Pain

The “Curse of Eve”—Is Pain Our Punishment? Part 2 by Stacia Guzzo

by Feminism and Religion

Originally published in the Feminism and Religion project

In the first part, I posed the question about whether or not the so-called “Curse of Eve” could be interpreted... more In the first part, I posed the question about whether or not the so-called “Curse of Eve” could be interpreted alternatively from the traditional understanding of Genesis 3:16a (the result of Eve’s disobedience being the punishment of painful childbirth for all generations of women). I considered an alternate interpretation of “sorrow” rather than “pain” for the verse, a lens through which the punishment could then be seen as impacting the God-human relationship rather than as a condemnation of pain.

Racial/ethnic differences in the experience of chronic pain

by David Sheffield

Race and Sex Differences In Cutaneous Pain Perception

by David Sheffield

Social Support and Experimental Pain

by David Sheffield

Published with JENNIFER L. BROWN, MA, MARK R. LEARY, PHD, AND MICHAEL E. ROBINSON, PHD in Psychosomatic Medicine

Objective: The purpose of this experimental study was to supplement and expand on clinical research demonstrat- ing... more Objective: The purpose of this experimental study was to supplement and expand on clinical research demonstrat- ing that the provision of social support is associated with lower levels of acute pain. Methods: Undergraduates (52 men and 49 women) performed the cold pressor task either alone or accompanied by a friend or stranger who provided active support, passive support, or interaction. Pain perception was measured on a 10-point scale. Results: Participants in the active support and passive support conditions reported less pain than participants in the alone and interaction conditions, regardless of whether they were paired with a friend or stranger. Conclusions: These data suggest that the presence of an individual who provides passive or active support reduces experimental pain.

Turning on the alarm: The neural mechanisms of the transition from innocuous to painful sensation

by Tom Johnstone

Problems And Solutions For A Hypothetical Right Not To Exist

by Manolito Gallegos

In this paper I will describe and attempt to resolve one of the main problems of David Benatar’s text "Better... more In this paper I will describe and attempt to resolve one of the main problems of David Benatar’s text "Better Never To Have Been: The Harm of Coming Into Existence": whether it is possible for a right not to exist to be posited without there ever being a person in existence to hold such a right. I will conclude that this is indeed possible given an experience oriented view of personhood that I shall outline, and what other conclusions might be drawn from such a view.

The Negative Ontology of Happiness: a Schopenhauerian Argument

by Manolito Gallegos

In this essay I will examine Schopenhauer’s contention that there is, in fact, no happiness, and that instead it is... more In this essay I will examine Schopenhauer’s contention that there is, in fact, no happiness, and that instead it is merely a lack of suffering that we label as such. To do this, I will first explore the claim itself, as well as some additional hypotheses and arguments that Schopenhauer presents for this position. I will then make a number of objections and provide refutations for each of them, with the resulting conclusion being favourable for Schopenhauer’s position; however, I will also comment on some areas of philosophy that could possibly yield problems for the position, as well as discussing briefly what sorts of further conclusions might be drawn from the nonexistence of happiness, and which areas are clearly not affected by it without further argumentation.

Visceral (Auto)biographies: Pain, Plastic Surgery, and Gender

by Simon Strick

In: Embodied Politics in Visual
Autobiography. Eds. Sarah Brophy and Janice Hladki. University of Toronto Press, Forthcoming 2012.

Schmerz in Photographien von Ex-Sklaven um 1863/Pain in Photographs of Freed Slaves, 1863

by Simon Strick

In: Um/Ordnungen: Fotogra!sche Ordnungen von
Menschenbildern. Eds. Klaus Krüger, Matthias Weiß and Leena Crasemann. München: Wilhelm Fink
Verlag, 2010

El estrés y su psicoherbología: investigación contemporánea

by Carlos Manuel Quirce Balma

The present paper has attempted a unification of the history of stress with the psychoherbology
that has been... more The present paper has attempted a unification of the history of stress with the psychoherbology
that has been used in Costa Rican folklore for decades for the purpose of healing the various
manifestations of distress. These manifestations have been differentiated in the categories of
anxiety, depression, idiopathic type pain and psychotic like symptomatology, with the purpose
of indicating the diverse herbal profiles that are commonly used to treat them. The various
techniques involved in measuring stress dysfunctions and the effect of curative herbs upon
them, have been discussed in the context of animal model experimentation.

Is Pain Disorder a valid classification?

by Elisa Arnaudo

Mitchell, M. J. (2004) Pain management in day-case surgery. Nursing Standard. 18 (25) 33 - 38

by Mark Mitchell

Effective pain management following day surgery is a challenging issue. For the majority of patients severe pain is... more Effective pain management following day surgery is a challenging issue. For the majority of patients severe pain is uncommon. However, a number of patients can experience considerable pain following discharge. Uncontrolled pain is one of the main causes of re-admission to an in-patient bed following day surgery and also a leading cause of patient dissatisfaction with day surgery. Utilising the evidence from the literature, a brief description of the issues concerning effective pain management in day surgery will be discussed. The drugs commonly employed within day surgery practice will then be briefly outlined to demonstrate the constrains day surgery practices can frequently impose upon effective pain management. Finally, the multi-disciplinary interventions required to ensure effective pain control will be discussed and outlined.

