BUSM researchers use goal-oriented therapy to treat diabetic neuropathies
2013-03-05
(Press-News.org) (Boston) – Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and VA Boston Healthcare System (VA BHS) have found that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help relieve pain for people with painful diabetic neuropathies. The study, which is the first of its kind to examine this treatment for people with type II diabetes mellitus, is published in the March issue of the Journal of Pain.
Type II diabetes mellitus is the most common form of the disease and affects more than 20 million Americans. The onset of type II diabetes mellitus is often gradual, occurring when a person is unable to make or use insulin efficiently. As a result, abnormally high levels of sugar accumulate in the blood, resulting in a condition called hyperglycemia.
Untreated hyperglycemia can develop into diabetic neuropathies, or nerve damage, which causes painful burning and stinging sensations in the hands and feet and permanent nerve damage. Although pain medications for this condition exist, they often have negative side effects such as headaches, dizziness and nausea.
Researchers led by John D. Otis, PhD, an associate professor of psychiatry at BUSM and clinical psychologist at the VA BHS, assessed whether CBT, a psychological, goal-oriented treatment approach aimed at changing maladaptive thoughts and illness supporting behaviors, could be of benefit to veterans with painful diabetic neuropathies.
The study, which was conducted at the VA BHS, compared participants receiving CBT to those receiving treatment as usual. The participants were U.S. veterans age 18 and older who had been diagnosed with type II diabetes and experienced neuropathic pain for more than three months.
Participants attended 11, hour-long CBT sessions, which focused on teaching participants relaxation techniques and how to identify and challenge thoughts that contribute to pain. In addition, participants were taught how to keep active and plan enjoyable activities such as exercise, going for walks or having dinner with friends.
At a four-month follow-up, participants who received CBT reported feeling less pain and reported that pain was less interfering in their daily lives when compared to participants who received treatment as usual.
"This study demonstrates that the millions of people who are experiencing pain and discomfort from type II diabetes mellitus do not need to rely solely on medication for relief," said Otis. "More broadly, the results of this study add to a growing body of literature demonstrating that cognitive behavioral therapy is an effective psychological treatment approach for chronic pain management," he added.
INFORMATION:
This work was supported by a grant from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) to the diabetes research program at VA BHS.
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2013-03-05
CAMBRIDGE, MA -- Since the mid-1800s, doctors have used drugs to induce general anesthesia in patients undergoing surgery. Despite their widespread use, little is known about how these drugs create such a profound loss of consciousness.
In a new study that tracked brain activity in human volunteers over a two-hour period as they lost and regained consciousness, researchers from MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have identified distinctive brain patterns associated with different stages of general anesthesia. The findings shed light on how one commonly used ...
2013-03-05
VIDEO:
NASA scientists at the Goddard Cosmic Ice Lab are studying a kind of chemistry almost never found on Earth. The extreme cold, hard vacuum, and high radiation environment of space...
Click here for more information.
Behind locked doors, in a lab built like a bomb shelter, Perry Gerakines makes something ordinary yet truly alien: ice. This isn't the ice of snowflakes or ice cubes. No, this ice needs such intense cold and low pressure to form that the right conditions ...
2013-03-05
Back in 2010, the ideas behind a squid's sticky tendrils and Spiderman's super-strong webbing were combined to create a prototype for the first remote device able to stop vehicles in their tracks: the Safe, Quick, Undercarriage Immobilization Device (SQUID). At the push of a button, spiked arms shot out and entangled in a car's axles—bringing a racing vehicle to a screeching halt.*
The need to stop vehicles remotely was identified by the law enforcement community. With funding from Homeland Security's Science & Technology Directorate, and the expertise of the engineers ...
2013-03-05
SEATTLE—Researchers used electronic health records to identify Group Health patients who weren't screened regularly for cancer of the colon and rectum—and to encourage them to be screened. This centralized, automated approach doubled these patients' rates of on-time screening—and saved health costs—over two years. The March 5 Annals of Internal Medicine published the randomized controlled trial.
"Screening for colorectal cancer can save lives, by finding cancer early—and even by detecting polyps before cancer starts," said study leader Beverly B. Green, MD, MPH. "But ...
2013-03-05
Studied for decades for their essential role in making proteins within cells, several amino acids known as tRNA synthetases were recently found to have an unexpected – and critical – additional role in cancer metastasis in a study conducted collaboratively in the labs of Karen Lounsbury, Ph.D., University of Vermont professor of pharmacology, and Christopher Francklyn, Ph.D., UVM professor of biochemistry. The group determined that threonyl tRNA synthetase (TARS) leads a "double life," functioning as a critical factor regulating a pathway used by invasive cancers to induce ...
2013-03-05
VANCOUVER, Wash.—Fishers near marine protected areas end up traveling farther to catch fish but maintain their social and economic well-being, according to a study by fisheries scientists at Washington State University and in Hawaii.
The study, reported in the journal Biological Conservation, is one of the first to look closely at how protected areas in small nearshore fisheries can affect where fishers operate on the ocean and, as a consequence, their livelihood.
"Where MPAs are located in relation to how fishers operate on the seascape is critical to understand for ...
2013-03-05
If you think giving someone the cold shoulder inflicts pain only on them, beware. A new study shows that individuals who deliberately shun another person are equally distressed by the experience.
"In real life and in academic studies, we tend to focus on the harm done to victims in cases of social aggression," says co-author Richard Ryan, professor of clinical and social psychology at the University of Rochester. "This study shows that when people bend to pressure to exclude others, they also pay a steep personal cost. Their distress is different from the person excluded, ...
2013-03-05
Domestic violence in New Jersey
Article provided by Keith, Winters & Wenning, L.L.C.
Visit us at http://www.kwwlawfirm.com
Everyone thought the story was over. In 2009 pop sensation Rihanna was brutally assaulted by her then boyfriend Chris Brown. The singer stated that she ended the relationship and the media applauded her brave move. She became a role model for domestic violence victims around the world.
That is, until January of 2013 when the star publicly announced that she had rekindled her relationship with her convicted abuser. Unfortunately, Rihanna's ...
2013-03-05
Revocable living trust: Is it right for you?
Article provided by Anderson and Associates, P.C.
Visit us at http://www.davidandersonlaw.com/
Most people consider wills for estate planning; however, this is not the only option. In addition to avoiding probate, a revocable living trust may offer you significant before-death and after-death advantages.
In general, a trust involves three parties: the creator, the trustee or trustees (who agree to manage the assets according to the terms of the trust) and the beneficiary or beneficiaries. Something as miniscule as ...
2013-03-05
Why borrowing against your 401(k) may be a bad idea
Article provided by Law Offices of Brian Barta
Visit us at http://www.brianbartalaw.com
Twenty-five percent of Americans have made early withdrawals from their retirement plans using a 401(k) loan, according to a recent report by online financial guidance service HelloWallet. However, many people who tap into their retirement funds may do so without being fully aware of the risks involved in doing so.
Particularly in the aftermath of the recent recession, people who borrow against their retirement savings often ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] BUSM researchers use goal-oriented therapy to treat diabetic neuropathies
