Category Archives: calmare therapy

Tune in and turn down chronic pain

Posted on May 9, 2013 | Leave a comment

By Dr. Michael J. Cooney

holding-headphones-listening-to-music-1Everyone knows that lullabies are very effective in soothing babies to sleep. But did you know that just one hour a day of music can be beneficial to adults as well? Multiple studies show that listening to music daily can significantly reduce pain and depression and increase feelings of control. This is great news for people dealing with chronic pain. While ‘zoning out’ to a good song cannot totally eliminate pain (or take the place of quality medical care, of course), it is a safe, inexpensive way for chronic pain sufferers to get some relief and push the pain away for a while.

A natural pain remedy with no side effects
Music provides a safe, natural add-on to pain treatment. Some of the same pathways in your brain that process music also process pain. (We use these same pathways with Calmare Therapy which painlessly scrambles the pain message so that is can no longer emit the pain signal). Focusing on music keeps your mind engaged and triggers emotional responses that compete with pain pathways to lessen pain. In addition, music causes the body to release endorphins, natural painkillers, which can be effective even when traditional pain medications have failed (the same way exercising can brighten your mood and lessen stress).

Just what the doctor ordered
The idea that music can be therapeutic is not surprising to anyone who has ever turned on their favorite song to help them relax after a bad day. Music has been proven to be effective in lowering blood pressure, slowing breathing and heart rate, reducing body tension and relaxing muscles, all of which can ease your pain and lift your spirits. And the best part is that the type of music doesn’t matter. Whether you love classic rock or classical music, pick songs that you have an emotional connection with and you will have the perfect prescription for pain.

About Dr. Cooney
Michael J. Cooney, DC, is a chiropractic physician and medical director of Rutherford Allied Medical Group and Calmare Pain Therapy NJ, located in Rutherford, NJ. The practice is comprised of board certified physicians, chiropractic specialists and physical therapists who treat pain biophysically, without medication. Calmare Pain Treatment Therapy® is an FDA-cleared, non-invasive scrambler therapy proven to help relieve chronic pain. For more information, call (201) 933-4440 or visit http://calmaretherapynj.com/

→ Leave a comment

Posted in alternative therapy for chronic pain, Calmare Pain Treatment Therapy, calmare therapy, Cancer pain relief, Chronic neck pain, Fibromyalgia, new treatment for crps, new treatment for fibromyalgia, new treatment for rsd, Pain neuoropathy, Rutherford Allied Medical Group, scrambler therapy

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Our war on RSD continues (thumbs up)

Posted on May 1, 2013 | Leave a comment

April 30, 2013

We’re delighted to report not one –but two–positive outcomes in the works with two RSD patients who began treatment last week. They’ve given us permission to share their stories as a vehicle for helping others who may read this (thank you both!).

Let’s begin with Deena from Pennsylvania –

Deena_PA_4.2013

Deena is shown here with the Calmare machine (April 2013).

In 2008, Deena fell on a wet tile floor and experienced hyperextention of the knee with a grade 2 tear of the medial collateral ligament (MCL). A year after her injury, she was diagnosed with reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD).  Treatment efforts for the past three years have consisted of physical therapy, nerve blocks and painkilling drugs such as Gabapentin and Tramadol, with no positive results.

Unable to walk without pain on the right side from the buttock to her foot, Deena has not been able to work or be fully engaged in day-to-day life.

Living in central PA, Deena felt isolated with her chronic pain, but through Facebook, she discovered other people who were also living with RSD.  Over time, she read about several positive experiences with Calmare scrambler therapy, she called the national headquarters for more information she was referred to Dr. Michael Cooney in New Jersey, who has treated many RSD / CRPS/ Fibromyalgia patients.

When she arrived at Calmare Therapy NJ last week, her lower extremity pain level was severe, 10 / 10. After five treatments, her pain has been reduced to a three  at night only at the original pain site (knee). The rest of her lower extremity pain is gone. Her mobility is vastly improved — she has no more limping or pain when walking and has overcome the allodynia (pain when touched).

