if you have chronic pain and are looking for alternatives to medication and surgery, you have a lot of options. “that phrase ‘alternative pain treatments’ doesn’t mean much to me,” says seddon r. savage, md, incoming president of the american pain society. however, not all alternative pain treatments work. some alternative treatments may help with pain from bad backs, osteoarthritis, and headaches, but have no effect on chronic pain from fibromyalgia or diabetic nerve damage. and always discuss any alternative pain treatments you want to try with your regular doctor. obviously, you need to be skeptical of any unproven or risky alternative pain treatments. experts say you should keep your expectations for alternative pain treatments modest — especially when it comes to “miracle cures.” a single supplement, device, or treatment is not going to make your chronic pain disappear.
savage says you also need to be suspicious of anyone pushing a treatment when the financial motive is blatant. “i think people should be careful whenever a person is making a living off of an untested pain remedy,” says savage. if you’re living with chronic pain, considering alternative treatments makes a lot of sense. but remember that even if a treatment is alternative, it has to be integrated with your overall pain management plan. instead, you and your doctor should talk over the pros and cons of different approaches. experts say that you should try to keep up to date with research into alternative treatments for chronic pain. the options for people with chronic pain are always growing — and some of the odder treatments of today might become the mainstream treatments of tomorrow. f. michael ferrante, md, director, ucla pain management center; professor of clinical anesthesiology and medicine, university of california, los angeles.
pain can affect quality of life and productivity, and it may be accompanied by difficulty in moving around, disturbed sleep, anxiety, depression, and other problems.1 a comprehensive description of scientific research on all the complementary approaches that have been studied for chronic pain is beyond the scope of this fact sheet. some recent research has looked at the effects of complementary approaches on chronic pain in general rather than on specific painful conditions. nccih-supported studies are helping to build an evidence base on the effectiveness and safety of complementary modalities for treating chronic pain.
in light of the human and economic costs of chronic pain, as well as evidence that many people who have chronic pain turn to complementary health approaches for relief, nccih places a high priority on pain-related research. nccih and the national institutes of health (nih) provide tools to help you understand the basics and terminology of scientific research so you can make well-informed decisions about your health. it is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your health care provider(s).
study after study has found that physical activity can help relieve chronic pain, as well as boost energy and mood. if you have chronic pain, the options they suggest include several complementary approaches—acupuncture, mindfulness-based stress reduction, tai chi, yoga, progressive relaxation, there are many forms of alternative medicine. they include acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, hypnosis, biofeedback, meditation, yoga,, alternative therapies for pain management, alternative therapies for pain management, chronic pain relief new treatments, evidence-based alternative pain management, chronic pain management.
there are many conditions associated with chronic pain, so it’s hard to list all the possible herbal remedies that can help decrease your pain. what are some alternatives to opioids? there are many non-opioid pain medications that are available over the counter or by prescription, such as ibuprofen ( one common form of integrative medicine that’s used frequently at mayo clinic is acupuncture. the technique involves inserting extremely thin, alternative pain management nursing, holistic pain relief.
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