Thursday, June 13, 2013

Eastern PA Sheriff's Department Gives 911 Cell Phones To Seniors

Check out this article by the Norristown Patch.  It highlights an excellent service by the Sheriff's Department of Montgomery County, in which the county has set a program in which area seniors can receive 911 cell phones.  These cell phones can be used to place emergency calls in the event that they cannot reach another phone.  The general plan is for these phones to be used in cases of elder abuse, residential hazards, or other emergencies.

This is a program that would be beneficial in any area that there are a large number of seniors who are living independently or who might be at high-risk for elder abuse.  This 911 cell phone donation program is one that other counties or organizations in the state should consider implementing as well.

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving western and central Pennsylvania. He takes cases for older Pennsylvanians who have been abused or neglected.  For more information on his Altoona, PA area practice, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit  his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.  Attorney Stoehr takes cases in Blair and the seven surrounding counties.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

What Is Neurosomatic Therapy?

Many patients who suffer from chronic pain do not experience the degree of pain relief that they would prefer by using traditional options, such as OTC or prescription medication.  For some patients, the switch to alternative forms of pain relief have been successful.

One of the alternative forms of pain relief therapy is neurosomatic therapy.  This treatment consists of deep tissue stimulation that works to identify and fix problems with posture and alignment that work to create or aggravate chronic pain.  This procedure can be performed by trained massage therapists.  Some massage therapists start the first session with a "posture assessment", and send home exercises or stretches to do at home.  The therapists also teach patients how to assess their own posture and be able to correct minor problems, so they can have more independence and less need for office visits multiple times a week.  This treatment seems to be an especially common way to treat chronic headaches, back pain, and sports injuries. You can read one massage therapist's article about how she helps patients with chronic pain by clicking this Newstimes.com article here.

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving Blair and the seven surrounding counties in central Pennsylvania.  He takes cases for clients who are experiencing chronic pain as the result of an injury due to the fault of another.   For more information on his Altoona, PA area firm, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

New Guidelines For Neurostimulation to Treat Pain

Recognizing the need for consensus guidelines to use neuromodulation to treat chronic pain, the Neuromodulation Appropriateness Consensus Committee (NACC), which is an international organization consisting of over 60 pain specialists, created the first international, agreed-upon guidelines to use neurostimulation as a chronic pain treatment.

Neurostimulation is a chronic pain treatment that involves subjecting nerves to electrical stimulation in order to control pain impulses and re-wire nerve pain pathways.  This is proposed to be an effective alternative to pain medication, which can lead to addiction, psychological disorders (such as depression and anxiety), weight gain, and other side effects.

The guidelines established by NACC not only address treatment guidelines and recommendations, but also patient screenings and provider training.  For a more  detailed overview of the establishment of these guidelines, please click here to read an article by News-Medical.net.

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving Blair and the seven surrounding counties in central Pennsylvania.  He takes cases for clients who are experiencing chronic pain as the result of an injury due to the fault of another.   For more information on his Altoona, PA area firm, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.

Friday, June 7, 2013

Beware of Common Painkilling Drugs!

This international news website ran an article recently about the dangers of overusing common over-the-counter drugs.  Please take a look at this article and read about the link between overuse of drugs and heart attacks.

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving Blair and the seven surrounding counties in central Pennsylvania.  He takes cases for clients who are experiencing chronic pain as the result of an injury due to the fault of another.   For more information on his Altoona, PA area firm, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Attorney Stoehr's Client in Local Paper

One of Attorney Stoehr's former clients, Mikayla Yanchik, was featured in the May 31st edition of the local paper, the Altoona Mirror. Miss Yanchik, 14, was featured for her work in starting a local charity mission to raise money for grocery cards in order to help fund a local soup kitchen.  So far, Mikayla raised over 1,600 in grocery cards, which earned her a local humanitarian award. Most of this money was raised via a religiously-minded social media page.  Mikayla has been quoted as being a "ray of light" in the community and is someone who stands out in a very positive way.

Mikayla herself has overcome many obstacles in her young life.  She has suffered from a wide range of medical conditions, yet still remains a positive and inspiring young figure in the community.  She is also a client of Douglas V. Stoehr, Attorney at Law.  Attorney Stoehr successfully represented Mikayla in a medical malpractice suit, and the money obtained from that settlement has been set aside for Mikayla's college education.  Attorney Stoehr is incredibly proud of his many clients who put their concern for others ahead of their own afflictions and setbacks. Good work, Mikayla!

You can learn more about Attorney Douglas Stoehr and his Altoona, PA area practice by visiting his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com or calling his office at 814-946-4100. v

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Veteran Study Examines Chronic Pain and Suicide

There is evidence to support the fact that chronic pain may increase the risk of suicide.  According to a recent Reuters article, people suffering from chronic pain that doesn't really have a physical cause often show increase suicidal tendencies.

A study performed on chronic pain and suicide was run by the US Department of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System and looked at reports of almost 5 million patients.  The results of this study suggest that patients suffering from persistent pain without a physical cause are more likely to consider suicide.  This was most strongly seen in patients who suffered from migraines, back pain, and psychogenic ("originating in the mind") pain.  Psychogenic pain was the most strongly correlated with suicidal risk, with a 58% increase in risk.

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving Blair and the seven surrounding counties in central Pennsylvania.  He takes cases for clients who are experiencing chronic pain as the result of an injury due to the fault of another.   For more information on his Altoona, PA area firm, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.

Monday, June 3, 2013

Different Ways to Handle Chronic Pain


According to CNN, persistent pain-related conditions affect more than 100 million citizens.  This number is more than many other common afflictions combined, such as diabetes and cancer.  According to the CNN article, many chronic pain sufferers rely on prescription medication in isolation to manage their pain.  This is often not effective and can lead to addiction.

There is a fairly unknown speciality of medicine called interventional pain medicine that focuses on diagnosing, treating, and managing pain disorders. These physicians use techniques such as injections and minor, non-invasive surgeries to manage chronic, persistent pain.  These doctors treat pain associated with disorders such as back/neck/spine pain, headaches, fibromyalgia, and cancer pain.

Some other tips that the CNN article gave for those people who are suffering from chronic pain include:

1. Finding a good, reputable pain specialist.
2. Use any prescribed pain medication responsibly and as directed by your physician.
3.  Be informed about your condition and treatment options. Educate yourself.
4. Consider the options of nerve blocks or spinal cord stimulators.
5.  Manage your expectations, specifically about what you expect to gain from treatments or medications.

For more information and to read the CNN article in its entirety, please click here.

Attorney Doug Stoehr is a personal injury lawyer serving Blair and the seven surrounding counties in central Pennsylvania.  He takes cases for clients who are experiencing chronic pain as the result of an injury due to the fault of another.   For more information on his Altoona, PA area firm, please call his office at 814-946-4100 or visit his website at http://www.stoehrlaw.com.