Pain Waves

Living with the pain of osteoarthritis can be overwhelming. Susan Johnston is a Nurse Educator for OASIS (OsteoArthritis Service Integration System) a Vancouver Coastal Health program aimed at helping people with osteoarthritis to self-manage their pain. She has also lived with chronic pain for 20 years. In this episode, she talks to Pain BC about managing pain with conventional and integrative/ho...

Chronic pain and illness can be isolating and challenging. We chat to counsellor and coach Kira Lynne about the benefits of counselling to help tackle your emotions, improve your mental health, and live better with chronic pain - putting yourself first. Kira Lynne is a Life Coach, Registered Professional Counsellor, Holistic Nutritionist, Reiki Master, and the author of "Aches, Pains, and Love: A...

Curious about Flotation Therapy and how it can help with chronic pain? We chat to Float House (floathouse.ca) co-founder Mike Zaremba about how Flotation Therapy/Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST) works, the research around benefits for chronic pain management, common misconceptions around flotation, meditation, and more! Links to further research articles: http://www.tandfonline....

Learn more about the upcoming Provincial Pain Summit as we chat to Pain BC's Executive Director, Maria Hudspith. Find out about the Summit goals, structure, and focus - as well as how you can be a part of the discussion and action planning to change how pain is understood and treated in BC. Go to painbc.ca/summit for more information.

Join Pain BC's 2nd annual #livingwithpain experiment to raise awareness about chronic pain during National Pain Awareness Week. Learn more about the experiment and how to participate in this episode of Pain Waves and go to painbc.ca/livingwithpain for more information.

In this inspiring episode of Pain Waves, we chat to Paul Henczel, BBA, author of Miracle in a Mill: Crushed Alive about how a horrific workplace injury changed his life and how he has learned to cope despite living with chronic pain. We also discuss four key strategies Paul has used to overcome challenges and live better. Paul is the author of Miracle in a Mill, the Co-Creator of Story Academy ( w...

Pain BC’s free Connect for Health program advocates for people in pain and their families, connecting you with services and support that go beyond your doctor’s office. In this episode of Pain Waves Radio, we chat to Sarah Dobson, operational lead of Connect for Health, and Julianne Brown, a Connect for Health volunteer. Learn about the different services offered (e.g. help with income security, h...

Have you been looking for a way to better manage your pain? Pain BC's free online self-management tool, Live Plan Be, offers you a concrete way to track and assess your pain and its impacts, set goals, learn more about pain science, and connect with others in a secure forum. Learn more about how it works in this episode of Pain Waves Radio, where we chat to our Director of Education and Engagement...

Dr. Leslie Wicholas is a psychiatrist who developed complex regional pain syndrome following a sports-related injury in 2014. She underwent several conventional treatments with little improvement before embarking on her own research into the underlying pathophysiology of her pain disorder and novel treatment approaches. By implementing what she learned, she is now in full remission. Leslie is an a...

Chronic pain and PTSD frequently co-occur and they can interact in such a way that negatively impacts the course of treatment for either condition. However, integrated treatment programs are available that effectively address both conditions. What is PTSD? PTSD is a mental health conditions that can develop in response to a traumatic event. Traumatic events are defined as experiences which involve...

Becky Curtis founded Take Courage Coaching with a vision to share what she was learning - how to manage her pain so it wasn't the centre of her universe. In time, she gathered a group of professionals in counselling, coaching, and communications who are equally passionate about making life less about pain and more about living. Through the courage of those who know how to enjoy life in spite of th...

In this episode of Pain Waves Radio, co-hosted with Dr. Michael Negraeff, we talk to Phillipe Lucas about medical cannabis in Canada and how it can be used to treat chronic pain. We discuss the research that shows how cannabis can work as a safer adjunct to or substitute for pharmaceutical opiates and cover some of the common myths and misconceptions around medical cannabis. We also discuss the so...

Children and adults with intellectual or developmental disability may not be able to always tell you that they are experiencing pain, but it’s our responsibility to understand there are many reasons that people with ID/DD are experiencing pain. In this episode of Pain Waves Radio by Pain BC, Dr. Beverley Temple discusses how we can improve the quality of life of those with ID/DD by addressing the...