Deena is finishing up her therapy this week and we look forward to her video depicting her experience with Calmare. Deena–it’s been a pleasure having you here in New Jersey and we are excited to hear about how your life is about to change once you return to PA. Stay in touch!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Calmare Pain Treatment Therapy, calmare therapy, Fibromyalgia, new treatment for fibromyalgia, new treatment for rsd, Pain neuoropathy, Radiating pain, rsd, Rutherford Allied Medical Group, treatment for fibromyalgia pain, treatment for rsd

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Calmare Scrambler Therapy vs. Full Body RSD

Posted on March 23, 2013 | 1 Comment

March 23, 2013

woman in shadow anonymousMelissa, age 28, arrived here from south Jersey for Calmare treatment on Wednesday after suffering from full body RSD for 15 long years. The original injury began in her left ankle after a fall, followed by a second injury as the result of a car accident.  Over the years, her RSD slowly spread until it encompassed her entire body.

She and her husband aggressively sought new pain treatments for RSD ─ a laundry list of drugs, spinal cord stimulators (SCS),  multiple nerve blocks, etc.  Melissa was searching on the Internet for drug-free treatments and discovered one of our patient stories on YouTube. She contacted us and we talked at length about her medical history, treatment efforts and expectations. I shared my experience treating many people living with RSD / CRPS/ RND / Fibromyalgia using Calmare, and we mutually decided to begin treatment.

My strategy is to initiate treatment exclusively on her original pain site, the left ankle. After the first treatment, her Mother became emotional saying the early results were the first positive treatment outcome she could remember.

After Treatment Day 3 (yesterday), Melissa described her pain as “sore” but far from the 8 -10 level reported a few days ago. She noted both arms are receding in pain.

Time will tell. Her case is very advanced and has been in place for more than a decade. As I’ve said before, the longer the period of sustained neuropathy, the longer the treatment process can be. Have I seen exceptions to this guideline? Yes, absolutely. But this is typical.

Melissa’s early positive early signs are encouraging to me.  Her mother is staying here in town with her for week one and her husband will come up for week two. With her permission, I’ll keep you updated on her progress.

Good weekend to all,

Dr. Cooney

→ 1 Comment

Posted in alternative therapy for chronic pain, Calmare Pain Treatment Therapy, calmare therapy, Cancer pain relief, Chronic neck pain, Chronic pain syndrome, Dr. Michael Cooney, Lower back pain, Pain neuoropathy, Rutherford Allied Medical Group, treatment for fibromyalgia pain

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Chronic pain sufferers find valuable support from online chat groups

Posted on March 20, 2013 | Leave a comment

March 20, 2013

chat roomBy Dr. Michael J. Cooney

A colleague shared this article supporting online chat rooms for people living with chronic pain.  For those of us at Calmare Therapy NJ, this is not news. Many of our patients are enthusiastic users of Facebook groups, Twitter and other sites where people living with neuropathy or specific medical conditions can interact and share support. We often join in relevant discussions as well from a healthcare provider perspective.

The caveat, of course, is when non-medical professionals share healthcare information that is one-side on simply incorrect. We have had more than a few patients contact us with mis-information about Calmare Therapy, in fact.

Nonetheless,  my team and I actively join in on some of these online discussion groups because we can often offer clinical information on scrambler therapy and answer simple questions to help patients determine if this therapy (or another) might help minimize the cause of their pain.

My suggestion? Search for some online support groups and read the posts for a while to see if the tone and quality of information suits your needs. If you choose to jump in and ask a question or share your experience, you can maintain your privacy by posting under a username that protects you.

Nearly all the chronic pain support groups have chat rooms. Here are a few groups that we participate in below. If any of our readers would like to share additional recommendations, please do so!

Here to Help – RSD

Surviving Chronic Pain

DailyStrength.org (sign-up required)

rsdcrpsdoesntownme.com

→ Leave a comment

Posted in calmare therapy, Chronic neck pain, diabetes pain therapy, Dr. Michael Cooney, Pain neuoropathy, Radiating pain, treatment for fibromyalgia pain

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Seventy-years-old is NOT too old for Calmare scrambler therapy

Posted on March 12, 2013 | 1 Comment

old man's handMarch 12, 2013

I received a query from a senior male asking if he was  ”too old”  to undergo Calmare Pain Therapy Treatment. After reviewing his medical history and discussing previous therapies and medications used, I learned that he underwent hand surgery two years ago and endured post surgical pain ever since. His pain eventually resulted in a CRPS diagnosis from his doctor.  He said even in chronic pain, he was still able to drive, but the pain level was increasing progressively and side effects from his prescribed pain medication was making him feel unsteady on his feet and “cranky”.