Review: What it Means to be Human: Reflections from 1791 to the Present, by Joanna Bourke

by Rob Boddice

Dr Rob Boddice, review of What it Means to be Human: Reflections from 1791 to the Present, (review no. 1199)
URL: http://www.history.ac.uk/reviews/review/1199

Is femoral nerve block necessary during total knee arthroplasty? A randomized controlled trial

by Corey Scholes

Accepted with revisions to Journal of Arthroplasty

Co-authored with: Widmer, B., Patullo, G., Oussedik, S., Parker, D., Coolican, M.

There remains a lack of randomised controlled trials comparing methods of perioperative analgesia for total knee... more There remains a lack of randomised controlled trials comparing methods of perioperative analgesia for total knee arthroplasty (TKA). To address this deficiency, a blinded, randomized controlled trial was conducted to compare the use of femoral nerve block (FNB – Group F) and local anaesthetic (LA – Group L). A sample of 55 patients that met the inclusion criteria were randomized to either group. No significant differences in the most severe pain score or SF-36, WOMAC or Oxford scores were observed between groups. However, the KSS score was significantly higher in Group F. In addition, Group F used significantly fewer micrograms of intravenous fentanyl in the first 24 hours. Balancing the risks of femoral nerve block with those of increased systemic narcotic delivery should be performed on a case by case basis.

Cellular therapies for treating pain associated with spinal cord injury. Leung, L.

by Lawrence Leung

Journal of Translational Medicine 2012, 10:37

Spinal cord injury leads to immense disability and loss of quality of life in human with no satisfactory clinical... more Spinal cord injury leads to immense disability and loss of quality of life in human with no satisfactory clinical cure. Cell-based or cell-related therapies have emerged as promising therapeutic potentials both in regeneration of spinal cord and mitigation of neuropathic pain due to spinal cord injury. This article reviews the various options and their latest developments with an update on their therapeutic potentials and clinical trialing.

Anti-inflammatory activity of medicinal plants native to Bangladesh: A review

by Apurba Sarker Apu

Apurba Sarker Apu, Shakhawat Hossan Bhuyan, Shamina Saiyara Prova,
and Md. Abdul Muhit

Inflammation is characterized by redness, pain and swelling. Anti-inflammatory drugs
are agents that reduce... more Inflammation is characterized by redness, pain and swelling. Anti-inflammatory drugs
are agents that reduce inflammation. It has been found that conventional synthetic NSAIDs
accelerate damage and erosion of joint cartilage, advancing the osteoarthritis process. These
NSAIDs are also known to cause liver and kidney damage with long-term use. Experimental
research have shown that the use of proven natural anti-inflammatory herbal agents have not been
shown to cause erosion injury to the intestinal tract, acceleration of cartilage destruction or
production of liver and kidney toxicities. This enables practitioners to use these substances in a
safe and responsible way. In this overview the medicinal plants reported to have antiinflammatory
activity available in Bangladesh are summarized to assess the research
advancements.

Croyances relatives à la douleur : rôle dans le rapport aux soins et l’ajustement chez des patients douloureux chroniques

by Lionel Dany

Plato on the Psychology of Pleasure and Pain

by Mehmet M. Erginel

Phoenix, forthcoming

Plato’s account of pleasure in Republic IX has been treated as an ill-conceived and deeply flawed account that Plato... more Plato’s account of pleasure in Republic IX has been treated as an ill-conceived and deeply flawed account that Plato thankfully retracted and replaced in the Philebus. I am convinced, however, that this received view of the Republic’s account is false. In this paper, I will not concern myself with whether, or in what way, Plato’s account of pleasure in the Republic falls short of what we find in the Philebus, but will rather focus on the merits of the former. My concern will be further narrowed down to the first half of the third proof: the proof involves two criteria for the evaluation of pleasures, the criteria of purity and of truth, both of which yield the result that the philosopher’s pleasures are the most pleasant (because it turns out that only those pleasures are pure and only they are true). I will be addressing the criterion of purity, which is based on a psychological/phenomenological account of pleasure and pain. This account has been harshly criticized as full of ambiguity and confusion. I believe, however, that these criticisms result from misunderstanding, and failing to appreciate the complexity of, Plato’s account. In this paper, I will offer an interpretation of Plato’s psychological account of pleasure and pain in Republic IX, showing that this account is, contrary to its detractors, both interesting and persuasive on many points.

The effects of transcranial electrical stimulation on anaesthesia and analgesia in rats

by Oytun Okan Şenel

Palliative care needs of patients with cancer living in the community

by Dio Kavalieratos