Thought control brings pain into line

[Birdbomb]

http://www.nature.com/news/2005/0512.../051212-1.html

Thought control brings pain into line
Brain imaging helps pain patients learn to reduce their own pain.

Researchers have managed to teach people suffering chronic pain to reduce their own discomfort simply by controlling their thoughts.

It's unclear how long the effect lasts, but the researchers hope that this approach could one day be used to treat chronic pain, which affects tens of millions of people in the United States alone and is a major reason for sick leave.

The team, led by Christopher deCharms, showed eight patients real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, of the activity in their rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC), a part of the brain known to be involved with pain control. They asked participants to try to increase or decrease activity in this area, by focusing on their pain or by distracting themselves from it.......

Hmmm...bet this could be applied to different other maladies

I know there were times when it seemed I could focus on the seizure and it either didn't happen or it was a very mild one. Our minds are such wonderous organs.

[Bernard]

Lol.. This is neurofeedback - just using an fMRI instead of EEG device for the feedback.

[Herb]

I found these points interesting since they utilize non-invasive diagnostic forms of equipment when in fact some of the oldest methods consist of meditation, yoga, hypnosis etc. In my opinion, non-invasive approaches to achieving wellness are always in order and should be considered initially providing the individual obtains efficacious results.

Warmly,
Herb

[Elisa]

I can control my seizures, always have been able to. I can stop them all togerther, or I can hold them till I'm some place safe.
I have never hurt myself while having a seizure.
Then again unlike others that I read about, I have a sub-conscious that takes over for me. I carry on doing whatever, I just don't remember doing.
it.
I cook, I pay for groceries, I have even driven, I just don't remember.

[Birdbomb]

Wow, Elisa you must have been a fun date when auto-pilot kicked in!

[Bernard]

A bit off topic, but, Elisa, did you have this same control over imminent seizures before your temporal lobe surgery?

I would bet that you would have excellent results with neurofeedback if you that much control already.

[stilldancing_98]

I didn't even know I was doing it. I can control them. I focus and make them go away. Wow. I tell my Dr. about it and he agrees.This so cool.

[Meetz1064]

but most of the time, I CAN control MOST, if not all of my pain..........WITHOUT MEDS. Some days, I can't, but usually, I can.