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non-cancer chronic pain
By Ali Sekhavati 0 Comments chronic pain, Fibromyalgia, pain , , , , , ,

7 Most Common Non-Cancer Chronic Pain Conditions

As we all know, pain is one of the most common reasons for all the visits to physicians in different settings all around the world. Acute pain is a sign of injury and insult to the body and pain is one of the defending mechanisms to protect us against harmful stimuli. Like any other system in our body we have a control system to stop nerve stimulation when the insult is over, but this can fail in many ways like many other systems in our body. This is the etymology of non-cancer chronic pain.

non-cancer chronic pain

1- Headache

Chronic headache is one of the most debilitating conditions which affect millions of people all over the world. Many people lose their jobs and are not able to do their activities of daily life due this medical issue. About 4% of the adults are suffering from this condition and women are affected 2-3 times more than men. Definition of chronic headache is 15 days or more of headache per month for over 3 months. There are many conditions that can cause this problem like migraine, tension headache, hemicranias continua, rebound headache and many more.

2- Back Pain

This is one of the most common reasons of regular visits to primary care, emergency rooms and many other disciplines. More than 84% of adult have experience back pain. Many people lose their job and quality of life due to back pain. When pain is present for 12 or more weeks, we call it chronic back pain.

3- Neck Pain

Neck pain is another very common reason for so many visits per year. Prevalence of neck pain is pretty close to back pain. Many people just have axial pain and some have extremities and neurologic symptoms while many patients have both.

4- Fibromyalgia

This is a very common condition and very hard to treat. These patients usually have chronic pain, fatigue and insomnia. Many people are affected by Fibromyalgia and often remained undiagnosed for a long period of time.

5- Knee Pain

About 25% of adults are affected by chronic knees pain. This condition can be very debilitating and affect activities of daily life, work productivity, quality of life and life satisfaction as a whole.

6- Shoulder Pain

Sport, Motor Vehicle Accident and work related injuries are very common and many patients are suffering from chronic shoulders pain.

7- Hip Pain

Chronic hip pain affects mobility and productivity of millions of people and has a huge impact on many people’s lives.

Read the full article by Dr. Ashtarani here.

Turmeric for pain relief
By Ali Sekhavati 0 Comments chronic pain, diet, Natural pain relief, pain, supplement ,

Turmeric for Pain Relief

Turmeric with powerful anti-inflammatory effects is one of the best natural remedies for pain relief that can be found in almost every home. A relative of ginger, this vivid yellow-orange spice is common in Indian, Southeast Asian, and Middle Eastern cooking.

Curcumin – the main active ingredient in Turmeric – has received worldwide attention for its multiple health benefits, which appear to act primarily through its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms.

If you have a headache, backache, knee pain or any other type of pain, your first impulse may be to reach for a pain medication.

While certain circumstances may require a prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) pain medication, it may also be possible to find some of the relief you need from a variety of natural pain relievers. Many herbs and spices have a long history of being used to relieve inflammation and pain.

These natural pain relievers fall under a category of treatment known as alternative medicine.

Relieving pain and inflammation with natural remedies has a lot of benefits, but keep in mind that these natural remedies can sometimes interfere with other medications you are taking.

And also not all natural pain relievers have been well studied in humans, especially when it comes to dosage.

If you’re dealing with pain or chronic issues, it’s best to talk with a doctor before taking any natural remedies. Holistic or whole health professionals, which are physicians who base their treatments on holistic(whole health) principles.

Turmeric for pain relief

Turmeric as a natural pain reliever

Turmeric — and especially its most active compound, curcumin — have many scientifically proven health benefits, such as the potential to improve heart health and prevent against Alzheimer’s and cancer.

Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric. It has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant.

These benefits are best achieved when curcumin is combined with agents such as piperine, which increase its bioavailability significantly.

Did you know?

Ingesting curcumin by itself does not lead to the associated health benefits due to its poor bioavailability, which appears to be primarily due to poor absorption, rapid metabolism, and rapid elimination.

top pain clinics in Toronto
By Ali Sekhavati 2 Comments chronic pain, pain , , ,

Top pain management clinics in Toronto

An estimated 7.6 million, or one in five people in Canada (across the lifespan), live with chronic pain. If you’re suffering from chronic pain, you should consider visiting a pain management clinic. In this article we introduce some of the top pain clinics in Toronto.

Pain Clinics with integrative approach

Chronic pain, like other chronic diseases, is best understood within a bio-psychosocial framework, and its treatment should integrate pharmacological, physical, psychological, spiritual, self-management, and other approaches, as appropriate. So it’s important to choose a clinic with a multidisciplinary approach to chronic pain treatment.

top pain clinics in Toronto

Here is a list of pain managements clinics in the greater Toronto area (GTA):

Upper Room Clinic

The Upper Room Clinic has ultimately become Dr. Kostovis’s life path. Originally an emergency physician, her path to treating chronic pain grew into a mission. She believes in providing peace and fulfillment in the healing experience.

Dr. Kostovis’s practice uses PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) injections to treat chronic pain. PRP advocates the healing process by helping the body create blood clots.

