Chronic Insights

Chronic Insights

For spoonies, for the chronically ill, for people with autoimmune disease, arthritis, fibromyalgia, EDS, axial spondyloarthritis / ankylosing spondylitis, endometriosis, migraine, POTS or any of the thousand other health conditions which cause chronic pain and fatigue. I'm James Allen, the developer of the Chronic Insights symptom diary app, author of Poetry For Spoonies, veteran spoonie, and AS lifer - grab your duvet, pillow, hot water bottle, meds and headphones as we relax together and shut the world out while we talk about spoonie life and feel less alone, together.

Spoonie Entrepreneurship with Emma Reilly

Trying to start your own business as a spoonie is hard. But it can also lead to the freedom and flexibility we need to be able to work while being chronically ill. James and Emma discuss their experiences in spoonie entrepreneurship! ⁠⁠Episode transcript⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow and DM me on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email me at ⁠⁠⁠⁠james@chronicinsights.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get the Chronic Insights symptom diary app ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for Android⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠for iOS

07-03
01:07:35

Endometriosis with Emma Reilly

James talks to Emma Reilly, a spoonie with an amazing story of living with endometriosis and growing up with social anxiety ⁠Episode transcript⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow and DM me on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email me at ⁠⁠⁠james@chronicinsights.com⁠⁠⁠ Get the Chronic Insights symptom diary app ⁠⁠⁠⁠for Android⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠for iOS

05-15
59:11

Somatics for chronic pain with Ian Young

If you have chronic pain, you need to listen to this chat I had with Ian Young, a somatic movement coach who lives with axial spondyloarthritis, about somatics: a gentle system of simple movements designed to relieve stress and tension in muscles and joints which can lead to less pain, less fatigue, and an opportunity to feel more comfortable and relaxed in our own bodies. Also, get the latest updates about the Chronic Insights app - there are some great features coming in the next beta release! ⁠Check out ⁠Ian Young's website⁠ to learn more, join a weekly Zoom class, or get 1:1 sessions Episode transcript⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow and DM me on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email me at ⁠⁠⁠james@chronicinsights.com⁠⁠⁠ Get the Chronic Insights symptom diary app ⁠⁠⁠⁠for Android⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠for iOS

04-10
01:22:46

The other side of the coin

It's been a long break because of more chronic illness, but this time it's not just me! Join me as I refect on what it's like being the one caring for others with chronic illness for a change, and get the latest news on my symptom diary app Chronic Insights. Follow and DM me on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email me at ⁠⁠⁠james@chronicinsights.com⁠⁠⁠ Get the Chronic Insights symptom diary app ⁠⁠⁠⁠for Android⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠for iOS

03-11
40:31

How autoimmune disease works

If you have an autoimmune disease this episode is a must-listen! Today we look at how the immune system works, what it does, why it goes wrong and why autoimmune disease happens, learning amazing facts about how our bodies work along the way! This is really empowering stuff to know for anyone with an autoimmune condition like rheumatoid arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis / ankylosing spondylitis, MS, ME / chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, lupus, Graves, crohns or any of the 100+ autoimmune diseases we know about: by learning how our diseases work, we can more easily come to terms with them, accept what is happening, and learn to appreciate just how amazing our bodies really are. Episode transcript⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Follow and DM me on Instagram⁠⁠⁠ Email me at ⁠⁠james@chronicinsights.com⁠⁠ Get the Chronic Insights symptom diary app ⁠⁠⁠for Android⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠for iOS

07-28
54:27

Symptom diary app update and future developments

A sneek peak into the future for the Chronic Insights symptom diary app! After a flareup of pain and fatigue from my axial spondyloarthritis, I didn't have time to prep a normal episode this week, so instead I take you behind the scenes and list all the exciting features on my whiteboard - including food diaries, air quality and support for people with amputations. Episode transcript⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Follow and DM me on Instagram⁠⁠ Email me at ⁠james@chronicinsights.com⁠ Get the Chronic Insights symptom diary app ⁠⁠for Android⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠for iOS

07-21
01:01:18

Endogenous opioids: the body's own painkillers (RE-UPLOAD)

If you have chronic pain, you need to listen to this episode! Did you know that the body creates it's own opioids? Learn what they are, how they work, how they relate to synthetic opioids, why tolerance and dependence happens and what the future might have in store for next-generation pain medicines Episode transcript⁠ ⁠Follow and DM me on Instagram⁠ Email me at james@chronicinsights.com Get the Chronic Insights symptom diary app ⁠for Android⁠ and ⁠for iOS References: Treating Pain without Pills - Scientific American    Opioid crisis: powerful but non-addictive drug could replace morphine | New Scientist    The new pain treatments that may finally stem the need for opioids | New Scientist    Body’s 'Natural Opioids' Affect Brain Cells Much Differently than Morphine | UC San Francisco (ucsf.edu)    Frontiers | Endogenous opioid systems alterations in pain and opioid use disorder (frontiersin.org)    Scientists Take Another Step Toward Creating Better Pain Medications | Newsroom (unchealthcare.org)    Endocannabinoids and exercise - PMC (nih.gov)    Wired to run: exercise-induced endocannabinoid signaling in humans and cursorial mammals with implications for the ‘runner’s high’ | Journal of Experimental Biology | The Company of Biologists    Anthrax toxins regulate pain signaling and can deliver molecular cargoes into ANTXR2+ DRG sensory neurons | Nature Neuroscience    Mutations in SCN9A, encoding a sodium channel alpha subunit, in patients with primary erythermalgia | Journal of Medical Genetics (bmj.com) 

