Spinal cord stimulators offer patients with severe chronic pain hope when other therapies have failed./ Courtesy of Boston Scientific

While ancient Greek and Roman healers turned to the torpedo fish for its numbing electric ray properties, it’s not all that long ago that the idea of electrifying a spine was considered something out of Gothic fiction.

Today, however, spinal cord stimulation is a successful alternative for folks suffering from severe back and leg pain after other methods, including surgery, have failed. In fact, more than 300,000 people around the world have been able to stop suffering and start living again thanks to the procedure.

Oxford Valley Pain and Spine Center physician, Dr. Anju Madnani, likened the spinal cord stimulator to a pacemaker for pain.

Developed by the Massachusetts-based Boston Scientific and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Precision Plus SCS System masks pain signals to the brain with a smooth, soothing feeling using a nondrug, reversible therapy.

The reversible procedure manages pain through an implanted pulse generator while external devices control therapy and charge the implant. It is believed that the electrical pulses from the generator block the brain from receiving pain signals. Patients who have undergone the procedure describe the electrical pulses as “champagne bubbles” and a “soft vibration” instead of intense pain.

Many patients try the therapy first with a simple, minimally invasive procedure. The best candidates live with severe neuropathic pain, failed back surgery and/or haven’t found relief from more conservative treatments.

Covered by most health insurance plans, the stimulator implantation procedure itself is performed in two parts.

After the injection site is anesthetized, temporary electrical leads are guided through the epidural space and connected to an external stimulator, which is worn for about a week. If the patient and physician are pleased with the degree of pain relief, a stimulator may be permanently implanted with the patient sedated or under general anesthesia.

A 2007 study found that of patients with failed back surgery, who underwent the procedure, 73.5% of the patients considered the implanted stimulator to be beneficial and 38 percent saw a decrease in the need for additional pain relievers.

For a narrated animation of the spinal cord stimulator implant procedure, visit http://www.oxfordvalleypain.com/patient-resources.php and click on spinal cord stimulator.

For frequently asked questions about the procedure, check out http://www.controlyourpain.com/explore/scs_faq.cfm

Oxford Valley Pain and Spine Center’s husband-and-wife team of physicians, Dr. Anju Madnani and Dr. Sanjay Madnani, will be happy to answer any questions about the procedure on Saturday at the Langhorne-based comprehensive pain management practice’s Patient Appreciation Day event from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Sheraton Bucks County, 400 Oxford Valley Road.

Representatives of the spinal cord stimulator manufacturer and other pain management modalities will also be on hand. There will be free refreshments, games, face-painting, chair massages and raffle drawings every 30 minutes. For more information, call 215-741-4410.

Langhorne, PA – (April 12, 2012) – Oxford Valley Pain and Spine Center is excited to announce its 2012 Patient Appreciation Day from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday April 21, in the University Hall room at the Sheraton Bucks County, 400 Oxford Valley Road in Langhorne.

The doctors and staff of Oxford Valley Pain and Spine Center will be on hand for the free event. Patients, their families and friends, as well as those interested in learning more about Oxford Valley Pain and Spine Center’s comprehensive pain management practice are invited to attend. Festivities will include refreshments, games, giveaways, entertainment, face-painting, chair massage and much more. Raffle drawings will take place every 30 minutes.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to learn more about the spinal cord stimulator, a pacemaker of sorts for chronic pain, as well as other modalities used to manage chronic pain and Fibromyalgia.

Call 215-741-4410 today to RSVP.

Trusted by area doctors, Dr. Sanjay M. Madnani and Dr. Anju S. Madnani, Oxford Valley Pain and Spine Center’s husband-and-wife team of physicians, are both board-certified with specialty training in pain medicine, anesthesiology and physical rehabilitation, making them highly qualified and experienced in caring for each patient’s individual condition.

Oxford Valley Pain and Spine Center is conveniently located at 370 Middletown Blvd., Suite 508 in Langhorne and 3237 Bristol Rd., Suite 103 in Bensalem. For more information, call 215-741-4410 or visit www.oxfordvalleypain.com

The American Heart Association (AHA) sponsors the day in an effort to get folks walking and heart healthy. Heart disease is the number one killer in this country, according to the organization.

In addition to releasing endorphins to improve your mood, walking for just 30 minutes a day can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Additional benefits also include reducing blood pressure and sugar levels, improving cholesterol levels, not to mention helping to reach and maintain a healthy body weight, according to the AHA’s Start Walking Now website.

