Written by Dr. Patrick Massey, M.D., Ph.D. Both traditional and nontraditional medical approaches are necessary to effectively address the number one medical complaint – pain.
Last week, I attended the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pain Management in Phoenix. Along with being happy about the weather there, I was equally pleased that the Academy incorporated a significant number of lectures on complementary and alternative medicine.
Pain is the primary reason why people use medicine – traditional and nontraditional. Although both medical approaches have their strengths, truth be told, both are incomplete. Traditional medicine does an excellent job of treating acute as well as severe pain. Nontraditional medicine seems to be better at mild to moderate chronic pain with fewer, long-term side effects. Both traditional and nontraditional medical approaches are necessary to effectively address the number one medical complaint – pain.
Over the years, I have attended many pain programs. Sometimes there would be one or two token lectures on nontraditional medicine but the emphasis was invariably on medications and procedures. This year, in Phoenix, it was different. About 40 percent of the presentations were on nontraditional medicine.
One well-attended lecture on fibromyalgia was presented by my friend and colleague, Melinda Ring, M.D., medical director of integrative medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. She outlined a number of nontraditional therapies including acupuncture, massage, homeopathy and meditation as well as several dietary supplements that have benefit in the treatment of fibromyalgia. Some of these therapies directly reduce pain while others improve sleep, reduce stress and improve quality of life.
I was very pleased to see that the Academy had also invited one of the world’s leading experts on herbs and dietary supplements to share her knowledge, Tieraona Low Dog, M.D. I have written about Dr. Low Dog’s expertise in past columns and she is simply the best. Dr. Low Dog detailed the significant medical research into the benefits of several supplements in the treatment of chronic pain. These included fish oil, butterbur, B-vitamins, s-adenosylmethionine and bromelain.
The acceptance of nontraditional medicine in pain management by physicians has paralleled the explosion of research in this area. Both the number and quality of basic and clinical studies have improved over the past decade and the traditional medical system is taking notice.
Several interesting lectures demonstrated the limits of our ability to correlate the degree of pain with visible changes. Chronic pain actually alters how the nervous system works, resulting in an intensification of pain signals. Nontraditional therapies, like acupuncture, massage, meditation and some supplements, help to re-establish the nervous system’s natural balance and are necessary adjuncts to traditional medical therapies.
Pain may always be the number one reason to seek medical therapy. Research is showing that integration of traditional and nontraditional approaches may be best.
Posted October 21, 2009.
