Massage illusion helps amputees Mar 21, 2008
Amputees can feel relief from phantom limb pain just by watching someone else rub their hands together, a study says. The treatment appears to fool the brain that it is their missing hand being massaged, California researchers say. (BBC News)
'Virtual massage' relieves amputees Mar 20, 2008
PARIS: An amputee could be "cured" of phantom limb pain by tricking the brain into reacting to the sight of someone else performing soothing, massage-like gestures, an Indian-American researcher has found ... One of the subjects reported that watching someone rub her hands together caused a painful cramping sensation in his phantom limb to stop for up to 15 minutes. (India Times, India -- Health/Science)
100-Mile Diet nominated for 2 BC book awards Mar 8, 2008
Also nominated are a history of treatment of Chinese and Japanese in B.C., The Triumph of Citizenship: The Japanese and Chinese in Canada, 1941-67 by Patricia E. Roy, a book of philosophy, Everywhere Being Is Dancing by Robert Bringhurst, and a book of essays about travel and the natural world, Phantom Limb by Theresa Kishkan. David Chariandy's Governor General's Award-nominated novel Soucouyant, about a Caribbean upbringing in Ontario, is nominated for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize. (CBC North)
B.C. Book Prize unveils its 2008 short lists Mar 7, 2008
The non-fiction nominees are Phantom Limb by Theresa Kishkan, Everywhere Being Is Dancing by Robert Bringhurst, Patricia Roy's The Triumph of Citizenship: The Japanese and Chinese in Canada, 1941-67, Don Gayton's Interwoven Wild: An Ecologist Loose in the Garden, and the groundbreaking The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating by J.B. MacKinnon and Alisa Smith. There is also a Booksellers' Choice Award, as well as awards for poetry, children's books and books that contribute to the enjoyment and... (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Fair Shares for All: Fancy some soldiers with your egg, mate? Feb 27, 2008
Haney ached for the East End, and the raucous company of his relatives, the way an amputee feels the pain of a phantom limb. Spiritually a Cockney, he presents himself as a displaced person. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Mirror therapy eases ache of missing limb for patients Jan 2, 2008
Iraq veteran Sgt. Nick Paupore has been using a mirror to ease phantom limb pain, an approach studied by Navy neurologist Dr. Jack W. Tsao (left) ... Whatever it does, the treatment could revolutionize how doctors deal with phantom limb pain, as the problem is called ... Although there are no hard numbers, experts believe phantom limb pain afflicts from 10 percent to 50 percent of amputees. (SunSpot.net)
A different approach needed Dec 1, 2007
What we are feeling is like the Phantom limb pain. In reality the pain is no more there as the limb that was giving the pain have been already amputated. (KanglaOnline)
Scientists help amputees to feel with their prosthetic limbs Nov 27, 2007
Five months later, the report said, when touched on the chest he began registering sensations from the phantom limb. Depending on the location and the strength of the pressure put on the chest, BSD registered feelings on the palm or backside of the missing hand. (Yahoo News -- Top Stories)
Phantom Limb Pain May Be Reduced By Simple Mirror Treatment Nov 25, 2007
24, 2007) Phantom limb pain occurs in at least 90% of limb amputees according to the research ... The study found that mirror therapy reduced phantom limb pain in patients who had undergone amputation of the lower limbs ... The study, titled Mirror Therapy for Phantom Limb Pain, was published in the November 22 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. (Science Daily)
Mirrors help phantom limb pain Nov 24, 2007
Phantom limbs are always good value for a news story. The whole concept of people missing limbs still feeling them, and feeling pain in them, is baffling. (Nature News Service)
Mirror fools phantom limb pain Nov 23, 2007
BOSTON: Viewing the reflected image of an intact limb in a mirror can fool the mind into thinking that a lost leg or foot still exists, dramatically relieving phantom limb pain, researchers reported on Wednesday. At least 9 out of 10 amputees report feeling severe pain sometimes in the missing limb, often the result of a sensation that the arm or leg is stuck in the wrong position. (India Times, India)
