17 Oct 2023
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Peripheral Neuropathy in Cancer Patients

Chronic Pain Conditions, Nerve Pain, Peripheral Neuropathy, Therapies & Treatments, , , ,
Identifying the causes of peripheral neuropathy in cancer patients can be difficult. There are many common causes of peripheral neuropathy in cancer patients. Neuropathic pain is defined as pain caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system. Peripheral neuropathies arise from disorders associated specifically within the peripheral nervous system. Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy can include numbness, tingling, pins and needles sensations, sensitivity to touch, or muscle weakness. There are multiple causes of peripheral neuropathy in patients with cancer, identifying the culprit may be complicated by a plethora of etiologies. The peripheral neuropathy can originate from the cancer…
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26 Sep 2023
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Are Regenerative Therapies Effective?

Platelet Rich Plasma, Regenerative medicine, Therapies & Treatments, , ,
It’s an age-old question in medicine, is this safe? Is it effective? With the rise of regenerative medicine and stem cell therapies, people wonder if therapies such as Platelet Rich Plasma, Exosomes/Stem Cells, and Ozone Therapies are safe and effective for chronic pain conditions such as arthritis.   Platelet Rich Plasma and Stem Cell treatments can be effective regenerative therapies for arthritis and other conditions. Regenerative medicine is considered to be safe because most regenerative therapies use cells collected from the patient (platelet rich plasma, or stem cells from bone marrow or fat tissue), which minimizes adverse reactions. Or use…
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19 Sep 2023
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Fix Pain After Back Surgery

Therapies & Treatments, , , , ,
Dr. Castillo's thoughts about intrathecal pain pump management for treating back pain after surgeries. Intrathecal pain pump management is a proven safe and effective therapy for chronic pain control after back surgery. I send a lot of patients for back surgery, when they have chronic back or neck pain. There are patients in danger of hurting a nerve in their spine which allows them to function. The purpose of back surgery is to fix a problem with the spine and stabilize the spine. Some people have no back pain after surgery, and we don’t talk about these outcomes. A lot…
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09 May 2022
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Recreation Therapy Into Pain Management

Lifestyle Tips for Chronic Pain, Therapies & Treatments, , ,
Improving strength and flexibility does not have to be all work and no play. Learn how to get patients to pick up fun sports and hobbies. Especially sports and hobbies that also strengthen their core, lighten their mood, and reduce their pain. Deconditioning and immobility are 2 major affects of chronic pain. Therefore, it's important for physicians to encourage patients to participate in a sport or hobby, and have fun again. According to the American Therapeutic Recreation Association, recreation therapy is a treatment service. Recreation therapy is designed to restore, remediate, and rehabilitate a person’s level of functioning and independence…
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03 Mar 2021
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Talking Pain to a Doctor

Chronic Pain Conditions, Lifestyle Tips for Chronic Pain, Therapies & Treatments, , , ,
How to Talk about Pain to a Doctor On a scale of 0 to 10 what is your pain? Patients who are asked to describe the level of their pain to a doctor using a numerical scale or smiley faces. Pain scales are used from diagnosis to recovery and often help guide treatment. While the pain scale helps evaluate the level of pain a patient feels, it’s not the whole story. Here are a few ways of talking to your doctor about pain, to help assess the best treatment options for you. Be Creative Descriptive words can often be helpful…
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30 Sep 2019
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

The Physical Exam

Chronic Pain Conditions, Sunday Thoughts for Monday Morning, Therapies & Treatments, , ,
by: Dr. Michael A. Castillo I have a medical pet peeve lately, physicians relying on MRIs and EMG to make diagnoses, without performing a physical exam. Medicine is an honor to have a career in because you get to touch people physically and emotionally. It comes with a great deal of responsibility. I am getting more referrals where a patient hasn’t been physically examined. The patient tells me what is wrong in the history because the MRI says so. The proper order is History, Physical Examination, and then Tests (MRI, X-rays, Nerve Tests, et al) to create a diagnosis. A…
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03 Sep 2019
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Knee Pain

Chronic Pain Conditions, Platelet Rich Plasma, Therapies & Treatments, , ,
by: Dr. Michael A. Castillo We use our legs every day, and as result knee pain is common either from wear and tear, or injury. The first thing we need to understand is what is wrong with the knee. Best practices for knee pain diagnosis are a physical exam and an MRI. As there can be injury to the internal knee as well as the external knee, sometimes both parts. There can be three approaches to treating the knee: internal injections with hyaluronic acid (roster comb), external injections with steroid or natural anti-inflammatory injections, regenerative medicine, and surgery (endoscopic and…
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14 Mar 2019
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Untraditional Approach to Sports Injuries

Platelet Rich Plasma, Regenerative medicine, Therapies & Treatments, , ,
If a sports injury does not respond to nonsurgical treatments Dr. Castillo may recommend regenerative medicine therapy Some sports injuries heal fairly quickly on their own with rest and mild activity. While others are like a torn ACL, are unlikely to heal with traditional treatments. Now regenerative medicine such as PRP therapy, Stem Cell Therapy, and others may be able to help heal sports injuries. These regenerative treatments can help get players back on the field quicker. What is Regenerative Medicine? Regenerative medicine is the process of using cells to create newly functional tissues or repair tissue damaged from aging,…
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29 Jan 2019
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Regenerative Therapies for Osteoarthritis

Regenerative medicine, Therapies & Treatments, , , ,
Reactions to new materials or objects is eliminated with stem cell therapies as the patient’s own cells. Joint pain has become a growing problem with the extended life expectancy in the US. There are about 1 million joint replacement surgeries performed in the US annually. With that the number projecting to increase to nearly 4 million by 2030. Some people continue to live with arthritis, osteoarthritis, and other joint pain – some because of lack of treatment options or a fear of surgery as an option. Regenerative therapies for osteoarthritis While joint replacements have been an option for people suffering…
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22 Jan 2019
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Stem Cells The Next Frontier

Regenerative medicine, Therapies & Treatments, , , ,
From diabetes to spinal cord injuries, stem cells have the potential to treat diseases and ailments of all types. And the list continues to grow. Regenerative medicine has become a beneficial option for patients with back problems. Stem cells could be the next frontier in pain management Advances have enabled spinal surgeons to use stem cells to treat patients helping in the regeneration of degenerated discs, healing spinal cord injuries, and helping bone growth in spinal fusions – according to a study in the World Journal of Stem Cells. Regenerative cell injections are also a viable option for patients suffering…
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