LIFE IN FOCUS

When in pain, it's hard to focus on anything else! Chronic pain presents a significant healthcare challenge. As in any long-term health problem, the experience of chronic pain often leads to complications that extend beyond the initial physical symptoms. Ultimately and insidiously, it will affect one's entire quality of life.  From a pharmaceutical perspective, better living through chemistry will involve one (or a combination) of the following categories of pain managing medications:   non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen, cox-2 inhibitors, antidepressants and anti-seizure drugs, and opioids. The pain  management industry, estimated at almost 7 billion U.S. dollars is expected to grow to almost 13 billion by 2028. While many are certainly grateful these drugs exist as they can be highly effective in allowing the functioning of day-to-day activities, they can also come at a huge personal cost (both financially and health-wise). Optimally, their use will