Living with pain that just won't go away Nov 8, 2007
The second type, neuropathic pain, "results from abnormal nerve function or direct damage to a nerve." Among the causes are shingles, diabetic neuropathy, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, phantom limb pain, radiculopathy, spinal stenosis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, stroke and spinal cord injury. The damaged nerve fibers "can fire spontaneously, both at the site of the injury and at other places along the nerve pathway" and "can continue indefinitely even after the source of the injury... (International Herald Tribune -- Health)
Web delivers new audience to short films Oct 23, 2007
I wanted to start a conversation and get people to talk about who their tribe was," said Shlain, who directed and co-edited the film and shared co-writing duties with her husband, Ken Goldberg, a UC Berkeley engineering professor and new media expert. After making the film, she connected with bloggers (both Jewish ones and those who write about spirituality and identity), started Facebook groups around the film and connected with universities and other schools to get it included in their... (San Francisco Chronicle)
Gadget Addicts Feel "Phantom Vibrations" Oct 13, 2007
Some users compare the feeling to a phantom limb, which Merriam-Webster's medical dictionary defines as "an often painful sensation of the presence of a limb that has been amputated.". "Even when I don't have the BlackBerry physically on my person, I do find myself adjusting my posture when I sit to accommodate it," said Dawn Mena, an independent technology consultant based in Thousand Oaks, California. (CBS News)
The Shins Head Nominees For mtvU Woodies... Sep 20, 2007
WEEK 1:Akon, "Don't Matter"Gym Class Heroes, "Shoot Down the Stars"Lily Allen, "Smile"Linkin Park, "What I've Done"The Shins, "Phantom Limb". WEEK 2:The Academy Is. (Billboard.com)
The Shins Lead 2007 'mtvU Woodie Awards' Nominations with Three Nods, Including 'Woodie of the Year' Sep 20, 2007
Records) The Shins, "Phantom Limb" (Sub Pop Records) WEEK 2 The Academy Is. "We've Got a Big Mess On Our Hands" (Atlantic Records/Fueled by Ramen) M.I.A., "Boyz" (Interscope Records) Modest Mouse, "Dashboard" (Epic Records) The Decemberists, "O Valencia! (contest version)" (Capitol Records) T-Pain featuring Yung Joc, "Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin')" (Jive Records) WEEK 3 Arcade Fire, "Neon Bible" (Merge Records) DJ Khaled, "We Takin' Over" (Koch Records) Fall Out Boy, "This Ain't A Scene, It's... (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Why being out of the body is all in the mind Aug 25, 2007
The best travel images. This week, Britain's breathtaking landscapes. (Times Online)
The Science of Out-of-Body ExperiencesFor the first time, scientists have created real out-of-body experiences in the lab. No drugs required Aug 24, 2007
For example, neurologists have studied amputees who can feel sensation where their missing limbs used to be; researchers think this phantom limb phenomenon has to do with rewiring in the brain's somatosensory cortex. And, in the lab, researchers have been able to make people feel that fake rubber hands are attached to their own bodies. (Time.com)
Pain management focus of institute Aug 14, 2007
That initial treatment is also helping prevent phantom limb pain ... That helps prevent phantom limb pain ... here are different theories as to what causes phantom limb pain, Joltes said. (Somerset Daily American, PA)
Medicine in IndiaPatient finally hears the truth about his amputed leg Aug 14, 2007
Still later, he suffered from phantom limb syndrome and believed his leg to be whole, sometimes gingerly feeling the vacant area beyond the stump. Finally the truth. (BBC News -- Health)
Flawless pop joy puts everyone on their feet Aug 13, 2007
Mercer was in fine, strong voice, with the band's harmonies resonating in the irresistible hooks of singles Phantom Limb and Kissing the Lipless. The encore started with a Shins-ified Pink Floyd cover, and the band was joined by the support act Ruby Suns on tambourines and backing vocals. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Preposterous werewolf story is built around curse -- and worse Aug 11, 2007
