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This comprehensive pain management site
offers myriad international pain control resources, pain support,
message boards, pain surveys, e-letters, you can Ask the Pain Doctor
online,
and locate a pain clinic near
you.
The Mayday Pain Project tries
to increase awareness and provide information about pain treatment
modalities. If you're in chronic pain, or a family member, or a
caregiver, this site offers resources and advice on cancer and arthritis
pain, fibromyalgia, pain
and depression, pediatric pain, and much more -- you don't have to
face it alone.
For news about the war on pain, current
articles on pain management techniques, support group contact
information, suggested reading, pain control guides, and other help on
breaking the cycle of pain, go to Partners Against Pain.
An outstanding 2-part series on living in pain published by the San
Francisco Chronicle points out that, "At least 16,000 people die each year from gastrointestinal problems caused by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs),
widely used pain relievers such as ibuprofen and aspirin. Yet physicians and patients alike are often reluctant to use
narcotics, the most potent alternative, because of the stigma surrounding them."
This outstanding series is a real eye-opener when it comes to treatment of
pain.
American Family
Physician offers their overview of the treatment of
nonmalignant chronic pain. They state that "although pain
is rarely eliminated, treatment should reduce daily pain level..."
Here's a Pain
Glossary that includes definitions of terms related to pain and
some pain management techniques explained as well.
We’ve
lost friends and loved ones to major illnesses. That’s why life-threatening
illnesses, pain
management and care for the dying
are important issues for us. Growth House, a richly helpful, award-winning
site provides a wealth of resources for end of life care and sponsors a
Web Angels Brigade.
Dr. JoAnn LeMaistre, author of "After the
Diagnosis", has helped thousands of chronic illness patients,
their families and health care providers cope effectively. Her
insight on coping with chronic illness -- from the Pollyanna approach to
anger, despair and depression, to renewal -- help us "cherish the
good times." She's an inspirational example of what it means
to be able-hearted
when you can no longer be able-bodied.
The Compassionate Friends offers grief support after the
death of a child, providing friendship and understanding to
bereaved parents, grandparents and siblings through information,
affirmation, and resources.
Coping
with the loss of a loved one is life's most stressful event. The wide
range of emotions you experience is healthy and appropriate, and
will help you come to terms with your loss. The
National Mental Health Association helps so you know what to
expect -- and be assured that mourning is a natural process.
You don’t have to face grief and
bereavement alone; find support groups, links, e-mail
support, advice, discussions, tips on dealing with grief, coping with
pet loss and more.
The loss of a loved one and the effects of the sudden loss are physically
and emotionally taxing. The AARP
Grief and Loss Program offers help with understanding, insight
for those who are helping others cope, and suggestions on how
to honor deceased loved ones.
Here's some insight from the
University
of Michigan to help
you or someone you care about cope with grief or loss. They also
offer help with ways
children cope with grief, and helping
children cope with the death of a loved one.
Relatives,
friends and neighbors who want to make a difference in the healing of
someone's grief can help in many simple, but important ways. Unresolved grief
can lead to physical or mental illness, suicide or
premature death. Here are some ways
you can be there for someone.
WidowNet
is an information and self-help resource for, and by, widows and
widowers. It is helpful to people of all ages, religious backgrounds and
sexual orientations who have suffered the death of a spouse or life
partner and are coping with grief, bereavement, and recovery.
Last Acts is a national
campaign to improve end-of-life care and focuses on managing pain
and making life better for individuals and families facing death. They
offer print, audiovisual, electronic and other resources including
news and fact sheets.
Also concerned with end-of-life care, Americans for Better Care of
the Dying (ABCD)
aims to change and improve what people face as they come to the end of
life.
Here's where you'll find the latest news dealing with euthanasia and assisted
suicide, and the most comprehensive
archive on right-to-die and end-of-life issues, including
legislation, opinion polls, research, and medical resources.
The World Federation of
Right to Die Societies consists of 37 organizations worldwide
working to secure or protect choices for death with dignity.
The Hemlock
Society is the nation's largest and oldest death-with-dignity association
and aggressively promotes the full range of end-of-life choices for
hopelessly ill, mentally-able adults.
Public
Agenda researches public opinion and offers a fact file, overview
and perspectives on the Right to Die issue, including
people's chief concerns and recent news.
Likewise, the Compassion in
Dying Federation provides client services, legal advocacy and
public education to improve pain and symptom management, increase patient
empowerment, and expand end-of-life choices -- its goal is a humane
death and aid-in-dying for terminally ill, mentally competent adults.
Dr. Ira Byock, long-time palliative care physician and past
president of the Amer. Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine,
provides resources and links at DyingWell.org
for people facing life-limiting illness, their families and caregives,
to empower persons with life threatening illness and their families to
live fully.
Caregiver.com
offers some caregiver survival resources, family checklists, and
information on hot topics like Alzheimer's, depression, nutrition, legal
issues and more.
For information about cancer research studies,
specific cancers, understanding clinical trials, and locating an ongoing
trial, the
National Cancer Institute offers cancer trials help
and beyond.
CancerWeb offers an online medical
dictionary and global
cancer links.
The CenterWatch site offers a Clinical Trials
Listing Service offering a wealth of information, including a
listing of more than 41,000 clinical trials and newly
approved drug therapies.
The U.S. National Institutes of Health,
through its National Library of Medicine, has developed Clinical
Trials.gov to provide patients and family members with current information
about clinical research studies.
The information provided on
this site is designed to inform you and support, not replace, your
relationship with your doctor.
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