Latest news with #CORR
Scottish Sun
12 hours ago
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Adults living with chronic pain cite long NHS waiting times among reasons for not getting treated
Plus, things you can try at home to reduce pain PAIN GAME Adults living with chronic pain cite long NHS waiting times among reasons for not getting treated Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FOUR in five people living with chronic pain are hiding their condition – held back by stigma, ineffective treatments, and long NHS waiting times, it's been found. Research of 4,000 adults found 54 per cent of those not seeking support blamed long waits for treatment via the health service. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Stigma, ineffective treatments, and long NHS waiting times are among the reasons why people live with chronic pain Credit: Getty Nearly half (45 per cent) are suffering in silence due to scepticism from friends, family, and colleagues. Meanwhile, 40 per cent worry about appearing "weak", and 33 per cent simply don't want to be a burden. Among those who have sought help, 17 per cent reported that traditional treatments aren't working, leaving 41 per cent desperate for alternative pain management options. The research was commissioned for Curaleaf Clinic's Pain Unmasked campaign, which aims to expose the hidden realities of living with chronic pain. Dr Simon Erridge, research director at the medical cannabis clinic, said: 'With traditional treatments failing many, chronic pain patients are left suffering in silence. 'Evidence for medical cannabis is growing, and demand is rising - we have seen a 34 per cent increase in chronic pain patients in the last year - yet many still don't know how to access it. 'Greater awareness and support are needed to ensure patients get the treatment they deserve." It is estimated that close to 28 million people in the UK suffer from chronic pain conditions, and the emotional toll is severe. Everyday activities like sleeping (44 per cent), exercising (40 per cent), socialising (28 per cent), and maintaining relationships (15 per cent) are significantly impacted. And one in five (20 per cent) experience isolation due to their pain. Millions of women live life according to their menstrual cycle, study shows To highlight these hidden struggles, Curaleaf Clinic's campaign brings chronic pain sufferers' experiences to life through art. Collaborating with artist Hayley Wall and three pain sufferers – influencer Mesha Moinirad (CORR), and patients Fran Taylor and Ryan Swanepoel (CORR) – the campaign transforms real pain into physical masks, revealing the emotional burden of masking their condition. Ryan Swanepoel, who has limb girdle muscular dystrophy, a condition which causes weakness and wasting of the muscles around the hips and shoulders, said: "For years, I kept the full extent of my pain hidden - it felt like no one truly understood or knew how to manage it. 'I tried traditional treatments, but they changed who I was and carried risks that made long-term use impossible. 'It wasn't until I discovered medical cannabis that I finally found some form of relief. It's transformed my life, and more people deserve to know this option is out there.' Fran Taylor, who is living with endometriosis, added: 'Endometriosis has controlled my life for 12 years, leaving me waiting endlessly for effective treatment. 3 Ryan Swanepoel lives with limb girdle muscular dystrophy 3 Fran Taylor is living with endometriosis 'I was dismissed and misunderstood for so long, feeling completely isolated. Pain shouldn't be suffered in silence - we need to speak up, advocate for ourselves, and get the support we deserve.' Opioids have been one of the most commonly prescribed medications for chronic pain, but only 39 per cent of patients find prescription painkillers such as these most effective. Nearly as many (33 per cent) are now finding alternative therapies like acupuncture, creative therapies (e.g. painting, sculpture) and medical cannabis provide the most relief. However, despite the legalisation of medical cannabis in 2018, awareness and access remain major barriers - with 16 per cent of sufferers unaware it is legal and 18 per cent unsure how to access it. Nearly a third of pain patients (30 per cent) would like to speak to their GP about medical cannabis as a treatment option and 26 per cent would be open to trying it if available on the NHS. Dr Simon Erridge added: 'We provide evidence-backed insights to campaign for greater availability. 'Government support is critical to expanding access for current and future patients. 'Without funding for research and the political will to help medical cannabis patients, progress towards NHS access has stalled. 'No one should be left struggling when potential solutions exist."
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Elder voices: Nonprofit co-founder proud of work tackling racism
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — For the last 30 years, Victoria Proctor Gibbs has been pursuing anti-racist transformation in West Michigan and beyond. Gibbs is one of the co-founders of , also known as CORE, formerly CORR. In the third and final installment of News 8's Elder Voices series, Gibbs sat down with Brittany Flowers to share the challenges she faced growing up in this area, how she's worked to make African Americans feel more accepted, and how she's seen the area change over the decades. Elder voices: Longtime crossing guard talks about progress A: 'Well, I was a part of a denominational effort to become anti-racist and we worked with an organization out of Chicago called Crossroads and they taught us an analysis on understanding racism and it became something that explained a lot of my past, because I was a product of the Christian schools here and I was the first (African American) to graduate from Oakdale Christian and the second to graduate from Grand Rapids Christian High and we had no language for what I went through during my high school years, my junior high school years. So, going to that workshop for the first time gave me a language that I was not familiar with, and it helped me to interact with my sons in a way that I could help them understand the things that just were not a part of what I was taught.'A: 'Well, when I was younger, this community was very Black. I think that Wealthy Street has the starkest before and after … take a look and it was very segregated. And it's a surprise for me, living in Los Angeles for 20 years and then coming back and watching the change because the change hadn't really started when I got back, but I've been able to watch the neighborhood gentrify and become a place that I never would have imagined.' Elder voices: After years of service, retired GRPS teacher cherishes people A: 'Well, as soon as I heard that question, I would have to say my visit to Ghana, going to the slave castle, had the most profound impact, because it just centered all the things I had heard and gave me the eye gate to be a part of that. And the thing that blew me away the most going through that slave castle was the fact that there was a church right in the middle of the — I want to say atrium — but it was all outside, and you could see the church and from the outside, and there was a door that led down to the capitalist quarters. So it was extremely impactful for me, especially since my educational process didn't include any of that information.'A: 'It clarifies a lot. I can remember that my sons were teenagers, I have three of them — they were 14, 15, and 16 — when I saw Amistad and it was a jaw-dropper for me, because I had no idea what that route across the Atlantic was all about and so that really opened my eyes. And I think not long after that, I saw the movie Malcolm X. This is back in 1992 and I can remember that it was extremely sobering, having not heard anything about the journey of Malcolm X. I was, in fact, taught that Malcolm X was a bad guy — you don't want to know anything about him. But the more I found out about him, the more my spirit connected with his spirit. So I think that resonance with somebody who was very radical against the circumstances of the times had the most impact on me with regard to why it was important for me to realize that my desires aligned with some of my forefathers. Being not content with the circumstances as they were and not willing to just watch. And it was around that time that I entered into the work that I'm doing now. So it's been about 30 years since I've been doing this.' Why is Black History Month the shortest of the year? A: 'Yes, because I'm able to see the change that people are making in their life. I was able to be with somebody just this past weekend that showed me a note that I wrote him 20 years ago and it's in his wallet and to be able to know that I had something to say or some impact on somebody that held on to a note that I left him said, OK, just keep on doing it. You never know who is going to be impacted. But I'm realizing that it takes time. Some people hear about the past and dismiss it. Other people linger with it and say, OK, I gotta join a movement that is going to make a difference and I invite them into the movement of what we do at CORE often.'A: 'Just because you don't have the hard times that my generation had or my parents had, does not mean the journey is over because the sad part that I see now is that racism has gone underground. We can see it sometimes, but there's so much insidious policy-making and systemic issues that are still real and I'm always determining the degree that it's real with regard to whether or not I'm just welcomed into the conversation, or if I'm allowed to lead the conversation. That's when I find out, do they just want a photo-op or do they want to hear what I've been learning over the years?' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