Severe chronic pain, financial hardships, and intense emotional suffering are just some of the consequences of workplace injuries. In this month's episode, co-hosted by Pain BC founding member Dr. Michael Negraeff, we discuss the serious impact of workplace injuries and the challenges faced by those trying to return to work while experiencing persistent pain and dealing with the Worksafe BC claims...

Parents are key knowledge users of evidence about children’s pain, and more and more are turning to social media for information about child health. Join us as we chat to Dr. Christine Chambers about pediatric pain, the impact of social media on parents with children in pain, and the “It Doesn’t Have to Hurt” social media initiative.  It Doesn't Have to Hurt is a unique science-media partnership b...

We'll discuss over the counter painkillers such as Tylenol (the generic name being Acetaminophen) and Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (or NSAIDs) like Ibuprofen (the brand name being Advil), as well as various nutraceuticals (foods containing health-giving additives and medicinal benefits) with our guest Shabita Teja. We'll also look at the role your pharmacist can take in helping you manage chr...

Dr. May Caprio and Linda Cundiff unlock some of the mysteries and myths around sleep. How can we get better sleep, even if we're living with chronic pain? True or False? 1.  The more sleep I get, the healthier I'll be. 2.  Waking up at night means that I'll be tired the next day. 3.  Snoring is common and totally harmless.               4.  It's important to always keep track of how much I sleep....

Elizabeth M. Christy lives in Northern Virginia with her husband James, son Jimmy (5), and daughter Lucy (newborn). She is the best-selling author of the children’s book "Why Does Mommy Hurt? Helping Children Cope with having a Caregiver with Chronic Pain, Fibromyalgia, or Autoimmune Disease," and blogs on parentswithpain.com and potomacfallsmama.blogspot.ca.  Additionally, she works as a Systems...

Is there a link between nutrition and pain? Dr. Caroline Coombs, ND is a licenced naturopathic physician and health educator. She currently teaches weekly sessions on Nutrition for pain management at the ChangePain clinic in Vancouver. She also runs private practices in Vancouver and Port Moody and is the resident Naturopathic physician for the LULORA collective, an online health and wellness comp...

In this episode, we chat to Gemma Isaac, an accredited (MTA) music therapist and certified in Neurologic Music Therapy. As the music therapist at the Burns, Plastic and Trauma Unit (BPTU) at VGH, Gemma facilitates music therapy programs for patients, their families, and healthcare staff alike. http://gemmamusictherapy.com/ How does music therapy work? Music therapy is facilitated through a variety...

Chronic foot pain can impair your mobility, affect your ability to exercise, and may indicate other medical issues. In this episode, we talk to Dr. Roy Mathews, a podiatrist practicing in Vancouver and New Westminster. With his extensive background in Kinesiology, as well as in amateur and professional sports, Dr. Mathews focuses a large portion of his Podiatric practice on relieving the persisten...

Do you paint, dance, sing, sculpt, do pottery, etc to help manage your pain? Join us as we explore the pain management benefits of the Arts for easing chronic pain. Our guest is Nicki  Kahnamoui, Executive Director of Arts Health Network. Nicki is a certified project manager, with over 15 years of experience managing health care and health research projects, ranging from new program and system imp...

Pain BC recently received a $1 million grant from the Ministry of Health to continue our work in reducing the burden of pain in BC. We are embarking on the next phase of our Strategic Plan and need your input and ideas: What are the gaps in the BC Health Care system as they relate to chronic pain? Where are the areas of greatest need? How can you get involved in changing pain in BC? Our guest is M...

Dr. Alison Bested is a Haematological Pathologist. Her training covered a wide variety of areas including Immunology, Immunohaematology, Genetics, Anatomic Pathology, Internal Medicine, Clinical and Laboratory Haematology. Dr. Bested has been privileged to treat patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities for the past 20 years. An internationally acclai...

Neil Pearson PT, physiotherapist, yoga teacher, and internationally renowned pain expert joins us to discuss the latest developments and research into yoga as a tool to better manage chronic pain. We discuss how pain changes the body, mind and spirit, and how a yoga practice can address each of these areas. This episode of Pain Waves Radio is generously sponsored by the personal injury lawyers at...