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Mind-body therapies alleviate pain in people prescribed opioids
A new study published Nov. 4, 2019, in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine details the first comprehensive look across the scientific literature at the role of mind-body therapies in addressing opioid-treated pain. The researchers found that certain mind-body therapies can reduce pain, as well as reduce opioid use, among patients treated with prescription opioids.
"These findings are critical for medical and behavioral health professionals as they work with patients to determine the best and most effective treatments for pain," said Eric Garland, lead author on the study, associate dean for research at the University of Utah College of Social Work and the director of the University of Utah's Center on Mindfulness and Integrative Health Intervention Development.
Garland explained that mind-body therapies focus on changing behavior and the function of the brain with the goal of improving quality of life and health. Mind-body therapies include clinical use of meditation/mindfulness, hypnosis, relaxation, guided imagery, therapeutic suggestion and cognitive-behavioral therapy.
[...] They found that meditation/mindfulness, hypnosis, therapeutic suggestion and cognitive-behavioral therapy all demonstrated significant improvements in pain severity. They also found that the majority of the meditation/mindfulness, therapeutic suggestion and cognitive-behavioral therapy studies showed improvements in opioid use or misuse. In contrast, two studies utilizing relaxation found significantly worsened results in opioid dosing.
[...] "A study published earlier this year projected that by 2025, some 82,000 Americans will die each year from opioid overdose," said Garland. "Our research suggests that mind-body therapies might help alleviate this crisis by reducing the amount of opioids patients need to take to cope with pain. If all of us -- doctors, nurses, social workers, policymakers, insurance companies and patients -- use this evidence as we make decisions, we can help stem the tide of the opioid epidemic."
Eric L. Garland, Carrie E. Brintz, Adam W. Hanley, Eric J. Roseen, Rachel M. Atchley, Susan A. Gaylord, Keturah R. Faurot, Joanne Yaffe, Michelle Fiander, Francis J. Keefe. Mind-Body Therapies for Opioid-Treated Pain[$]. JAMA Internal Medicine, 2019; DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.4917
(Score: 4, Interesting) by DannyB on Thursday November 07 2019, @08:13PM (2 children)
My primary care doctor writes a prescription. My Arthritis specialist could do it, but I only want one Dr. writing these. Walgreens seems to have very pure high quality opioids. Way cheaper than "medical marijuana" at $5 for bottle of 30 tablets. And works a lot better for pain based on trying medical marijuana in summer 2017.
It is. I'm convinced he exists.
You truly have my sympathy.
Pain is subjective. But my particular arthritis is quite severe. I do know severe pain. When I had kidney stones (several times) a few years back, they were bad, but not as bad as I thought they would be. I totally relate to the thing that most ordinary pain goes way down the subjective pain scale. I also relate to the nights with background pain and anytime sharp intense spikes of pain -- anywhere, at random, in any joint -- but always in a joint. Finger. Ankle. Knee. Shoulder. Just out of the blue a super intense, but brief spike of pain somewhere. I only go for the narcotic pain killers when the pain approaches that higher intensity, and is fairly persistent. Or when a background pain increases beyond some threshold.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 07 2019, @08:38PM (1 child)
Trying weed one time is not the way to use it for pain control. It takes weeks or perhaps a month for your body to get used to it (the intense high mellows out) and you have to get a variety of both strains or you'll get bad side effects like paranoia. The medical only weed places have better stuff than the recreational weed suppliers. And... It's about 1/4 the cost of RX drugstore pain meds.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday November 07 2019, @10:49PM
If my state gets medical marijuana, I might give it a try. What I tried before was chocolates.
But opioids work. I've used them for a long time. I'd be surprised if something actually worked better. But I could be convinced.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.