| Abstract: | Conventional pain medicine does not solve all the problems of chronic pain patients. In this technological era, patients are more demanding and in their frustration may seek alternative modalities for managing their chronic pain. Recent studies have shown that this tendency may in fact expose patients not only to useless therapies but occasionally harmful ones. Many alternative modalities have been studied and found to be effective in managing chronic pain. These modalities include music therapy, religious or spiritual therapies, relaxation therapy, hypnosis, chiropractic therapy, comfort measures, TENS, acupuncture, and various biostimulation techniques (eg, magnetic therapy, low-power laser therapy). The Office of Alternative Medicine was created to facilitate the scientific evaluation of alternative therapies and act as a funding source for some of those studies. It is hoped that with this new development many alternative methods may be properly studied, efficiently implemented, and effective in pain control. |
