Back patients will laugh out loud (LOL) during laughter clinic in Vernon Hills

Vernon Hills, IL, March 19, 2007 – Managing back pain for Colleen Caron is a laugh a minute. The chronic back pain patient and laughter therapist says laughter is an analgesic and she is spreading the word to other sufferers. On Saturday, April 14, 10:30 - noon, Caron will share her love for laughter with other back pain patients during a therapy/yoga sesson at the Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch clinic located at 565 Lakeview Parkway in Vernon Hills.

“Laughing is the best medicine for many medical conditions, including back pain,“ she says. “When the body releases hormones & chemicals, it increases endorphins and there are tremendous residual effects. Stress is reduced, blood pressure drops, depression is lifted, the immune system is boosted and often pain goes away.”

Caron, who has more than 20 years of experience as a psychiatric nurse is a certified Laughter Therapist from The World Laughter Tour. She starts the therapy/yoga session with simple breathing exercises and head and neck stretches and then a form of yoga with an accompanying laugh. Within 10 minutes, the fake laugh is replaced with an uncontrollable belly laugh.

“The use of laughter therapy is not new. In fact, a personal account published in the New England Journal of Medicine, 1976, noted that ten minutes of belly laughing equaled up to two hours of pain relief,“ says Daniel Hurley, M.D., physiatrist for CINN who also sees patients in the Vernon Hills office. ”Laughter affects you physically and emotionally. It helps the respiratory system, the musculoskeletal system and eases muscle tension and stress.”

Caron’s classes can be as small as 10 people and as many as 300, but laughter participation is usually 98 to 100 percent. She also coaches caregivers on using laughter for chronic pain or cancer patients Caron recommends relaying a recent humorous incident or using a humor board to post cartoons, jokes and articles that tickle the funny bone. She also counsels hospitals, to create humor carts that contain funny books, jokes, videos and DVDs for patients.

The Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch medical group (CINN) is one of the nation’s leading organizations for the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of people with brain and spine disorders. Originally founded in 1987, CINN is one of the Midwest’s largest teams of neurosurgeons known for their pioneering treatments and minimally invasive techniques. Currently, the Chicago based neurosurgery practice has offices in Chicago, Highland Park, Elmhurst, Skokie and Harvey. For more information or to book a reservation for the laughter therapy session, call 773-250-1009 or log on to www.cinn.org for more information.

Complimentary Back Pain Booklet offered by new CINN clinic in Vernon Hills

Booklet Offers Information on Prevention and Treatment for Back Pain

Responding to a recent increase in back pain patients, the Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch has introduced a new back pain booklet available at the new Vernon Hills clinic. The booklet includes tips for reducing an individual’s risk of back pain and describes available treatment options.

Because of an increase in aging baby boomers, the number of people with osteoarthritis is on the rise. Current estimates of those living with chronic back pain range from 50 to 60 million people. Eighty percent of people over 30 will experience back problems at some point in their lives. In people younger than 45 years, back pain is the most common cause of limiting activities. It also is the second most common reason people visit a physician, right behind the common cold.

“These alarming statistics were in part the impetus for offering this booklet as a public service for anyone suffering from back problems,” says Leonard Cerullo, M.D. noted Chicago neurosurgeon who, with several of his neurosurgical and physiatry colleagues, is opening the new clinic for patients from Lake County with back and brain disorders.

The comprehensive “how to” booklet contains facts and misconceptions about back pain, descriptions of common spine conditions and treatment options, and instructions for proper body mechanics while standing, sitting and taking care of children. Risk factors such as smoking and obesity are also discussed.

“We hope people will realize that by making lifestyle changes, they can significantly reduce back problems,” says Daniel Hurley, M.D., physiatrist for CINN who also sees patients in the Vernon Hills office. “We are seeing an increase in chronic back pain from osteoarthritis and other painful conditions, in part because of an aging population that is living longer and a tendency to live more sedentary lives because of computers and electronic equipment. We want people to understand that when a problem persists, help is available.”

The clinic is located at the Mercatus Physician Center at 565 Lakeview Parkway in Vernon Hills. Dr. Cerullo anticipates he and his team will see patients initially on Fridays and Saturdays and expand to daily clinics beginning in May.

Currently, Lake County is experiencing tremendous growth, yet the number of neurosurgeons in the region has not kept pace, Cerullo said. According to the Census Department, the population of Lake County increased by approximately nine percent in the five-year period between 2000 and 2005, from more than 644,000 to 702,000 people.

The new CINN clinic will offer CT and MRI imaging, physical medicine (physiatry) and neurosurgery consults as well as physical therapy.

CINN has a history of opening satellite clinics as a way to bring excellent neurosurgery services to patients who cannot always drive short distances to Chicago-based hospitals, Dr. Cerullo said. The Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch medical group (CINN) is one of the nation’s leading organizations for the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of people with brain and spine disorders. Originally founded in 1987, CINN is one of the Midwest’s largest teams of neurosurgeons known for their pioneering treatments and minimally invasive techniques. Currently, the Chicago based neurosurgery practice has clinics in Highland Park, Elmhurst, Skokie and Harvey. In the past, Cerullo’s neurosurgeons have staffed clinics as far away as Kankakee and Peru, Ill. For more information, call 1-800-446-1234 for more information.

Noted Chicago Neurosurgeons in Vernon Hills

CINN is proud to announce an expanded commitment to the residents of Lake County and the surrounding areas through the opening of an office in Vernon Hills, IL. The new outpatient clinic at 565 Lakeview Parkway is designed with our patients in mind. In addition to accessibility throughout the work week, CINN neurosurgeons are also available for consultation on Saturday morning. Ample free parking is provided in close proximity to the office. MRI and CT imaging is available without leaving the building. While we recognize our patients deserve a convenient location, excellence in care is also a top concern for those suffering from back or neck pain or brain conditions. The CINN neurosurgeons seeing patients in Vernon Hills, including Doctors Cerullo, Karahalios and Mkrdichian are all recognized as some of the best neurosurgeons in America. The bi-annual survey which determines this status asks physicians across the country whom they would chose to care for themselves or a loved one. The neurosurgeons across America pointed to the CINN surgeons in Vernon Hills as among the best.