Article: Chronic pain is considered pain that lasts for 3 months or longer. If you have this kind of pain, you should consult with your doctor about it. Tell them how long you have been pain, where the pain originates, and what techniques you have been using to try and manage it. Even if you don't think that your pain can be treated or if other doctors have not been successful at treating it, continue to search for a solution. Get a second opinion from another doctor or a specialist to help determine where the pain comes from. It can be very helpful to consult with a physician who specializes in pain management. If such a specialist is not available in your community, consult with a physical therapist, a health psychologist, or a nurse who specializes in pain treatment. Physicians may be reluctant to help if they suspect you are faking an illness in order to obtain narcotics. Be very clear about how you describe your pain and when it occurs. Do not just demand pain medication without much explanation because this will make a doctor think you are drug-seeking. Talk to your general practitioner or other specialists you work with for a referral to a pain specialist in your area. If you have joint or spinal pain, you may be able to get a steroid injection to help alleviate it. There are a wide variety of pain medications that your doctors might prescribe for your chronic pain, depending on how bad your pain is and what is causing it. They can vary from simply a higher dose of an over-the-counter medication, such as ibuprofen, to strong painkillers, such as narcotics. Although it's understandable to want to get rid of your pain, is important to be cautious when using narcotics to treat chronic pain. Many pain medications can be very addictive, so they need to be used under the close supervision of a medical professional. They are habit-forming and become less effective over time if not used responsibly. Go to regular follow-ups for your pain every 1-3 months if you're prescribed an opiate-based medication. That way, your doctor can check if you can stop using the drugs to reduce your chances of addiction. Once you consult with your doctor about how to treat your pain, you need to commit to following through with the treatment plan. Working through the plan, which is usually a combination of medication, exercises, and lifestyle changes, may not relieve all of your pain right away but try to stick with it. It will be most successful long term. It is important to take medication on time and as directed. Taking it on time will build up the medication in your system and reduce the chance of it wearing off before you take another dose. If parts of your treatment plan are causing you more pain than expected, stop doing them and let your doctor know right away. Your doctor may advise you that some level of pain is normal during exercise as part of a plan to help desensitize you. In most cases, incorporating a variety of techniques into your treatment plan will give you a better chance of reducing your pain. In many cases, an acupuncturist, a naturopathic doctor, or a doctor of Chinese medicine will be able to help with your pain in a new way. Talk to your primary care provider about your desire to also get non-traditional treatments. They may be able to refer you to someone or they will have suggestions for what type of treatments might be beneficial or harmful for your condition. Chronic pain can be so challenging to cope with that it creates a variety of problems in your life, including problems with your mental health. Therapy is often helpful to help you deal with the actual pain and the ways that it impacts your life and causes limitations. Many chronic pain sufferers use antidepressants. Talk to your doctor about if that's right for you."
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
See your doctor if you experience pain on a regular basis. Consult with a specialized health care provider that treats pain. Take medication to control your pain. Stick with your treatment plan. Go to an acupuncturist, a naturopathic doctor, a massage therapist, or a doctor of Chinese medicine. Get supportive psychotherapy with a mental health professional.
Article: Cutting down a tree is no small feat, and before you start, you need to wear the right protection. Always wear a logger's helmet, earmuffs, a face screen, safety glasses, thick gloves, and Kevlar chaps. A helmet protects you from falling branches, earmuffs and a face screen protect your face and ears, and safety glasses keep the dust out of your eyes. Kevlar chaps stop chainsaws the instant the bar hits your leg. Most trees are taller than you think and can reach farther on the ground than initial estimates. By using the "axe handle trick," you can determine how far the tree is going to fall. Hold your axe vertically at arm's length and close one of your eyes. Either walk toward the tree or back away from it until the axe is even with the treetop and the bottom even with the base. Your feet should be located where the treetop rests after falling. Add 1 to 2 feet (0.30 to 0.61m) of extra room just to be safe. Although many crepe myrtles won't be tall enough to pose serious damage, some can reach up to 33 feet (10m). For these trees, cut away any brush around their trunk using garden shears and lay out two escape routes on the side of the tree. Each escape route should be around 45 degrees from the other in opposite directions. Think of the felling direction as the bottom line of a capital "Y", and the two top lines the escape routes. Before cutting down the tree, look out for loose branches, dead branches that are still attached, and buildings, fences, or power lines that are in the felling zone. Loose or dead branches should be removed prior to cutting. Determine which direction the tree is leaning by looking for the side with the heaviest load/branches. If your felling zone contains buildings, fences, or power lines, stop here and call a professional. Using an axe, make a notch cut that is 1/5 of the way into the tree's trunk. The bottom cut should be 30 degrees from the horizontal plane, while the top cut should be 60 degrees from it. The notch cut will be the direction the tree falls. Always start with the top cut. If you meet the top notch perfectly when making the bottom cut, the wedge will drop out. If you don't, you will have to extend the cuts from the top or bottom to let the wedge drop free. Your felling cut should be level with the apex of your notch. Draw a line with a piece of chalk connecting both sides for a guide. Once the tree begins to lean, pull your saw free, hit the saw's chain break, and move to one of your escape routes. Keep your eye on the tree so that you can properly react if it falls in a way that conflicts with your plan.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Wear the proper safety gear to protect yourself. Estimate the felling zone using an axe. Cut a way for two escape routes using garden pruners. Examine the tree for potential problems. Create a notch cut using your axe. Cut the tree horizontally with a chainsaw using the apex as a guide.