Smart Talk: Treating pain

What to look for on Smart Talk Thursday, September 1, 2016:

Here may be a couple of the most obvious statistics you’ll ever read — pain affects more Americans than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined.  Pain is the number one reason people seek medical treatment.  The National Center for Health Statistics estimates than more than 76 million Americans have suffered from pain that lasts longer than 24 hours.  It makes sense because pain is part of most illnesses, conditions or diseases and it is the symptom most of us want to go away or be controlled first.

Chronic pain is the most common cause of long-term disability and is a major contributor to rising healthcare costs.

Not that pain doesn’t get attention, but the opiod drug epidemic sweeping Pennsylvania and the country could be viewed as a direct result of pain because many people dependent on opioids, including heroin, started with painkillers.

September is National Pain Awareness Month and Smart Talk starts it with a discussion of pain and pain management Thursday.  Our guests are Dr. Malik Momin, Medical Director and Founder of Susquehanna Valley Pain Management and Dr. Norman Heueisen, who is certified in pain management.

Also, Labor Day weekend means Harrisburg’s Kipona Festival – the end of summer celebration along the Susquehanna River.  This year’s event is a special one – the 100^th Kipona Festival.

We’ll talk about it on Thursday’s program with Jeb Stuart, Preservation Advisor with Historic Harrisburg Association and Chair, Harrisurg Parks Foundation and Devan Drabik, Director of Business Development, City of Harrisburg.