Personal Health Record. Aetna. Special Offer For Aetna Members - www.Vitacost.com. Cryoanalgesia and Therapeutic Cold. Background Cryoanalgesia for Trigeminal Neuralgia: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN), also known as tic douloureux, is a disorder characterized by excruciating episodic pain in the areas innervated by one or more divisions (usually the mandibular and maxillary, rarely the ophthalmic divisions) of the trigeminal nerve. The anti-epileptic drug carbamazepine (Tegretol) is the drug most frequently used for the management of TN. For patients who can not tolerate carbamazepine because of its adverse side effects (poor liver function, confusion, ataxia, drowsiness, and allergic responses), the literature indicates baclofen and other anticonvulsant drugs such as clonazepam (Klonopin) may be useful.
Cryoanalgesia, cryotherapy, or cryoneurotomy has also been used in the treatment of TN. It entails the use of high pressure (approximately 600 pounds per square inch) gas (nitrous oxide or carbon dioxide) administered by a 12- to 14-G needle-shaped cryoprobe. Cold Therapy Units and Hot/Ice Machine: Appendix. Pharmacogenetic Testing. Background Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are responsible for many debilitating side effects and are a major cause of death following drug therapy. It is now clear that a significant portion of these ADRs as well as therapeutic failures are caused by genetic polymorphism and genetically based inter-individual differences in drug absorption, disposition, excretion or metabolism. Genotyping for Cytochrome P450 Polymorphism: Recent advances in molecular biology have improved the understanding of genetic factors underlying many ADRs. Kirchheiner and Brockmoller (2005) stated that the genetic coding for the CYP enzyme 2C9 (CYP2C9) carries many inherited polymorphisms.
The following is a list* of some CYP2C9-metabolized drugs with narrow therapeutic ratios (drugs with a narrow difference between therapeutic and toxic concentrations) with serious toxic effects: Diagnostic genotyping tests for some CYP enzymes are now available commercially. Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Background "Alternative medicine" is a term used for a broad range of treatments and practices that have not gained wide acceptance in the traditional medical community and so are not considered standard medical treatment.
Other terms used to describe such procedures include "holistic", "unconventional", and "complementary". Alternative therapies are based on no common or consistent ideology, therapy of illness, or treatment. They derive from a variety of sources: ethnic and folk traditions, mainstream medical practices, established religions or semi-religious cults, philosophies or metaphysical movements, and health-and-wellness groups. The National Institutes of Health's Office of Alternative Medicine classified alternative therapies into the following 7 categories: The efficacy of various alternative medicine regimens is generally unproven, and some alternative therapies have been shown to be ineffective or even harmful.
Botanical ingredients: Mineral ingredient: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Diagnosis. Background Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis, is a clinically defined condition characterized by severe, persistent, disabling fatigue and a combination of symptoms that prominently feature self-reported impairments in concentration and short-term memory, sleep disturbances, and musculoskeletal pain. Diagnosis of CFS can be made only after alternative medical and psychiatric causes of chronic fatiguing illnesses have been excluded.
No definitive diagnostic tests for this condition have been validated in scientific studies. Because CFS is clinically non-specific and lacks an identifiable cause or diagnostic test, it remains a diagnosis of exclusion. In the revised definition, a consensus viewpoint from many of the leading CFS researchers and clinicians (including input from patient group representatives), CFS is treated as a subset of chronic fatigue, a broader category defined as unexplained fatigue of greater than or equal to 6-month's duration. Revision Info - 03/21/2008. Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ) and Temporomandibular Dis. Background Although the precise etiology of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome and temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) has not yet been identified, these conditions are believed to be the result of either "macro" or "micro" trauma affecting the joint and/or the associated facial musculature.
Macro-trauma is usually historically obvious (e.g., acute joint overload), and there is generally a documented history of direct trauma to the TMJ. Micro-trauma is a chronic and insidious process, multi-factorial in presentation, and commonly associated with para-functional habits, stress and anxiety, sleep disorders, dysfunctional occlusion, and various myofascial conditions (e.g., fibromyalgia). The etiology of temporomandibular disorders are intracapsular or extracapsular. The diagnosis of TMD is largely based upon the symptoms of pain and signs of TMD (e.g., joint sounds, variations from ideal disc position, clicking).
Appliance (splint) therapy has been shown to be beneficial for TMD. Clinical Policy Bulletins Alphabetical List.