He is from Monmouth County here in New Jersey. When we met last month, I was surprised to learn that this gentleman was living every day of his long-awaited retirement with an 8/9 pain level.

His neuropathy was concentrated in a very specific area of the hand, so placement of the Calmare leads was relatively direct. After five one-hour treatments, his pain was consistently a 3/4. Much to his delight, he no longer needs to use Gabapentin (Neurontin) which caused ongoing dizziness, emotional confusion and depression.

This isn’t the first senior who has experienced a positive outcome with scrambler therapy and (I hope) it won’t be the last. If you or a loved one is suffering their senior years in pain, I’d be happy to talk with you. Here’s to more happy endings down the road.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Calmare Pain Treatment Therapy, calmare therapy, Dr. Michael Cooney, rsd, Rutherford Allied Medical Group

Tagged , , , , , ,

Dr. Cooney takes your questions live on “RSD and You” today!

Posted on February 15, 2013 | Leave a comment

rsdnad youI am honored to be a guest on Joseph Aquilino’s popular “RSD and You” BlogTalk Radio program today at 3 p.m. eastern time.  It’s a relaxed program format where Joseph and I talk about Calmare Pain Therapy Treatment (he is also a patient with another doctor) and then we open up the phone lines for caller questions.

The call-in number is (310) 982-4253 and to listen live just click http://www.blogtalkradio.com/joeygiggles/2013/02/15/rsd-and-you-show .

If you’d like to join us on chat during the show, you’ll need to first register for the main site at http://blogtalkradio.com/.

If you have questions about scrambler therapy, please feel free to call in. There’s no need to identify yourself if you prefer not to.  Calmare patients are also encouraged to call and share their stories! See you at 3 pm!

→ Leave a comment

Posted in alternative therapy for chronic pain, Calmare Pain Treatment Therapy, calmare therapy, Chronic neck pain, Dr. Michael Cooney, Fibromyalgia, Pain neuoropathy, Radiating pain, rsd, Rutherford Allied Medical Group, scrambler therapy, Transdermal pain modulation, treatment for fibromyalgia pain, treatment for rsd

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Kenley’s RSD story and Calmare treatment

Posted on February 4, 2013 | Leave a comment
Kenley

Click to view Kenley’s story.

February 8, 2013

I mentioned a few weeks ago about Kenley arriving here in New Jersey from her home in West Virginia wheelchair-bound as a result of her lower extremity RSD. She was also living with severe pain hovering in the 8 -10 pain scale range.

While she was with us for 11 treatments, she charmed us all and brought tears to our eyes when she pushed her own wheelchair out of the office after treatment number 7.

Kenley will require occasional booster treatments due to the severity of her condition.  Our goal is for her to be able to extend the length of time between treatments longer and longer.

This brave and inspiring young woman has generously shared her emotional story with us by video and we are most appreciative to her for telling her personal story. She left a big impression on all of us.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in alternative therapy for chronic pain, Calmare Pain Treatment Therapy, calmare therapy, Chronic pain syndrome, Radiating pain, rsd, scrambler therapy, treatment for rsd

Tagged , , , , , ,

Kenley prepares to leave NJ–wheelchair free

Posted on January 17, 2013 | 3 Comments

January 17, 2013

no wheelchair imageSince we started providing Calmare Therapy, we have seen some remarkable patient outcomes that we will never forget. During the past two weeks here in New Jersey, our patient Kenley, from West Virginia, has experienced a tremendous outcome that we would like to share─

PATIENT HISTORY

She started treatment with us Monday, January 7. Kenley is a smart and kind 24-year-old who has been wheelchair-bound with RSD from her left knee to her foot for the past two years. Her dream is to overcome the RSD pain and be able to return to college.

CALMARE PAIN THERAPY – TREATMENTS 1 – 8

When she arrived, her pain level was 8-10. After her third treatment, she left with a pain level reduced to a 2. It increased that evening but each might her pain decrease lasted for a longer span of time. Yesterday, we completed treatment number eight and she walked out of the office reporting a 0 pain level for the first time. Best of all, she did not use her wheelchair when she left (which brought tears to my front office staff).  Kenley also said,  “I have been wearing loose slippers for so long I had forgotten what it’s like to wear real shoes–I love it!”