Can’t commit to 30 minutes all at once? Three 10-minute sessions of vigorous activity will work just as well. If you’re looking to lose weight, increase the time to between 60 and 90 minutes five days a week.

Always check with your doctor before starting any exercise program. For AHA activity guidelines, check out http://bit.ly/HvoAlo

Walking can not only help you live your healthiest life, it can help others as well. For information on charity walking events, check out http://www.thewalkingsite.com/events.html

Wife of Dr. Charles B. Almond, Eudora decided to set aside a day to honor physicians. This first observance included the mailing greeting cards and placing flowers on graves of deceased doctors. The red carnation is commonly used as the symbolic flower for National Doctor’s Day.

On March 30, 1958, a Resolution Commemorating Doctors’ Day was adopted by the United States House of Representatives. In 1990, legislation was introduced in the House and Senate to establish a national Doctor’s Day. Following overwhelming approval by the United States Senate and the House of Representatives, on October 30, 1990, President George Bush signed S.J. RES. #366 (which became Public Law 101-473) designating March 30th as “National Doctors’ Day.”

In 2011, Oxford Valley Pain and Spine Center physicians, Drs. Sanjay and Anju Madnani, celebrated National Doctors’ Day with a dinner recognizing all the physicians they work with through the year.

This year, Drs. Madnani will celebrate their patients with a Patient Appreciation Day event at the Sheraton Bucks County on Saturday, April 21 beginning at 2 p.m. More details will be forthcoming.

For safety, keep this national toll-free poison hotline number posted on your refrigerator, near a phone or better yet program it into your cell phone  – 1-800-222-1222.

According to a report by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the country’s 57 poison control centers received 4 million calls last year, treated 2.4 million human poison exposures and handled 1.6 million information calls. More than 150,000 calls involved pesticides and disinfectants. Of those calls, more than half involved children under the age of five.

Other items posing a poisoning risk to children include cosmetics, personal care products such as toothpaste, pain medication, foreign objects and creams.

Children aren’t the only age group at risk for poisoning, according to Dr. Marsha Ford, American Association of Poison Control Centers president-elect and director of the Carolinas Poison Center.

“Poison centers are used increasingly by older patients who have questions or concerns about their medications, and poison centers can help callers of all ages.” Ford said. “Poisonings can happen to anyone, and poison centers are for everyone.”

If you have a poisoning emergency, call 1-800-222-1222 and be prepared with the following information:

• The victim’s age.
• The victim’s weight.
• Existing health conditions or problems.
• The substance involved and how it contacted the person. For example, was it swallowed, inhaled, absorbed through skin contact, or splashed into the eyes? How long ago did they swallow or inhale the substance?
• Any first aid which may have been given.
• If the person has vomited.
• Your location, and how long it will take you to get to the hospital
  Source: www.poisonprevention.org

For more tips to prevent accidental poisoning, visit http://www.poisonprevention.org/50+WaysToPreventPoisonings.pdf

The report  is a result of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act mandate to examine pain as a public health problem.

There are two types of pain – chronic and acute. While acute pain is generally triggered from an injury or surgery, chronic pain persists from months to years beyond the typical recovery period.

Chronic pain-associated costs are huge, ranging from $560 billion to $635 billion (in 2010 dollars) in the United States. That figure includes both medical and economic costs due to disability, lost wages and productivity.

For those U.S. adults reporting pain, causes include: severe headache or migraine (16.1%), low back pain (28.1%), neck pain (15.1%), knee pain (19.5%), shoulder pain (9.0%), finger pain (7.6%), and hip pain (7.1%)

The causes of chronic pain can be complex, making it difficult to treat. The Langhorne-based Oxford Valley Pain & Spine Center uses a multidisciplinary approach to achieve optimal results for their patients. In addition to medical interventions including epidural steroid injections, cutting edge procedures such as spinal cord stimulation,  the doctors also offer patients access to complementary and alternative therapies including massage, yoga and meditation.

Similarly, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommended a comprehensive and far-reaching approach, stating in its report brief, “Given the burden of pain in human lives, dollars, and social consequences, relieving pain should be a national priority.”

Ben Franklin first suggested in 1784 that adopting daylight saving time would help colonists to make better use of daylight, avoid sleeping past dawn, therefore burning less candles at night.

