meditation

Posted on Pain Management

Hypnosis, meditation are viable alternatives for pain relief

Newswise: Hypnosis, meditation are viable alternatives for pain relief

Credit: Getty Images: Six months post-treatment, the study found that about 25% of people who learned self-hypnosis reported clinically meaningful improvements in pain intensity.

Adults who pursued pain relief through mindfulness-focused meditation and hypnosis had better long-term effects than those who received education in pain management, according to one of the largest studies of its kind on nonpharmaceutical pain control and relief.

The findings of this joint UW Medicine/Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System study were published in the medical journal Pain. The researchers tested the effects of two nonpharmaceutical pain interventions against an educational (control) protocol in a population of military veterans who received care from the VA between 2015 and 2020. Participants had experienced chronic pain not related to cancer for at least three months.

“For many years, I noticed that patients with chronic pain were only offered pain medications. But even with so-called painkillers, these patients continued to experience significant pain, but now also with side effects of the medications. I thought there had to be a better way,” said senior author Mark Jensen, professor of rehabilitation medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine. 

Research estimates that about 19% of adults in the United States deal with chronic pain, and as many as 65% of veterans experience pain.

At the study’s outset, the 328 participants reported moderate or worse pain. Many also had depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and sleep disturbance. They comprised a very diverse population for a clinical trial of pain treatments, said lead author Rhonda Williams. She is a UW professor of rehabilitation medicine and  a clinician scientist at VA Puget Sound Health Care System.

“We wanted to see which of the interventions led to the most improvement in pain intensity, pain interference, anxiety, depression, sleep, opioid medication use, and global perceptions of change,” said Williams. 

All three interventions were associated with improvements, to varying degrees, across multiple outcome measures. What surprised Williams was how enthusiastic the veterans were to receive the treatments, even after the study concluded.

“While it’s normally hard to keep participants engaged in clinical research trials, this study had very high rates of retention,” she said. The VA is continuing to offer the test treatments and more than 200 veterans have pursued these outside of the study. 

By six months post-treatment, clinically meaningful improvements in pain intensity were reported by: 

  • About 25% of people who had learned self-hypnosis.
  • About 22% of those who received training in mindfulness meditation.
  • About 9% of those who received pain education.

Participants in all three study cohorts experienced improvements in pain intensity, pain interference, and mood at the end of treatment, but the maintenance of benefits differed by treatment. Participation in mindful meditation resulted in greater decreases in average pain intensity and pain interference, relative to education, at six months post-treatment. Participation in hypnosis resulted in greater decreases in average pain intensity, pain interference, and depressive symptoms at three and six months post-treatment, compared with the educational cohort, the report stated.

No significant differences between hypnosis and mindful meditation were seen in any outcome measures. Findings show that all three interventions provide post-treatment benefits over a range of outcomes, but the benefits of hypnosis and mindful meditation appeared more likely to persist, while the improvements associated with pain education seemed to dissipate over time, the study noted.

Williams and Jensen observed that some individuals appear to benefit more from specific treatments. They said one next research step would be to try to match individuals to the treatment more likely to provide benefit.

Posted on Pain Management

Complementary approaches such as meditation help patients manage chronic pain




A Different Approach To Pain Management: Mindfulness Meditation

A Different Approach To Pain Management: Mindfulness Meditation

Some patients reported that they used the techniques in place of medication

Complementary practices such as meditation and mindful breathing helped patients manage chronic pain and in some cases reduced the need for medication such as opioids, according to a study at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City.




The research, “Complementary Practices as Alternatives to Pain: Effectiveness of a Pain Management Program for Patients in an Orthopedic Clinic,” was presented at the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals annual meeting on October 24 in Chicago.

“Opioid misuse and addiction are a major public health issue in the United States, and approximately 70 percent of individuals who use opioids on a long-term basis have a musculoskeletal disorder, such as low back pain or arthritis,” said Maggie Wimmer, coordinator of Programs and Outcomes, Public and Patient Education at HSS. “To address this epidemic, Hospital for Special Surgery implemented a Pain and Stress Management program in its orthopedic clinic to enhance patient knowledge and encourage complementary practices as alternatives to medication.”

HSS launched the pilot program in March 2017 for patients at the hospital’s Ambulatory Care Center, which serves a low income, diverse community living with chronic musculoskeletal conditions. Reaching 122 participants, the program included a monthly workshop led by a meditation instructor and a social worker, as well as a weekly meditation conference call. Participants engaged in mindful breathing techniques and meditation to manage chronic pain and stress.

To evaluate the program, researchers surveyed participants after each monthly meeting. Data was collected to assess program effectiveness, participants’ knowledge of complementary practices, how often they used the techniques, and how the practices helped them cope with pain and stress.




Researchers reported the following;

98 percent strongly agreed/agreed that they were satisfied with the program.

95 percent said the program increased their understanding of complementary treatments and the ability to apply the techniques to manage pain and stress.

93 percent indicated that they would recommend the program to others.

One out of three participants reported using the alternative techniques five or more times in the previous week in place of medication, and 11 percent used the techniques three to four times in place of medication.