07-14
37:24

The parasympathetic nervous system and chronic pain

If you have chronic pain, anxiety or stress, the parasympathetic nervous system is probably the most important part of your nervous system. Learn how it works and how it can be used to calm you down, reduce your anxiety and maybe even help you to live better with chronic illness. Plus, a short meditation to help us practice! Episode transcript⁠ ⁠Follow and DM me on Instagram⁠ Email me at james@chronicinsights.com Get the Chronic Insights symptom diary app ⁠for Android⁠ and ⁠for iOS

07-06
29:14

How pain is processed in the brain

How does the brain process pain and what factors can change your experience of pain? Continuing from last week's episode, we learn more about nocireceptors (pain receptors), and how emotion, stress and thought can alter the processing of pain in the brain. Also, some feedback from a user of the Chronic Insights symptom diary app, and a poem about living with chronic pain. Episode transcript⁠ ⁠Follow and DM me on Instagram⁠ Email me at james@chronicinsights.com Get the Chronic Insights symptom diary app ⁠for Android⁠ and ⁠for iOS

06-29
29:58

Nociceptors: how pain is transmitted in the body

Studies show that learning how chronic pain works can actually make it easier to cope? The first of a series of episodes explaining the science behind pain, chronic pain, why pain goes wrong, why it doesn't go away, how emotion, anxiety, expectations and other things can affect how we experience chronic pain, and what we can do to feel more empowered over it. Plus, some updates about the Chronic Insights symptom diary, and my upcoming book Poetry for Spoonies. Episode transcript⁠ ⁠Follow and DM me on Instagram⁠ Email me at james@chronicinsights.com Get the Chronic Insights symptom diary app ⁠for Android⁠ and ⁠for iOS Cortical homunculus - Wikipedia  A great class lecture for chronic pain patients: Explain Pain | Mid-Columbia Medical Center (mcmc.net)  Studies which showed Pain Neuroscience Education (PNE) did NOT help: Effect of Additional Pain Neuroscience Education in Interdisciplinary Multimodal Pain Therapy on Current Pain. A Non-Randomized, Controlled Intervention Study - PubMed (nih.gov)  Studies which showed that it DID help:  Embedding pain neuroscience education in the physical therapy management of patients with chronic plantar fasciitis: a prospective case series - PubMed (nih.gov)    [Effectiveness of pain neuroscience education in patients with fibromyalgia: Structured group intervention in Primary Care] - PubMed (nih.gov)    Pain Neuroscience Education Combined with Therapeutic Exercises Provides Added Benefit in the Treatment of Chronic Neck Pain - PubMed (nih.gov)    Effects of combining manual therapy, neck muscle exercises, and therapeutic pain neuroscience education in patients with migraine: a study protocol for a randomized clinical trial - PubMed (nih.gov)    Effectiveness of a structured group intervention based on pain neuroscience education for patients with fibromyalgia in primary care: A multicentre randomized open-label controlled trial - PubMed (nih.gov)    Effect of Pain Neuroscience Education Combined With Cognition-Targeted Motor Control Training on Chronic Spinal Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial - PubMed (nih.gov)    [Effectiveness of education based on neuroscience in the treatment of musculoskeletal chronic pain] - PubMed (nih.gov)    The effectiveness of training physical therapists in pain neuroscience education on patient reported outcomes for patients with chronic spinal pain: a study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial - PubMed (nih.gov)    Pain Neuroscience Education and Physical Therapeutic Exercise for Patients with Chronic Spinal Pain in Spanish Physiotherapy Primary Care: A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial - PubMed (nih.gov)    Pain Neuroscience Education Plus Usual Care Is More Effective Than Usual Care Alone to Improve Self-Efficacy Beliefs in People with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Non-Randomized Controlled Trial - PubMed (nih.gov) 

06-22
43:39

It's the small things (RE-UPLOAD)

Do you feel like you're missing out because you're stuck at home with chronic pain? Me too. Join me for a spoonie chat about learning to live happier with a smaller life, appreciating the small things we have, and how to stop comparing ourselves to healthy people. Plus, some updates about the Chronic Insights symptom diary app, and my upcoming book Poetry for Spoonies! Episode transcript⁠ ⁠Follow and DM me on Instagram⁠ Email me at james@chronicinsights.com Get the Chronic Insights symptom diary app ⁠for Android⁠ and ⁠for iOS

06-15
27:06

Introduction

A warm welcome to a brand new podcast for spoonies, a quick backstory of my life with axial spondyloarthritis, an update about the Chronic Insights symptom diary app, and an exciting announcement about something new I've been working on which will be available soon! Episode transcript Follow and DM me on Instagram Email me at james@chronicinsights.com Get the Chronic Insights symptom diary app for Android and for iOS

06-09
35:42

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