T.J. Samson | Destination Health | December 2018

S ome cold symp- toms can look a lot like those of the flu—a potentially more serious illness that’s treatable with antiviral medicines. If you’re feeling ill, the following chart can help you decide which of these two illnesses you may have. When in doubt, see your doctor promptly, especially if you’re at high risk for flu complications. Cold (usually milder than flu) Flu (lasts longer, usually worse than cold symptoms) Runny, stuffy nose (common) Runny, stuffy nose (sometimes) Sneezing (common) Sneezing (sometimes) Sore throat (common) Sore throat (sometimes) Cough (mild to moderate) Cough (common) Fatigue (sometimes) Fatigue (common) Muscle aches (slight) Muscle aches (common) Headache (rare) Headache (common) Fever (rare) Fever (common) Chills (uncommon) Chills (fairly common) Make a prevention plan Dodging germs during cold and flu season may be a daunting task—especially when everyone around you is starting to sniffle, sneeze and cough. But it isn’t impos- sible. Remember these tips: ■  ■ Get a new flu shot in the fall, just as you should every year. ■  ■ Wash your hands often, especially after touching things sick people may have handled. ■  ■ Try not to touch your face—germs can spread this way. ■  ■ Avoid close contact with people who have a cold or the flu. ■  ■ Consider having separate bathroom hand towels for sick and healthy people. Is it a cold or the flu? 2 DESTINATION HEALTH If you’re living with chronic pain, you might think that finding relief means filling a prescription for powerful and possibly addictive narcotics. But times are changing. Today, specialists at T.J. Sam- son can offer more options for managing chronic pain. And most do not involve a prescrip- tion for opioids.That’s good news, given the nation’s opioid addiction and overdose epidemic, which claims more than 100 lives every day. “We are trying to change mindsets in the community,” says Sachin Bahadur, MD. “There are so many things we can provide to our pa- tients in our community.” HELPING YOU GET BACK YOUR LIFE At T.J. Samson’s pain clinic, Dr. Bahadur and his partner are specially trained in managing chronic pain with a multipronged approach. Like other chronic conditions, chronic pain can be controlled, Dr. Bahadur says.The goal is to reduce your pain and help you take part in ac- tivities that are important to you—activities that you haven’t been able to do because of your pain. “The important word is functional ,” Dr. Bahadur says. “I want to help make you more functional so that you can enjoy your life.” After examining you and running diagnostic tests to pinpoint the source of your pain, the clinic can offer a variety of safe and effective options. Because opioids, such as fentanyl, hydrocodone, oxycodone and morphine, have serious risks if not used properly and aren’t always the best option, the goal will be to treat your pain with nonopioid op- tions, if possible. If opioids are already part of your treatment, other therapies may be added to help you gradually cut back on them, Dr. Bahadur says. Each person is different, but a typical pain management plan will include more than one kind of tailored treatment, such as: Physical therapy. A physical therapist can teach you specific exercises that strengthen your muscles to reduce stress on your nerves and joints. Gentle warm-water exercises may help too. Injections and other procedures. If you are in too much pain to exercise, you may receive steroid shots that possibly can relieve pain for up to several months. “That helps take care of the pain so that you can do the physical therapy,” Dr. Bahadur says. Another option may be radio- frequency ablation to stun painful nerves. Non-narcotic medicines. Your doctor can prescribe other medications that may help with pain and associated conditions, including muscle relaxers and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs), which are commonly used for arthritis. Strategies to help you cope. “Pain is not just physical,” Dr. Bahadur says. It also has emo- tional and psychological effects. T.J. Samson is developing full-time behavioral health therapy. “That is an important part when you are talking about pain,” he says. COMING SOON According to Dr. Bahadur, T.J. Samson is look- ing to add other treatments, with the goal of offering the same treatments you’d find in a big city.These future options may include implant- able nerve stimulator devices and intrathecal drug pumps that deliver much smaller doses of medicines directly to the spinal cord. “The ad- vantage is that opioid requirements come down tremendously,” Dr. Bahadur says. HERE TO HELP If you have chronic pain, ask your doctor for a referral to the pain management clinic at T.J. Samson. “We are here to help,” Dr. Bahadur says. Beyond opioids: Safer ways to treat pain Sachin Bahadur, MD Pain Management T.J. Health Partners