https://paininsingapore.info/about-the-author daily 0.75 2023-08-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/7bbabea0-9b2f-4e47-afae-01c7eb525906/main+profile.jpg About - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523506355650-4JLDQ35GKIJ4TIQJYHAJ/rectangle.jpg About https://paininsingapore.info/home daily 1.0 2023-09-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523509272016-HOQVELMW4HXI0RQU8ZJ6/evonMRI1.png Pain in Singapore - Diagnosing pain Our knowledge of pain is increasingly complex. We look at mainstream medical attitudes, and how biology and psychology fit into the science of chronic pain https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523511178775-QOR9JYXKP5PACZ7YPBXJ/NYS-IMG_6147.jpg Pain in Singapore - Killing painkillers We have a complex relationship with painkillers. The opioid crisis in the West — and our response to it — is changing that https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523688746128-83SL828LD6ZF4SX0DVO7/9sq.png Pain in Singapore - Compassion, the way forward To make the lives of sufferers easier, why not try empathising? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/947a9b6e-c5a6-4a2c-8775-59a8b25b7a29/NYS-IMG_9323.jpg Pain in Singapore - Pain in Singapore Nearly one in ten Singaporeans suffer from chronic pain. What causes chronic pain, how do people treat them, and why has support for the condition been scarce? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523510758880-T8GELRA3JA6OOX0XKT4E/7+square.png Pain in Singapore - Invisible suffering Why is pain such a hard topic to talk about? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523688226387-20RR3AGTEDVX6VDJRIBJ/4+Dark+sq.jpg Pain in Singapore - 3 ways you can support someone in pain emotionally Chronic pain can often be hard to empathise with. Here are three ways you can make someone feel understood https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523720213804-80ER743YED9L9GXI2ESM/NYS-IMG_9363.jpg Pain in Singapore https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523511314667-7HQXLRG0V46PKV5XJFEE/NYS-IMG_9331.jpg Pain in Singapore - An alternative route An increasing demand for alternative pain relief is highlighting an integration between mainstream medicine and alternative therapy https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523509513381-AAVRJ4W7Z9KAZX0G407K/4+Light.jpg Pain in Singapore - Working with sufferers An overstrained support system and a lack of government directives mean hard work for those trying to alleviate chronic pain https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523509800733-SRWZEK5MC1GYPI50ZFGR/NYS-IMG_9112.jpg Pain in Singapore - Labour pains For the individual, pain’s economic impact is direct. Here’s how workplace culture can help make or break a person’s chronic pain https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523509628321-NBWNRFR11N29GJ1TJCEO/6.jpg Pain in Singapore - Mind your body Pain is almost always an emotional experience. Here’s how pain erodes people’s psyche - and how psychology can help https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523695022083-AL0E9UGCPVLCAYXNERAK/NYS-IMG_9323.jpg Pain in Singapore https://paininsingapore.info/copyright daily 0.75 2022-02-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1607913945543-5NLDZDC9Y4D4XEW36YSF/sad16-9.jpg Copyright https://paininsingapore.info/pain-in-singapore daily 0.75 2021-09-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523697889106-5YTLDVVG377T9I0Y81TA/NYS-IMG_7119.jpg Pain in Singapore Ivy Li takes a break on the sidelines of a photoshoot https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523865673236-BZV9CAQHU0WOM7BJ6UOP/1Artboard+1.png Pain in Singapore https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523622572150-VT5GJYI2HDYDP1RYAB60/evonMRI1.png Pain in Singapore - Diagnosing pain Our knowledge of pain is increasingly complex. We look at mainstream medical attitudes, and how biology and psychology fit into the science of chronic pain https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523720213804-80ER743YED9L9GXI2ESM/NYS-IMG_9363.jpg Pain in Singapore - Pain in Singapore Whenever she talks about the fall, Ivy Li often asks: “What have I done to deserve this?” “Life is just this way,” she adds. “You wake up one day to realise that nothing is going to be the same.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523586324085-4ONOTB7SZUE69HH4UPRP/image-asset.png Pain in Singapore https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523585776182-W5MXV9Y3YT92DI4HDNRW/NYS-IMG_6682.jpg Pain in Singapore Timothy Soh does physiotherapy at Camden Medical Centre. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523585805946-851GJXNZ2VTLYPGLUAPA/NYS-IMG_6689.jpg Pain in Singapore Despite dislocating his kneecaps, Soh is able to bench up to 120 pounds (54kg) on the centre’s leg raise machines https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523585839140-MDPNX9VD2PPT044ZRZY3/NYS-IMG_6706.jpg Pain in Singapore Soh does static exercises to strengthen his kneecaps with his physiotherapist https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523585348342-S6QS5K1UDYMS1XRLDGJ8/NYS-IMG_9348.jpg Pain in Singapore Ivy Li rests in bed. She says that her chronic pain makes it hard to look for work. “How do you get a stable job, for someone who has an aching back like me?” https://paininsingapore.info/diagnosing-pain daily 0.75 2018-07-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523623536710-HNISR02SVEVANPUYO954/image-asset.png