Watching the movie is a little like picking up issue #42 of a comic book after you've skipped the first 41: There's an entire back story mythos hovering in the background like a phantom limb. Apparently there are good werewolves and bad werewolves -- the good ones chain themselves to the wall when the full moon rises -- and a prophecy has foretold that a child shall come to put a final end to the curse. (Boston Globe)
A powerful step forward Jul 24, 2007
Herr said he and his team are also working on developing artificial limbs that would be controlled directly by the brain rather than by a computer, by taking advantage of the 'phantom limb' phenomenon, in which an amputee's brain tries to move an appendage that is no longer there. Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company. (Boston Globe -- Local)
Weekend's best bets: Jul 23, 2007
Sample from "Phantom Limb" from The Shins' CD "Wincing the Night Away". By Advertiser Entertainment Writer. (Honolulu Advertiser)
Nerve impulses from primary motor cortex can cause movement even when person is unaware Jul 17, 2007
The authors conclude, These data open new perspectives for the comprehension of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders associated with abnormal motor control or abnormal awareness of action, such as utilization behavior, phantom limb, anosognosia [in which a person suffers a disability due to a brain injury but is unaware of it], or delusions of control in schizophrenia. . (EurekAlert!)
Delete pain by changing thoughts: expert Jul 15, 2007
"That's why some amputees still feel phantom limb pain. "It is also why people who suffer an injury when playing sport will only acknowledge pain after the game has ended. " She said in many states of pain, the actual impact on the nervous system was long gone but the experience was often memorised and reactivated. "By learning to distract themselves from pain, a new memory can be built among people who otherwise are quite dysfunctional and overwhelmed by their painful experiences," Prof Flor... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Harmonic convergence Jul 8, 2007
One recent evening broadcast saw Galgalatz's frisky DJ Gilda introduce the Shins' "Phantom Limb " right after spins of Bj rk and the Killers. Galgalatz manages to integrate Israeli music into a single continuum alongside American and European pop and rock, helping make Israeli stars like Idan Raichel , who gives the otherworldly sound of Ethiopian singers a dance beat, and worldbeat diva Din Din Aviv sound just as cool as My Chemical Romance and Shakira. (Boston Globe)
Amputee chases dream of racing at Indy Jun 23, 2007
The issue was no longer dealing with the amputation, but finding a cure for phantom limb pain. Roman's family doctor had no answers, except to try a precision spinal cord stimulator to manage the pain. (Yahoo News -- Auto Racing)
Major Pain: 10 New-Millennium Maladies Jun 21, 2007
It's the cell phone equivalent of the "phantom limb" felt by amputees. Sales of laptops now outstrip desktops. (Datamation)
Plants can tell who's who Jun 14, 2007
(Which is why phantom limb affects people - because their energy influences their physical being. By the same token, there is an energy field of the plant that is able to interact with other energy fields and differences in energy can easily provide methods of communication, resulting in physical changes. (Nature News Service)
Learning to Love Your Inner Pirate May 25, 2007
Sure, O.K., I ripped the audio of the Shins' Phantom Limb off a YouTube video. But on the strength of that minor copyright atrocity, I legally bought two complete Shins albums and shelled out for a Shins concert. (Time.com)
Original Shin May 20, 2007
Artist : The Shins Album : Wincing The Night Away Label : Sub-Pop Rating : ****1/2 out of ***** Standout Tracks : Australia,Spilt Needles, Girl Sailor, Phantom Limb. Enough Garden State reference already. (Jakarta Post, Indonesia -- Features)
Complete Story May 19, 2007
