I just recently became aware of a new magnetic stimulation therapy that may (eventually) help chronic pain sufferers.

I always seem to be pressed for time (and energy), but I wanted to post a brief note about it in case someone wants to check it out.

(If you decide to research it and can come up with something worthwhile, you can guest post if you like and include whatever links — within reason — you like.)

Anyway, this seems to be the real deal. The technique has already been used successfully for depression.

Static magnets, of course, have been used for centuries for various ailments, but this involves using electromagnetic pulses to alter your brain activity. It's called TMS therapy (transcranial magnetic stimulation).

The Food and Drug Administration has approved it already for depression, for those who don't respond well to medications. And researchers are studying its use for controlling acute and chronic pain, among other things.

It's still very iffy in my view, very new, and the whole idea of messing around with a person's normal brain activity ought to give the saner among us pause, but if it turns out to be safe, it just may hold out some hope for those for whom other strategies have failed.

As soon as I can find time to learn more about it, I'll try to update you, but right now, I have to go pay bills and do my physical therapy exercises.

I hope you are doing well, but if not, I hope you are getting well.

Best.

But I’ve kept at it anyway and just in the last couple of days, I’ve felt a little better, so maybe it will work in the long run?

If anyone out there really cares, I apologize for not having posted lately. It’s just increasingly hard to motivate myself, even when the pain isn’t getting me down. I have to take care of my ailing mother (who is also ailing financially) and this site isn’t bringing in a penny anyway… so, sorry, but I have to concentrate most of my energies elsewhere, y’know?

I hope a few have found something here they’ve found worthwhile, but if not, it didn’t cost you anything but a few moments of your time. There are plenty of sites out there who will give you nothing for some hard-earned something, so at least you got nothing for nothing here.

Well, that’s one way to look at it anyhow. Your mileage may vary.

Anyway, I still find that stretching and yoga and inversion are among the very best sources of relief, at least for me, so in that spirit, here’s a little video of a yoga instructor showing exercises for lower back pain:

Although given the camera angles, this video is probably more meant to be sexy entertainment than to help those with back pain, the movements shown do appear to be valid. Please be sure to consult with your primary physician first though about your condition before trying.

For those who may be interested, we thought we'd post this as a potential informational resource from our founder (click on the image to go to the site). There is a fair amount of information that is available for free, a free report, and an ebook that is reasonably priced.

This looks like pretty good advice. Just be careful! And don’t even try it if your pain is severe — at least not without medical advice and supervision!

Yes, Richard is writing an e-book, among other things, even now, but he wants it to be as useful as possible to his readers so he is taking his time on it and giving its content considerable thought. It may be a little while, but when finished, it will be 100% free and is expected to include some of his personal experience and philosophy, as well as various exercises, supplements, and resources he has found helpful over the years.

If you would like to be alerted when the e-book becomes available, please fill out the submission form below:

Not so many years ago, yoga was not very well understood in the West.

Fortunately, today many in our culture have come to understand its many benefits.

Many practitioners say that a good yoga workout leaves them feeling more in harmony with life.

If you've never practiced or looked into yoga before, as a back pain sufferer you should keep in mind that there are several different kinds of yoga. Some practices may be inappropriate, or even dangerous, for those with certain conditions. We hope to be posting more extensively on these differences sometime soon, but meanwhile, we highly recommend viniyoga and strongly encourage you to learn as much as you can about the differences between the different practices before beginning any routine. You should also get the okay from your primary physician first, and even then, take it very easy on yourself, especially in the beginning.

Back-Pain-Therapy.com recommends yoga as a back pain therapy resource.