Diagnosing pain An MRI scan of Evon Toh’s back, indicating a severe curvature of her spine. These scans couldn’t pinpoint an exact cause of her chronic pain https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523623863613-K57BB5IU1PE0918I2TLA/image-asset.png Diagnosing pain https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523624287130-S49041G77YPX287SKIPH/4+Light.jpg Diagnosing pain - Working with sufferers An overstrained support system and a lack of government directives mean hard work for those trying to alleviate chronic pain https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523624111122-IC56PA7S8AQHUP8VL2XF/NYS-IMG_6720.jpg Diagnosing pain Joan Young goes to the supermarket to buy chicken for her curry puffs. She says that even though her pain can be constant, she tries to take it in her stride https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523695444042-WFTS365IAP8HRN6B26NQ/evonsquarespace.png Diagnosing pain https://paininsingapore.info/an-alternative-route daily 0.75 2018-04-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523689137341-ZCYWN6ZJ7RLUYG6D7W7Z/NYS-IMG_9331.jpg An alternative route https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523759489453-UT7DO7SMODYT1N4N4KU8/NYS-IMG_9384.jpg An alternative route Evon Toh demonstrates using the BettrBack, a device intended to correct her ergonomic posture https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523690810963-X1EGJ7IOYK961TW5PI4U/9sq.png An alternative route - Compassion, the way forward To make the lives of sufferers easier, why not try empathising? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523690300662-CI9WJMFXEH8VZKX6VJK9/NYS-IMG_9333.jpg An alternative route Melissa Ong points out where the meridians — paths where the qi flows in the body, according to TCM — are on a scale model https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523690718095-FXYU53S3DSVS8NWZC5ZZ/image-asset.jpeg An alternative route At a Suntec City health convention, patrons are given free acupoint massages. More have sought TCM treatment for their chronic pain, say practitioners https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523690535216-CQAHWHLJYXRD9C3XWMNT/NYS-IMG_9528.jpg An alternative route A booth advertising chiropractic treatment at a Suntec City health convention https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523696096938-ZW6ARJ03QD7P7PIKXBXI/NYS-IMG_9331.jpg An alternative route https://paininsingapore.info/working-with-sufferers daily 0.75 2018-07-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523625165295-98EWGN1NUWTJ4BVDS0RM/NYS-IMG_9356.jpg Working with sufferers Ivy Li in her flat in Yishun. Li says that her condition — coupled with her knowledge of painkillers from her time as a veterinary nurse — made doctors wary of giving her pain relief. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523624792139-PYL8V0ZECZK03VPGQOF4/image-asset.png Working with sufferers During a half-hour chat over lunch, Sherlyn received three calls. She says she often feels “overwhelmed” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523625911402-QH6NKY6GFCFGQB62KBFL/NYS-IMG_9112.jpg Working with sufferers - Labour pains For the individual, pain’s economic impact is direct. Here’s how workplace culture can help make or break a person’s chronic pain https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523624422648-Z4BG4K79SO87SSMQO8NT/4+Light.jpg Working with sufferers (Illustration by Kimberly Ang) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523625340410-LR4N46SVRRD8SSN8FX9R/6.jpg Working with sufferers - Mind your body Pain is almost always an emotional experience. Here’s how psychology can help https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523695833871-JJUU0AC9SPLL0F68307C/4+Light.jpg Working with sufferers https://paininsingapore.info/mind-your-body daily 0.75 2018-07-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523625911402-QH6NKY6GFCFGQB62KBFL/NYS-IMG_9112.jpg Mind your body - Labour pains For the individual, pain’s economic impact is direct. Here’s how workplace culture can help make or break a person’s chronic pain https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523626156096-D3BU3WZA3R9BACQ4EUDB/6.jpg Mind your body (Illustration by Kimberly Ang) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523696389053-V55KFKGBCIF9OYC7967W/sad16-9.png Mind your body https://paininsingapore.info/invisible-suffering daily 0.75 2018-05-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523680908931-D0NJWABAXM0XEW96FOEA/NYS-IMG_6147.jpg Invisible suffering - Killing painkillers We have a complex relationship with painkillers. The opioid crisis in the West — and our response to it — is changing that https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523679165491-OYQ0LDYK373KELWBYCKJ/NYS-IMG_9252.jpg Invisible suffering Ann Chiam (centre), a bridal gown designer, works on a bridesmaid gown with her assistant https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523680666693-CSPBYAE7AFZL6K7JM7IH/4+Dark+sq.jpg Invisible suffering - 3 ways you can support someone in pain emotionally Chronic pain can often be hard to empathise with. Learn how you can make someone else feel understood https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523678490159-ADQQX29JRCR2KLD7V0MF/image-asset.png Invisible suffering (Illustration by Kimberly Ang) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523684632238-ROYTAAYYMS6NDZOQ5JMU/NYS-IMG_9587.jpg Invisible suffering Colleen Chiam (left) with her sister Ann https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523691520249-SUB8Z7N6B9FHDV3F9GN9/NYS-IMG_9523.jpg Invisible suffering Evon Toh watches Kemono Friends with her son at a family outing to a toy expo in Suntec City https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523678784783-SGX4B1RVI737ZV736ORP/IMG_9087.JPG Invisible suffering Timothy Soh. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523680198731-K4H1R4979VWT926RH064/NYS-IMG_9363.jpg Invisible suffering Ivy Li says that it’s often hard for her to look at herself in the mirror. “I just want to be unseen, I don’t want anyone to see me,” she says. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523696004534-OMADLELBMKPBCAV1FYYV/NYS-IMG_9363.jpg Invisible suffering https://paininsingapore.info/killing-painkillers daily 0.75 2020-12-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523687329010-WF2UAD7YY7V6NOOTTHG0/NYS-IMG_7241.jpg Killing painkillers Ivy Li puts makeup on Sam Wenhui, a 22-year-old model, on the set of a fashion photoshoot https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523686913045-O0AH69XDHBCUBNKQIQHD/NYS-IMG_6161.jpg Killing painkillers Li’s depleting supply of pregabalin, sold as Lyrica. For Li, pregabalin is expensive and causes weight gain, but is something she needs to manage her pain https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523687989520-ZGJVBG6DN7RQ6AH8STCL/NYS-IMG_9331.jpg Killing painkillers - An alternative route An increasing demand for alternative pain relief is highlighting an integration between mainstream medicine and alternative therapies https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523686651036-3P8VADP3K3L26HLZBNDS/8.png Killing painkillers (Illustration by Kimberly Ang) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523686330354-945G3U0WJG5HOLS35OKC/NYS-IMG_6147.jpg Killing painkillers Ivy Li keeps her a mixture of medication prescribed by her doctors in her dresser drawer https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523696053882-531UGJYBGQT2M6C0DIB5/NYS-IMG_6147.jpg Killing painkillers https://paininsingapore.info/labour-pains daily 0.75 2018-07-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523676115435-O9LIMM5TNX63SCC2F7DQ/NYS-IMG_9112.jpg Labour pains Hisham, who suffers from gout, says that he often finds people judging him if he takes the reserved seat https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523678028506-4XFBGWXEXRD41DUCM801/7+square.png Labour pains - Invisible suffering Why is pain such a hard topic to talk about? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523676558714-6V7ZN8K6SZQZKKO9ZH6C/NYS-IMG_9377.jpg Labour pains Evon Toh’s desk is adorned with pictures of her family and her colleagues https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523677054728-Z0TLHXGDGFK0OBJYE3UO/NYS-IMG_9376.jpg Labour pains She says her workplace is like a “cosy little family.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523676992051-BCS00PJKCNO7TDBDIU6O/IMG_7639.jpg Labour pains The meeting room where Toh rests when she is in severe pain https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523676479613-RN5TEED2JASVLXFDKJN3/NYS-IMG_9094.jpg Labour pains Timothy Soh commutes to work on a bicycle between his home in Ang Mo Kio to his workplace at Buangkok https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523677345188-6S1TL479ANP3NV61KY7C/NYS-IMG_9109.jpg Labour pains Mohd Hisham on the Sengkang LRT https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523695885742-3QJL5F49WFHWM9DCF8XU/NYS-IMG_9112.jpg Labour pains https://paininsingapore.info/compassion-the-way-forward daily 0.75 2022-02-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523691819271-UVHVK6T9B875RFLU1OBB/image-asset.png Compassion, the way forward (Illustration by Kimberly Ang) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523585805946-851GJXNZ2VTLYPGLUAPA/NYS-IMG_6689.jpg Compassion, the way forward - About the author https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523696160997-D2CXGINI2QMGQLMIK4HG/9-16-9.png Compassion, the way forward https://paininsingapore.info/support-pain daily 0.75 2018-07-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523684774166-QHWXWYGAO46E7WJJQVQE/NYS-IMG_6147.jpg 3 ways you can support someone in pain emotionally - Killing painkillers We have a complex relationship with painkillers. The opioid crisis in the West — and our response to it — is changing that https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523686053762-M5A3ZEU1UF8FPA6X3SO5/support.png 3 ways you can support someone in pain emotionally https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523685712665-8YPA72VOKCAECG5AGY7Y/listen.png 3 ways you can support someone in pain emotionally https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523684343167-DBY9XI5IVUXCEV1LPF6K/NYS-IMG_9606.jpg 3 ways you can support someone in pain emotionally Colleen (left) and Ann Chiam (right) exercise together. Colleen says they are close enough to know each other’s ailments: “We talk about everything.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523686106425-HU29UU71VR0JJUOARLTQ/heart.png 3 ways you can support someone in pain emotionally https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ab4b102ec4eb7e76ad0b1d8/1523696541024-F8GR3RXE83HNYAS77PYX/4+Dark+sq.jpg 3 ways you can support someone in pain emotionally