It is called a phantom limb, a feeling that a missing or non-working limb feels present and active. This phenomenon can cause our stubborn little brains to feel phantom pains in parts that no longer exist. (Bradstown Kentucky Standard, KY)
COMMENTARY: 10 albums that will rock your summer May 10, 2007
Pig Destroyer - "Phantom Limb" ... It created an unholy mix of grindcore, death metal and thrash on 2004's "Terrifyer," and with "Phantom Limb" it's looking to maintain its title as the heaviest band in the land. (U-Wire.com)
Note to troops: In pain? Don't tough it out May 8, 2007
An infamous example is the phantom limb pain that often strikes amputees. But less severe injuries can spur chronic pain, too, which in turn is linked to post-traumatic stress disorder, other anxiety disorders and disability. (MSNBC -- Health)
Devil May Cry 4 Progress Report May 2, 2007
Nero could use his right arm, known as the Devil Bringer, to project an energy encased phantom limb that would throw demons around in a move known as Snatch. Nero could also use the Devil Bringer to juggle these enemies by performing an uppercut followed by a pistol or sword attack, or leaping strike, further weakening them and chaining significant blows together. (IGN PC Games)
Help For Trigeminal Neuralgia Apr 21, 2007
Myofascial release often decreases the pain in cases of trigeminal neuralgia, phantom limb pain and tendinitis. Sometimes the pain of trigeminal neuralgia is due to a lack of proper blood flow to face. (Suite101.com)
Metal File: Number Twelve Looks Like You, Into Eternity & More News That Rules Apr 20, 2007
The third album by experimental grindcore band Pig Destroyer, Phantom Limb, is scheduled for release June 12. The disc, three years in the making, was recorded at Rockville, Maryland's Omega Studios, where Bad Brains previously recorded. (VHI.com -- Music News)
Shins, Lily Allen Upstaged By Shredding Classical Guitarists At Radio Fest Apr 17, 2007
Just about everybody stuck around to see the Shins, who thanked KCRW's support of their heralded Wincing the Night Away by performing the first four songs including the ubiquitous "Phantom Limb" from the album. Despite too much squeaky guitar feedback, the tunes were rousing, and before the band delved too deep into the lulling, narcotic second half of the album, it wisely pivoted into older faves like "Mine's Not a High Horse," "New Slang" and "So Says I.". (VHI.com -- Music News)
A Sounds Eclectic Evening Apr 16, 2007
With the exception of the opener "Sleeping Lessons," the ringing garage rock of the closer "So Says I" and their recent single "Phantom Limb," James Mercer's evasive tales of post-graduate inertia remain inert; live, they sound less dynamic than their albums. Variety is striving to present the most thorough review database. (Variety)
Metal File: 3 Inches Of Blood Get Deep With Slipknot Drummer & More Apr 6, 2007
Pig Destroyer have put the finishing touches on their forthcoming LP, Phantom Limb. The follow-up to 2004's Terrifyer is set to drop June 12 and will feature "Deathtripper," "Heathen Temple" and "Girl in the Slayer Jacket.". (VHI.com -- Music News)
Rose McGowan shoots from the hip in 'Grindhouse' Apr 2, 2007
This being Bob Weinstein's Dimension Films, innovator of the boutique horror film and home of the "Scream" and "Scary Movie" franchises, where the embalming fluid of art-house irony was first sluiced through the quiescent corpse of splatter cinema, there is a ready fix at hand: first a wooden table leg, then ultimately a 50-caliber machine gun is snapped onto a metal rod protruding from her swaddled stump, courtesy of the miracle of CGI. It's like Lt. Dan on the deck of Forrest Gump's shrimp... (calendarlive.com)
The Shins make every note count Mar 17, 2007
The band peppered its 80-minute set with selections from its latest disc, "Wincing the Night Away," and began by reeling off a clutch of terrific new songs: the vertiginous, organ-dappled "Sleeping Lessons"; the bubblegum bounce of "Australia"; the luscious sway of "Phantom Limb." In a live setting, the pared-back, more muted production of the new album took on fuller colors and richer tones, and sat seamlessly alongside older emotional epics in miniature, such as "Kissing the Lipless," and the... (Boston Globe)
Bands' new releases capture modern anxieties Mar 1, 2007
