorizing paraphilias.(Forensic Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. -- Paraphilias should be thought of more as sexual disorders, rather than as anxiety disorders, H. Martin Malin, Ph.D., said in a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. ...

Diagnoses vary with arrest history.(Forensic Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. -- Adolescent psychiatric inpatients with arrest histories differ significantly from those without arrest histories in male to female ratio and length of stay, Roger C. Burket, M.D., said in a poster presentation at the annual...

Stalking suggests right-brain dysfunction.(Forensic Psychiatry)
February 1, 2005... SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. -- Some paraphilic stalking behaviors may be associated with right-hemispheric brain dysfunction, Montgomery Brower, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. The brain's right...

Panel to MDs: avoid valproate in fertile women.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
February 1, 2005... NEW ORLEANS -- Valproate should not be prescribed as first-line therapy for any indication in women of childbearing age because it significantly increases the risk of major malformations in exposed infants, the American Epilepsy Society's...

Stroke guidelines called 'hopelessly outdated'.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
February 1, 2005... Current guidelines on the use of thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke are "hopelessly outdated," Louis R. Caplan, M.D., said in an editorial that accompanied several reports of patient outcomes studies published in the Journal of the...

MRI equals CT in confirming acute intracerebral hemorrhage.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)(Magnetic resonance imaging equal CAT Scans)
February 1, 2005... Magnetic resonance imaging is superior to CT for detection of chronic brain hemorrhage and is its equal in confirming suspected acute intracerebral hemorrhage, judging from the findings of a prospective, multicenter study. Many stroke...

Many stroke patients may not respond to aspirin.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
February 1, 2005... VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Results of a small prospective study suggest that almost half of patients hospitalized for treatment of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) are "aspirin resistant." But some stroke experts are not...

Parasite may be the cause of new-onset seizures.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
February 1, 2005... MIAMI BEACH -- Public health officials are stepping up efforts to combat cysticercosis, a parasitic infection with dire neurologic consequences that is on the rise in the United States, according to James H. Maguire, M.D., chief of the...

Functional MRI could become lie detector.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
February 1, 2005... CHICAGO -- Functional magnetic resonance imaging can identify activation in specific regions of the brain when people lie and one day could be used to augment or replace polygraph testing, Scott H. Faro, M.D., said at the annual meeting of the...

Early intensive glucose control cut neuropathy risk in type 1 diabetes.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
February 1, 2005... ORLANDO, FLA. -- Early implementation of intensive blood glucose control reduces the risk for neuropathy in patients with type 1 diabetes, even if their control worsens down the line, Catherine L. Martin reported at the annual scientific...

Diagnosis and treatment of restless legs found lacking.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
February 1, 2005... SAN FRANCISCO -- Roughly 3% of all visits to primary care physicians involve patients who are experiencing at least twice-weekly symptoms of restless legs syndrome, which are having an appreciably negative effect on their quality of life,...

Biologic rhythms are key in assessing sleep: aligning circadian rhythms can maximize patients' performance in workplace, on road.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
February 1, 2005... ARLINGTON, VA. -- Approximately 40 million Americans are affected by sleep disorders, and more than 100,000 motor vehicle accidents per year are sleep related, Teodor Postolache, M.D., said at the annual conference of the Academy of...

Caffeine and naps only slightly helpful to night shift workers.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
February 1, 2005... PHILADELPHIA -- The combination of caffeine and evening naps has only modest positive effects on performance and subjective sleepiness of night shift workers, Paula Schweitzer, Ph.D., reported at the annual meeting of the Associated...

Modafinil still effective for sleep apnea after 17 weeks of therapy.(Neuropsychiatric Medicine)
February 1, 2005... PHILADELPHIA -- Modafinil in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and excessive daytime sleepiness despite positive airway pressure therapy was effective in improving wakefulness for at least 17 weeks in a small study presented at the annual...

Fibromyalgia pain responds to pramipexole.(Pain Medicine)
February 1, 2005... SAN ANTONIO -- The dopamine-3 receptor agonist pramipexole significantly improved pain, function, and fatigue in patients with severe, longstanding fibromyalgia, Andrew J. Holman, M.D., said in a late-breaking abstract session at the annual...

Brain may hold key to chronic low back pain.(Pain Medicine)
February 1, 2005... CHICAGO -- Spine specialists have traditionally focused on specific degenerative pathology in the spine as the main determinant of back pain, but science now suggests that the central nervous system ultimately modulates chronic low back pain....

FDA approves new drug for postherpetic neuralgia.(Pain Medicine)
February 1, 2005... Pregabalin, a drug that binds to calcium channels in the central nervous system, was approved by the Food and Drug. Administration for the management of pain associated with postherpetic neuralgia in late December 2004. There are now three...

Study probes care of chronic pain patients among emergency physicians.(Pain Medicine)
February 1, 2005... SAN FRANCISCO -- Emergency physicians seldom see eye to eye with patients who seek help for chronic pain, according to preliminary results from a small, on-going study. The emergency physicians end up frustrated, and the patients seldom...