February 16, 2011 – 7:50 am
Because Acetaminophen and NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) work differently in the body they produce different outcomes and should be used for different problems. NSAIDs are able to achieve pain relief and fever reduction by suppressing the secretion of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are similar to hormones, and they cause pain to be felt in the body. By lowering the production of prostaglandins NSAIDs are able to reduce pain as well as the inflammation prostaglandins cause.
Acetaminophen operates by suppressing the pain messages which reach the brain. They are somehow able to block the brain’s perception of pain. This in no way involves the inflammatory response and therefore acetaminophen will not reduce inflammation, swelling or irritation.
Harvey Finkelstein, M.D. is a pain management specialist advises many pain sufferers on how to control and reduce the pain they experience from a large variety of causes.
February 9, 2011 – 7:42 am
Pain Meds
One of the more common approaches to pain management which specialists in the field like Dr. Harvey Finkelstein will employ is treatment through pain medications. There is a large selection of pain meds available today, from mild-acting over-the-counter (OTC) medications to powerful drugs only available in the context of surgery or other severe pain situations.
Included in the OTC category are acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; and topical corticosteroids.
Acetaminophen is the generic name of the drug which is often and more commonly known as Tylenol, or Aspirin Free Excedrin. Together with NSAIDs (Motrin, Aleve and Orudis) these medications lower fever and help alleviate pain which is caused by stiffness and aches in the muscles. If the problem is inflammatory, then only NSAIDs will help.
February 3, 2011 – 7:54 am
Since 1981, when Harvey Finkelstein graduated from the Sackler School of Medicine in Tel Aviv, Israel he has been practicing medicine. After receiving his M.D. degree Dr. Finkelstein then went on to complete a five year residency at Long Island Jewish Hospital and University Hospital in Stony Brook. During this time he was able to finish two fellowships; one in pain management and the other in pediatric and cardiac anesthesia.
Dr. Finkelstein then became an attending physician in the Pain Management Center at University Hospital. After leaving University Hospital Dr. Finkelstein worked in several other hospitals as well as in private practice situations throughout Long Island, Dr. Finkelstein established a private practice clinic in pain management in the year 2000. The clinic is known as the Pain Care Medicine clinic of Long Island, PLLC, located in Plainview.
Harvey Finkelstein received the prestigious designation as a Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice in 2009. This is a distinction awarded by the World Institute of Pain after taking an intense and rigorous exam which is divided into three main sections. The candidate must pass an oral exam, a written exam and a practical test in front of two examiners which determine the candidate’s expertise, knowledge and ability to perform four nerve blocks on cadavers. The following year Dr. Finkelstein was appointed to be part of the team of examiners at the 2010 FIPP exam given by WIP, a great honor, which took place in Budapest, Hungary.