1, 2007 12:00 AM Travel writer Pico Iyer once described jet lag as the sensation that your mind is "moving as with a phantom limb." He wrote, "I feel, when lagged, as if I'm seeing the whole world through tears, or squinting; everything gets through to me, but with the wrong weight or meaning. I can't see the signs, only their reflections in the puddles. I can't follow directions, only savor the fact of being lost." ... He's said that the first single, "Phantom Limb," is about two young lesbians... (AZCentral -- Entertainment)
On with the show Feb 26, 2007
" To begin with she missed Murray's presence. The two remain great friends, his absence feeling a little like a phantom limb. "But now I can finish my sentences," she laughs. "I absolutely love it. It feels like a new job. (Guardian Unlimited)
The Lobo threesome Feb 21, 2007
The first single, "Phantom Limb," is without a doubt one of the more commercial and mainstream attempts on the album, but there are other tracks, such as "Australia" and "Red Rabbits," that will standout to the more devoted fans. Credit must be given to the Shins for their efforts on Wincing the Night Away. (The Daily Lobo, NM)
Biomedical Engineers Advance On 'Smart Bladder Pacemaker' Feb 21, 2007
ScienceDaily: Biomedical Engineers Advance On 'Smart Bladder Pacemaker. Biomedical Engineers Advance On 'Smart Bladder Pacemaker. (Science Daily)
Concert Review: Shins Finally Deliver What Albums Promise Feb 21, 2007
"Phantom Limb" was perfect jangle-ly rock and was identical to the recorded version. The crowd response to the new music was warm, but could never match the enthusiasm for the songs from their first albums. (KIRO TV, WA)
Newborn Brains Grow Vision And Movement Regions First Feb 15, 2007
(May 2, 2000) -- One of the most troubling aftereffects of an arm or leg amputation is the phantom limb syndrome, in which the person reports receiving sensations from the lost limb. Neuroscientists at Vanderbilt. (Science Daily)
For the Record Feb 14, 2007
"Phantom Limb," the first single off the new release, is probably the track with the most pop-catch appeal, supported by the intriguing yet not alienating experimental rhythms typical to the band that is from Albuquerque but calls Portland home. Even though "Phantom Limb" may seem the safest track on the record, its lyrics are anything but conservative. (Middlebury College -- The Campus, VT)
Robotic Exoskeleton Replaces Muscle Work Feb 10, 2007
-- Phantom limb is a phantom sensation in amputated or missing limbs. A phantom sensation is a feeling that a missing limb is still attached to the body and is moving appropriately with other body. (Science Daily)
Something different from the Shins Feb 8, 2007
"Australia" continues in this tradition and, with its breezily catchy chorus and melodic buoyancy, could probably pass as an add-on to "Chutes." The climax of the album, however, does not occur until "Phantom Limb", the fourth track and the Shins' first and the only single off the new CD. "Phantom Limb" showcases the Shins' best stylistic expansions, adding synthesized texture to the average ballad and stretching James Mercer's voice over several airy octaves ... Fans should download "Phantom... (Buffalo News)
These Songs Will Change...Your Socks Feb 7, 2007
Mercer's knack for the bittersweet shines on "Phantom Limb," as he sighs through entire verses but opts for hopeful falsetto on the chorus. Those daredevil production moves happen a little further along with an obvious departure point called "Sealegs." The track lays a start/stop groove (now there's a new word in the Shins' descriptor lexicon) with clipped acoustic guitar riffs and mechanically metered drums not exactly the "hip-hop beat" the album's accompanying press release describes; it's... (City Pages)
Metal File: Bloodsimple, Starkweather, Testament & More News That Rules Feb 3, 2007
Extreme noisemakers Pig Destroyer are in Rockville, Maryland's Omega Studios recording their new album Phantom Limb. The disc, the follow-up to 2004's Terrifyer, will be the band's first as a quartet, thanks to the recent addition of guitarist Blake Harrison. (VHI.com -- Music News)
Up to your Shins in mediocre music Feb 1, 2007
