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Wildfires prompt evacuation in the Carolinas as New Jersey crews battle their own blaze; Iowa town halls find 'empty chairs'; California groups bring generations together to work on society's biggest problems; and Pennsylvania works to counter Trump clean energy rollbacks.

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Lawmakers from both parties face angry constituents. Some decide to skip town halls rather than address concerned voters and Kentucky considers mandatory Medicaid work requirements.

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Cuts to Medicaid and frozen funding for broadband are both likely to have a negative impact on rural healthcare, which is already struggling. Plus, lawsuits over the mass firing of federal workers have huge implications for public lands.

Tips for Marylanders suffering from chronic pain

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Monday, February 24, 2025   

Just a few weeks ago, the Food and Drug Administration approved Journavix, a new non-opioid painkiller.

It's seen as good news for the nearly one in four Americans who suffer from chronic pain, but not all of them want to rely on medication to control it.

Chronic pain costs more than $600 billion annually, according to the University of Maryland-Baltimore's Center to Advance Chronic Pain Research.

David Starbuck Smith, a DMV exercise therapist and former tennis coach, said there are a number of reasons some people are unable to shake chronic pain.

"We are so much more than our physical part," said Smith. "We are spiritual, we're emotional, we're mental. And so when you look at the overall treatment protocol, we're looking at just one aspect of us. There's so many more parts to us than that. And the other part is that we're trained and we're conditioned to treat the symptom, not the cause."

Smith added that, when one part of the body struggles, other parts compensate. So, a pain in the knee, for instance, might be connected to problems with shoulder joints or hip joints.

He said regular exercise can help with chronic pain. Studies have also shown a link between Vitamin D deficiency and chronic pain.

Smith said when the body isn't properly aligned, the pain can cause mental or emotional stress, which can lead to more pain and even injury.

He advised people to monitor their stress level and learn some simple breathing techniques. He said healing takes place best when a person is relaxed.

"You can monitor your own stress," said Smith. "Notice that when you're feeling stressed, angry, hurt, confused, lost, upset in any way - then this emotional stress is going to compound and add to the postural stress, the postural misalignment."

It's estimated U.S. workers lose more than $200 billion a year due to chronic pain.

A bill introduced with bipartisan support in Congress a year ago would have prioritized funding for chronic pain research, but didn't make it out of committee.




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