Pain and Integrative Medicine

General Definition:

Integrative medicine is a form of medical practice that integrates alternative medicine therapies with therapies practiced by mainstream medicine. Ideally, this allows patients to access the best of both worlds. There is a growing body of research to gather evidence to support the use of various modalities in alternative medicine.

Introduction:

In our medical practices, we treat pain, acute or chronic, through the use of various medications including narcotic and non-narcotic analgesics, topical analgesics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, and steroids. At times, these agents have not proved adequate, particularly in the management of chronic pain. Therefore, we are learning more about the combination of various alternative medical therapies with allopathic medicine.

Integrative medicine is the union between conventional medicine and various methods of the mind/body experience. By treating the body as a whole and recognizing the ailment as a product of being “un-well” individually, one treats the subconscious as well as the physical body at the same time. In addition to assisting pain control, integrative medicine further enables the patient to actively participate in their treatment options and ultimately achieve relief from their pain.

Acupuncture:

Acupuncture is the application of tiny, thin needles into various acupressure points throughout the body. This technique temporarily eases pain, and brings about a sense of relief. Regular visits are required to enhance the long-term effects of acupuncture.

Chiropractics:

Chiropractics has been around for ages, though the new way is to treat the body through acupressure points without the needles of acupuncture and the bone-cracking of traditional techniques. This newer method, known as the “Activator Method” is a painless, instant gratification way of achieving pain relief.

T’ai Chi:

T’ai Chi is an ancient Chinese exercise used in pain-relieving that teaches the patient to move in slow, methodical movements. It is easy to learn and to do, and is great for seniors who have been diagnosed with arthritis or osteoporosis.

Pilates:

Joseph Pilates designed this technique to help lengthen and strengthen muscles. The use of his machine called the “reformer” used to be mandatory for this to be effective. Now, with the use of floor Pilates and the use of a balance ball, all types of injuries can be addressed, with the goal of core strengthening. This has been incorporated into many physical therapy practices throughout the United States.

Qi-Gong:

Another ancient Chinese technique can be effectively used to enhance wellness throughout the body. This technique works on the energy centers of the body to produce positive Qi (pronounced “chi”), which is intended to stimulate the body’s natural ability to heal itself.

Massage:

There are various forms of massage which are utilized to relieve muscle tension and stress, thereby assisting with pain management. It’s relaxing and soothing to the body, mind and spirit.

Meditation and Visualization:

One of the techniques that actually teaches the patient to gain control of chronic pain and makes it manageable via the use of “mind over matter.”

Aromatherapy:

Aromatherapy can produce a sense of well-being. It is believed that some of the oils used stimulate the individual to make and release endorphins. It is often used in conjunction with massage, meditation and yoga.

Yoga:

Yoga is the practice of stretching and bending the body from easy postures to more difficult ones. This works well over time, and can be used in conjunction with meditation, aromatherapy and pilates.

Dietary Supplements, Herbs and Vitamins:

This type of practice works well in conjunction with any and all of the afore-mentioned techniques with conventional medicine. There are various continuing medical education programs for health professional to gain knowledge in this area.

We hope you have found this section informative. This web page is under construction. We hope you will check back with us soon to find more facts about integrative medicine.

Resources:

http://nccam.nih.gov/

http://www.nfam.org

http://www.imconsortium.org
The Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine
Members

Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University Continuum Center for Health and Healing www.healthandhealingny.org Columbia University Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine www.rosenthal.hs.columbia.edu Duke University Duke Center for Integrative Medicine www.dcim.org Georgetown University http://gumc.georgetown.edu/departments/mcgrad/index.html http://som.georgetown.edu/cam http://som.georgetown.edu/ George Washington University Center for Integrative Medicine www.integrativemedicinedc.com Harvard Medical School Osher Institute www.osher.hms.harvard.edu Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine www.hopkinsmedicine.org/cam Laval University Integrated Approach in Prevention www.cours.fmed.ulaval.ca/modules/approche-integree/accueil Mayo Clinic Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program www.mayoclinic.org/general-internal-medicine-rst/cimc.html McMaster University Family Practice Centre of Integrative Health and Healing www.fpcihh.com Oregon Health and Science University Women's Primary Care and Integrative Medicine, Center for Women's Health www.ohsu.edu/orccamind www.ohsuwomenshealth.com/services/doctors/integrative.html Stanford University Stanford Center for Integrative Medicine www.stanfordhospital.com/clinicsmedServices/clinics/ complementaryMedicine/default Thomas Jefferson University Jefferson Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine jeffline.jefferson.edu/jmbcim www.jeffersonhospital.org/cim Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt Center for Integrative Health www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/root/integrative_health/ Wake Forest University School of Medicine Program for Holistic & Integrative Medicine http://www1.wfubmc.edu/phim/ Yale University Integrative Medicine @ Yale cam.yale.edu Yale Prevention Research Center http://yalegriffinprc.org/ University of Alberta Complementary and Alternative Research and Education (CARE) www.care.ualberta.ca/ University of Arizona Program in Integrative Medicine www.integrativemedicine.arizona.edu University of Calgary Canadian Institute of Natural & Integrative Medicine www.cinim.org University of California, Irvine Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine www.sscim.uci.edu University of California, Los Angeles Collaborative Centers for Integrative Medicine www.uclamindbody.org University of California, San Francisco Osher Center for Integrative Medicine www.osher.ucsf.edu University of Colorado The Center for Integrative Medicine www.uch.edu/integrativemed University of Connecticut School of Medicine http://health.uchc.edu/clincialservices/integrativemed/index.htm University of Hawaii-Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine Department of Complementary and Alternative Medicine www.jabsom.hawaii.edu/jabsom University of Kansas Program in Integrative Medicine http://integrativemed.kumc.edu/ University of Maryland Center for Integrative Medicine www.compmed.umm.edu University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness www.umassmed.edu/cfm/index.aspx University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Institute for Complementary & Alternative Medicine www.umdnj.edu/icam University of Michigan Integrative Medicine www.med.umich.edu/umim University of Minnesota Center for Spirituality and Healing www.csh.umn.edu University of New Mexico Health Science Center http://hsc.unm.edu/som/medicine/integrative_med/ University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Program on Integrative Medicine pim.med.unc.edu University of Pennsylvania CAM at Penn www.med.upenn.edu/penncam University of Pittsburgh Center for Integrative Medicine http://integrativemedicine.upmc.com University of Texas Medical Branch UTMB Integrative Health Care http://cam.utmb.edu/ University of Vermont College of Medicine Program in Integrative Medicine www.med.uvm.edu/integrativemedicine University of Washington UW Integrative Health Program www.uwcam.org University of Wisconsin-Madison UW Integrative Medicine Program www.uwhealth.org/integrativemed