The first single, "Phantom Limb," is soaring and admirably layered as it pushes the envelope of The Shins' sound better than any song on the album. In the eclectic, carnival-at-sea sounding "Red Rabbits," Mercer's voice arcs like The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson's as he sings "who decides / who paddles over the falls? / yeah, who makes the call? / who makes the call?" And the horn that appears on the album closer "A Comet Appears" is a knowing and able reference to "The Past and Pending," the last... (The Cavalier Daily, VA)
Pretty Ricky, Shins Grab Top Album Chart Spots Feb 1, 2007
First single "Phantom Limb" is top 20 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart. Last week's No. 1, Daughtry's self-titled RCA debut, slips back to No. 3 despite a 23% sales increase to 80,000. (MediaWeek.com)
CD REVIEW: It's true -- The Shins will change your life Jan 30, 2007
The album floats along seamlessly to "Phantom Limb," the first single, which adds some soul to the pop-fest ... A stream of familiarly lovely tunes follows, but none are quite as striking as "Phantom Limb" until we come to "Spilt Needles" nestled in the album's last quarter. (U-Wire.com)
Indie band makes good on its promise Jan 28, 2007
Phantom Limb, reportedly about a pair of young lesbians, is a stunning success whatever its subject matter. Musically, its shimmering pop will appeal to different camps. (Globe and Mail)
Reducing Back Surgery Failure: Experiments Show Surgical Trauma Lowered By Pretreating Spinal Cord With Local Anesthetic Jan 27, 2007
Texas researchers believe that they have discovered how to prevent many cases of the most common problem encountered by patients undergoing spine surgery: failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS). FBSS occurs when surgery either fails to cure back pain or leads to additional chronic pain after a spinal operation. (Science Daily)
Pop's perfectionist Jan 26, 2007
Phantom Limb, the first single, is a perfect bridge between old and new: an irresistible, high-toned Mercer melody, apparently fragile but rapidly indelible; it is bittersweet pop perfection. The album also ventures into less familiar Shins territory, with an emphasis on elaborate production, such as the arresting electronic beats and synth stabs of Sea Legs, or the warbly keyboard arpeggios of Sleeping Lessons. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
The Shins' wheel of good fortune Jan 25, 2007
On Jan. 13, the popular indie rockers the Shins performed on "Saturday Night Live." For their first song, the Portland-based band played "Phantom Limb," the single from their new album "Wincing the Night Away." ... The single 'Phantom Limb,' released in November, has sold more than 8,000 copies, a giant number in an economy where singles are often stolen on the Internet. (Austin 360 (subscription))
'Wince' With Ease Jan 25, 2007
The appropriately (or perhaps inappropriately) titled first single, "The Phantom Limb," is a song, Mercer has said, about two young lesbians. The song is sung in the first person narrative, and deals with the girls' lack of acceptance in their hometown. (The Daily Campus, CT)
'Wincing' offers same old Shins' sound sound Jan 24, 2007
5/5Tracks to download: "Sleeping Lessons," "Phantom Limb," "Sea Legs"For fans of: "Garden State" soundtrack ... Another bright spot on the album is the first single, "Phantom Limb," which features a groovy synth / bass line contrasted by softly flowing vocals. (Washington University Student Life, MO)
The Shins are a kick Jan 23, 2007
The new album's first single, "Phantom Limb," evokes Brian Wilson in a postmodern wasteland, irresistible and unknowable. But that single's B-side is the sound of a band breaking out -- not in any commercial sense, but from its own mold. (Boston Globe)
Shins' sound evolves on latest Jan 23, 2007
Similar to Turn On Me, the already-popular single Phantom Limb features simple instrumental lines, including a perfect mix of bass and percussion riffs that results in a clean, pulsing interplay between the two instruments. A chorus of old-school oohs brings this track to its climax, recalling the polyphonic sounds of The New Pornographers as Mercer and others sing over the tambourine and the distinctive keyboard tones. (UW Badger Herald)