First adopted during World War I to conserve energy, former president George W. Bush extended daylight saving time by four weeks.

Some people look forward to that extra hour of sunshine, yet others complain that they never quite get used to the change in sleep patterns.

Daylight hours generally tally  fewer fatal automobile accidents, however,  a Stanford University study noted a significant increase in the number of accidents the Monday after the shift to Daylight Saving Time, with a small increase in fatal accidents.

Another study showed the first week of the spring transition correlates with a spike in heart attacks and a similar decrease in the number come fall.

A relatively recent campaign ties a safety push with the time change. The National Fire Protection Association recommends everyone change batteries in their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors when they adjust their clocks. NFPA statistics show that almost two-thirds of home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. For more fire safety, check out http://bit.ly/tTvaZC

More common than you might think, they can arise for a variety of reasons. A decreased appetite, depression and/or the high cost of life-saving medication could find seniors cutting back on protein, fresh fruits and vegetables.

For those on blood thinners, such as Coumadin or warfarin, the leafy greens usually recommended for a healthy diet are restricted due to their high Vitamin K content. Other medications and conditions may restrict protein, fats and salt to keep an illness under control but might likewise impact overall nutrition.

Digestion irregularities may find older adults avoiding healthy foods. In its Nutrition Over 50 pamphlet, the American Institute for Cancer Research suggests tenderizing vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, broccoli cabbage and carrots by boiling them for one minute before draining and submerging them in ice water for five seconds. The organization also suggests introducing plant foods into diets gradually, to allow the body to get used to the additional fiber.

An article published in the February issue of Food Nutrition & Science, highlighted another concern – the tea and toast syndrome. It’s often seen in older adults, who don’t prepare full meals for themselves, foregoing the vital nutrients their bodies need in favor of tea and toast.

According to Ellie Wilson, a nutritionist featured in the article, healthy snacking may be a great way for seniors to meet their dietary needs.

Choosing bananas, berries, peanut butter, low-fat yogurt, and cheese over processed cookies and cakes is a great way to increase nutrients in your diet.

In honor of National Nutrition Month, consider bringing a basket of these delicious and nutritious items to an older relative or neighbor to make a big impact on their health.

For more on National Nutrition Month, visit http://www.eatright.org/nnm/
For more senior nutrition resources from the Mayo Clinic, check out http://bit.ly/wNrU1t

If you do, proceed with caution.  The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that more than 41,000 Americans injured themselves while gardening or using gardening equipment in 2010.

Try these tips for a safe and pain-free gardening:

• Don’t do too much too soon. Split up large projects into smaller ones.
• Stretch and warm-up your joints before tackling the twigs and matted leaves scattered among your pachysandra.
• Work at the time of day when you feel the most flexible.
• Make sure tools are sharp and in good working order to make cutting and trimming easier. If arthritis has made gripping your tools more difficult, try fitting the handles with foam tubing for better hold and control.
• Pay attention to your posture. Bend with your knees and avoid twisting motions.
• Consider gardening in raised beds for easier access and with perennials for beautiful blooms requiring less maintenance.
• Wear gloves to protect your hands and consider knee-pads or a stool for work close to the ground.
• Wheeled caddies can store hand tools and help move heavy pots or potting soil.
• If you like to grow clematis, consider installing a mailbox in your backyard flower garden. You can keep your pruners and trowels handy inside and have a perfect post to train your climbing plants.
• Take frequent breaks.
• Don’t forget to wear a hat and your sunscreen.

If you still find you’ve overdone it, remember that Oxford Valley Pain & Spine Center offers therapeutic massage. For more information, visit our website.

When George Washington chopped down his father’s beloved cherry tree, he didn’t axe any old fruit tree. Cherries are not only a super fruit for baking and eating, the cherry is considered a Super Fruit due to its disease-fighting  antioxidant properties.

The fruit has been linked to everything from easing the pain of gout and arthritis,  to reducing the risk of heart disease and cancer, as well as helping  to regulate sleep patterns.

According to Choosecherries.com, you should eat one to two servings each day to reap the health benefits of the fruit. Single serving size examples include:  1/2 cup dried , 1 cup frozen,  1 cup juice, and one ounce (or two tablespoons) juice concentrate.

Add dried cherries to pistachios, almonds and walnuts for a healthy and delicious snack.