ADVERTISING: Advertorial — Possible link between chronic pain and dementia

After completing a study that spanned more than a decade, researchers have discovered a possible link between chronic pain and an increased risk of dementia. Chronic pain is a growing problem and affects half of the elderly population who live independently and up to 85% of those in care facilities. A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine reported that people with chronic pain have a more rapid memory decline and a faster increase in dementia probability compared to those without chronic pain.

“These findings come from a large, long-term study of 10,065 people over age 62. Researchers asked questions about pain and cognition every other year from 1998 through 2012. Participants who reported that they often had moderate or severe pain in both 1998 and 2000 were considered to have chronic pain. After adjusting for many variables, people with chronic pain had on average a 9.2% faster memory decline and a 7.7% faster increase in dementia probability. Over the next decade, those with chronic pain were more likely to be unable to manage their finances or their medications, two important tasks for independent living” (https://www.alzdiscovery.org/).

We have recently begun to realize the impact chronic pain has on brain function. When you deal with chronic pain daily, it can begin to divert your attention away from normal daily activities of living and this can make it more difficult for you to perform and complete these tasks. It has also been shown to increase stress hormones preventing us from getting a good night sleep, which is important for optimal brain function.

There has also been an increased awareness about the current treatments for chronic pain because many are highly addictive and lack long term effectiveness. Our goal in treatment needs to focus on finding better ways to manage chronic pain because the longer one suffers from chronic pain the greater chance of cognitive decline. One therapy that has been designed to help reduce chronic pain is low level laser therapy. It is unique in that it can influence damaged tissue directly.

Over the last few years, research has shown that low level laser therapy can be used for neurological and psychological diseases. These diseases include, but not limited to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and traumatic brain injuries. This treatment can play a major role for such diseases, because the light penetrates the brain tissues and it influences the injured area by manipulating blood flow helping the tissue to heal. Some positive results include reduction in brain lesion volume, enhanced learning, memory, and overall improved scores on neurological severity.

These studies are extremely encouraging for those patients with Alzheimer’s, dementia, or other neurological and psychological diseases who seek a better treatment option. Most importantly, this non-invasive treatment is comfortable for the patient and can be applied to almost any body area. It has very few contraindications and almost no side effects. For more information about laser therapy, visit our website at www.naturalspinesolutions.com.

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Dr. Wayne M. Fichter Jr. is a chiropractor at Natural Spine Solutions. The business is located at 3913 Schreiber Way in Coeur d’Alene. For more information, please contact us at 208-966-4425.