TODAY – TREATMENT 9

When she arrived this morning, Kenley was walking without the wheelchair, although taking tentative steps. She reported some overnight muscle soreness which I attribute to using her legs independently again for the first time in two years (there is “good” pain sometimes). Hopefully, Kenley can videotape her experience and share it personally with you all. She has an inspiring story to tell and we are honored to be part of it.

Dr. Michael Cooney

→ 3 Comments

Posted in alternative therapy for chronic pain, Calmare Pain Treatment Therapy, calmare therapy, Chronic pain syndrome, new treatment for crps, new treatment for rsd, Radiating pain, rsd

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

A new study connecting chronic pain and the brain

Posted on January 2, 2013 | Leave a comment

brainOn December 20, a new study about the brain’s effect on chronic pain* was released by Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and published in the January 2013 edition of the journal Pain. I wanted to share it with our blog readers, who are all certainly experts in this field (unfortunately), and may appreciate this information.  This study relates directly to Calmare’s scrambler therapy technology which essentially scrambles the pain message being sent by the brain, which, again, stresses the  connectivity between pain and the brain. Interesting reading.

*This link clicks to an abstract of the study and, unfortunately, you have to pay to get the full version. In lieu of this, here is the news release about the results of the study posted by Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which I hope will be equally helpful. http://www.brighamandwomens.org/about_bwh/publicaffairs/news/pressreleases/PressRelease.aspx?sub=0&PageID=1341

→ Leave a comment

Posted in alternative therapy for chronic pain, Calmare Pain Treatment Therapy, calmare therapy, Chronic neck pain, Chronic pain syndrome, Pain neuoropathy, Rutherford Allied Medical Group

Tagged , , , , ,

Post Herpetic Neuralgia (PHN) patient conducts exhaustive research on drug-free pain treatment and finally discovers relief with Calmare Therapy

Posted on December 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

(For privacy purposes, Joan prefers to publish her first name only).
anon woman in silhouetteJoan’s education and livelihood has been centered in the field of healthcare. She earned degrees in health science as well as a nursing degree (RN). Her career spans more than 30 years working as an executive in a pharmaceutical company and in private consulting.

In 2005, she was diagnosed with shingles and has suffered from post hepatic neuropathy (PHN) ever since. Joan was not content to simply take pain medications for the rest of her life (the dosages were high and she experienced unpleasant side effects). Below, Joan shares firsthand how her discovery of Calmare Therapy finally lessened her chronic neuropathy and improved her quality of life exponentially.

Joan’s Story
“I left no stone unturned in my search for relief from PHN’s severe nerve shocks that strike at any given time. The symptoms that I suffer from are intensive nerve pain shocks that happen almost nonstop and painful skin sensitivity (allodynia) that renders me unable to wear certain fabrics or allow anyone to touch the affected side of my back. It becomes very hard to relax and the pain causes me to hold a lot of stress in my body. I was an out-patient at a renowned New York City pain center for a number of years where I was prescribed many different pain medications; underwent several painful and invasive nerve block procedures and even tried deep brain stimulation treatments. Sad to say, none of these efforts resulted in any significant improvement in my pain.

At the onset of my illness, I was prescribed Lyrica and the dosage gradually crept up until I was taking 600mg, much higher than the recommended daily dosage of 300mg. I was on this regime for a couple of years. Then I changed physicians and was prescribed a compounded topical cream in addition to the Lyrica. This medication regimen offered me some relief, but if I missed a dose or did not apply the cream, the pain became very intense. Many nights, the shocks and firings from the nerve damage kept me awake.

Monthly pain management research
Each month since this happened to me, I sit down at my computer and research the latest findings and new therapies for pain neuropathy. When I discovered the clinical trial results for Calmare Therapy, published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management Continue reading →

→ Leave a comment

Posted in alternative therapy for chronic pain, Calmare Pain Treatment Therapy, calmare therapy, Chronic pain syndrome, Pain neuoropathy, Rutherford Allied Medical Group, Transdermal pain modulation

Tagged , , , , , , , ,