(29/12/2012) Cannabis can help make pain easier to bear, but is less effective at actually reducing pain levels, new research suggests. Researchers from the University of Oxford in England, using brain scans, found that the ingredient in cannabis that gets you ‘high’ reduced the brain activity linked to the emotional aspects of pain. But the
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(09/01/2013) There is very little scientific evidence to support the use of many complementary therapies in the treatment of arthritis and other musculoskeletal disorders, such as lower back pain, a new report has found. The evidence-based report by Arthritis Research UK looked at the results of relevant clinical trials, which assessed the safety and effectiveness
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(22/02/2013) The lives of patients could be transformed if Health Minister James Reilly agreed to have chronic pain classed as a disease, a conference being held in Dublin has been told. Speakers at the meeting argued that chronic pain should be given the same resources as other major conditions in order to deliver better patient
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(21/03/2013) People may be at an increased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) if they smoke, are obese or have diabetes, scientists have discovered. RA is a painful inflammatory condition affecting the body’s joints. Some 40,000 people in Ireland have the condition and it can have a major effect on quality of life. The cause
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(04/04/2013) Men with low levels of the hormone, testosterone, may be more likely to go on to develop rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a new study indicates. RA is a chronic and often painful disease affecting the joints, causing them to become inflamed. An inflamed joint looks swollen and red and appears warm to touch. This inflammation
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(14/04/2013) One-third of people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) will suffer a fall at least once a year irrespective of their age, a new study has found. RA is a chronic and often painful disease affecting the joints, causing them to become inflamed. An inflamed joint looks swollen and red and appears warm to touch. This
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(19/04/2013) People with osteoarthritis of the knee could significantly reduce the amount of pain they are in if they wore a knee brace, a new study suggests. Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease, is the most common type of arthritis. The main symptoms are pain and stiffness. Most Irish people over the age of
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(22/04/2013) People who smoke even a few cigarettes a day are at an increased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a new study indicates. RA is a chronic and often painful disease affecting the joints, causing them to become inflamed. An inflamed joint looks swollen and red and appears warm to touch. This inflammation can
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(12/11/2012) Some one in three people with the skin condition, psoriasis, will develop a painful condition of the joints, which if left untreated, may cause permanent damage. Psoriatic arthritis is a painful swellling of the joints that develops over time. Symptoms can include stiffness that lasts more than two hours, red bloodshot eyes, discolouration of
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(14/05/2012) A computerised glove designed by Irish scientists will improve the diagnosis and assessment of rheumatoid arthritis for many patients. Scientists at the University of Ulster have devised a unique wireless glove that they say should make the assessment of small joint mobility much more accurate. The custom-made ‘Edata glove’ is being manufactured for the
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