Mount Sinai Hospital pain management center

The centre offers a range of pain management services including management of the following pain conditions:

  • Neuropathic pain
  • Widespread body pain
  • Pre- and post-surgical pain management (Transitional Pain Service)
  • Pre- and post-pregnancy pain management (Pain in Pregnancy Program)
  • Complex opioid management and tapering
  • Musculoskeletal pain
  • Craniofacial and headache pain
  • Dental and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain
  • Cancer pain
  • Breast pain program

Other services include:

  • Diagnostic and therapeutic nerve blocks
  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
  • Psychiatry consultation
  • Consultative support with an occupational therapist (OT) and social work
  • Pain education sessions

The Neurological Institute of Brain, Body, and Being

The Neurological Institute of Brain, Body, and Being (NIb3) is a Toronto based rehabilitation institute that specializes in non-invasive, drug-free therapies. Our goal is to address the origin and cause of your complaints as opposed to simply treating symptoms. Every brain is unique and we conduct thorough neurological assessments that involve Quantitative EEG (qEEG) brain mapping, VNG (eye movement quantifications), psychophysiological profiling, a full neurological examination, and an extensive intake to build individualized treatment plans. We specialize in neurofeedback therapy, biofeedback therapy, diet recommendations to support an optimized neurological health, chiropractic treatment, and vestibular rehabilitation techniques. The neurofeedback therapy we offer at NIb3 in Toronto is very specific and focuses on 1, 2, 4, and 19 channels EEG with the goal of normalizing your brain’s activity. Our biofeedback therapy in Toronto involves EMG (muscle relaxation) exercises, heart rate variability (HRV) training, and stabilization of your body’s biophysiology. We take a wholistic approach to neurological rehabilitation and helping optimize your brain, body, and being.

Toronto Poly Clinic

Toronto Poly Clinic is a pain clinic with responsibility in mind. We believe in a Multidisciplinary philosophy of pain management. We specialize in Chronic Pain and its effects on the human body. Our goal is to formulate a treatment plan to bring lasting relief to our patients. The purpose of this multidisciplinary program is to improve both the physical and psychological effects of pain.

Toronto Poly Clinic offers a range of pain management services including:

  • Interventional Pain Management
  • Prolotherapy
  • Pain Reprocessing Therapy
  • Platelet Rich Plasma – PRP
  • Comprehensive Pain Management
  • Integrative Chronic Pain Management
  • Joint Pain Program
  • Medical Cannabis Program
  • Mindfulness Teaching

Untreated pain results in poor outcomes for individuals, families, and communities

Chronic pain is largely invisible, and those affected often feel disbelieved and stigmatized. Talk to your family physician if you suffer from a pain that has been with you for more than 3 months and ask for a referral to a pain management clinic.

mind body temple
By Ali Sekhavati 1 Comments body, book, chronic pain, mind, pain

Mind-Body Temple: A Self-Directed Approach to Managing Chronic Pain and Elevating your life

This book is designed to take you through a journey of healing for managing your chronic pain and elevating your life. 

It starts with some information about chronic pain and an overview of different conditions that cause chronic pain. This is followed by describing the impact of chronic pain on life, and how to manage it through elevating your life force with healthy living skills and mental wellbeing practices.

Buy Mind-Body Temple: A Self-Directed Approach to Managing Chronic Pain and Elevating your life by Dr. Kevin Rod on Amazon

Developing your Mind-Body Temple through elevating your health and life will pave your way to your goals. Organizing your mind is organizing your life. Working on your physical state will change your state in life. Identifying obstacles between you and your goals, and learning ways to negotiate them, brings you closer to reaching your goals.

There are many Mind-Body skills and disciplines that can help you on this journey. Multiple factors can play significant role in leading you closer to (or farther from) your goals, everything from what you eat, to how active you are, to your perspective in life, to how you prioritize your time on short-term goals, to the quality of your sleep, to your relationships and your social network.

Your Mind-Body Temple can safely take you to the goals of your life. Your purpose in life can be fulfilled through this path. The results are satisfaction and a sense of fulfilment in life – the mother of all success and happiness.

Mind-Body Temple


My goal is to assist you on this journey. My hope is that this information will help you to reach your goal in life and fulfil your purpose. I hope you will never feel alone and join many others on this journey of healing to support and empower each other.

The information on this book is based on scientific evidence, my 32 years’ experience in medical practice, materials gathered by my team for patient education at our clinic, as well as lessons I have learned from my own journey of healing. I have tried to provide reliable references that are accessible by patients at each section.

I trust the skills you will learn on this journey will not only help you with your current medical condition, but these will also stay with you for the rest of your life as you face other life challenges. I hope you find this journey helpful. If only one life is saved or one suffering is ended, all our collective efforts are warranted.

What I loved most about Mind-Body Temple was the author’s caring approach which shone through in his writing. There is so much misinformation regarding chronic pain that it is often dismissed as a mental condition. The sufferer then feels the damaging effects of this mindset when they are either ignored or gaslighted by their health care provider. Dr. Kevin Rod used his experience with chronic pain to develop a holistic, gentle, and compassionate plan.

Stephanie Elizabeth has written a full review of this book here.