More than half of the participants indicated that mindful breathing helped them manage their chronic pain and stress.

The debriefings conducted by the social worker during the monthly sessions also revealed that in addition to reduced pain and stress, many participants experienced improved daily function, calmness and improved state of mind after using the techniques.

Comments from participants recorded by the social worker include:

“It’s not just pills that help with pain; you can do it with your mind.”

“I learned how to breathe; it relieved my pain.”

“It was very calming, and it helped.”

“The stillness gives the body time to rebalance itself.”

“I feel less anxious, and it was very relaxing. The mind is a powerful tool”.

“The results indicate that alternative approaches are effective in reducing pain and stress, and in improving self-management and general well-being,” said Robyn Wiesel, associate director, Public and Patient Education at HSS. “Based on the success of the Pain and Stress Management program in the orthopedic clinic, it has been expanded to include patients in the HSS Rheumatology Clinic, many of whom rely on opioid medication to manage chronic pain.”

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What are the effects of meditation on the brain?

As many of you know I’m very interested in what were once thought of as alternative therapies for different medical conditions.

These days, of course, no one considers many of these ideas as fringe at all.

Medication is one of these. This infographic looks mediation and how it impacts the brain?

Do you meditate? Does it have any health benefits? Why not share your thoughts in the comments boxes below.

Many thanks in advance.


Infograph: Effects of Meditation on the Brain
Infographic authored by Synchronicity Foundation for Modern Spirituality. To view the original post, Free Infographic: Effects of Meditation on the Brain.




Leave a comment Posted on Pain Management

Pain Management – some natural ways to manage your persistent pain

pain-management1

The old-fashioned treatment for painful conditions was bed rest for weeks or months on end. We now know this is the worst possible approach. Exercise and continuing to work are key to recovery.

Forget resting if you have a painful condition like back pain. Lying in bed for long periods may actually make the pain last longer, because inactivity makes you stiffen up, your muscles and bones get weaker, you don’t sleep well, you become lonely and depressed, and the pain feels worse.

You’ll also find that it becomes harder and harder to get going again.


A better approach to reducing pain is a combination of exercise, staying at work, physical therapy and painkillers.

Exercise to beat pain

Choose an exercise that won’t put too much strain on yourself. Good options include:

  • walking
  • swimming
  • exercise bike
  • dance/yoga/pilates
  • most daily activities and hobbies

Activity and stretching needs to become part of your lifestyle so you routinely do exercise little and often.

Try to be active every day, instead of only on the good days when you’re not in so much pain. This may reduce the number of bad days you have and help you feel more in control.

But try and avoid what is called the “boom and bust” cycle, where you overdo it on good days and then pay for this by having more and more bad days.

Try these flexibility exercises and sitting exercises that you can do at home.

Read the NHS Choices beginner’s guide to swimming and beginner’s guide to dancing.

Go to work despite the pain

It’s important to try to stay in work even though you’re in pain. Research shows that people become less active and more depressed when they don’t work.

Being at work will distract you from the pain and won’t make your pain worse.

If you have a heavy job, you may need some help from colleagues. Talk to your supervisor or boss about the parts of your job that may be difficult to begin with, but stress that you want to be at work.

If you have to stay off work for a while, try to get back as soon as possible. If you’ve been off work for four to six weeks, plan with your doctor, therapist or employer how and when you can return.

You could go back to work gradually; this is called a “graded return”. For instance, you might start with one day a week and gradually increase the time you spend at work.

You could also agree changes to your job or pattern of work, if it helps – a health and safety rep or occupational health department may be useful here.

Physical therapy for pain

Pain experts often recommend a short course of physical therapy. This helps you to move better, relieves your pain, and makes daily tasks and activities, such as walking, going up stairs, or getting in and out of bed, easier.

Physical therapy for persistent pain can involve manipulation, stretching exercises and pain relief exercises.

It’s usually delivered by an osteopath, chiropractor or a physiotherapist. Acupuncture is also offered across the UK by some healthcare providers, including physiotherapists, especially for back pain and neck pain.

Physiotherapists can give you advice on the right type of exercise and activity. Occupational therapists can support you with environmental changes that can help you remain in work and function better at home.

If you have physical therapy, you should begin to feel the benefits after a few sessions.

Your GP may be able to refer you for physical therapy on the NHS, though in some areas physical therapy is only available privately. In some areas, there is direct access to NHS physiotherapy without the need for a GP referral.

Find physiotherapy services in your area.

Your GP can also refer you for exercise on referral classes, and some centres have specific classes for low back pain.

Online help for pain

There’s a lot of online information if you’re living with pain.

General pain websites

Websites relating to specific conditions

Self help tips

The Pain Toolkit is a collection of helpful tips and strategies for persistent pain put together by a fellow sufferer:

Meditation for pain

This 20 minute guided meditation course from Meditainment is easy-to-follow, free and proven to help people cope with chronic pain.

It’s part of the Pathway through Pain online course which is provided by the NHS in some areas for people with persistent pain. Ask your GP or pain specialist how to access the course.

[Original article on NHS Choices website]