Integrative Medicine takes a whole-person approach to pain management, emphasizing nonpharmacologic strategies to enhance patient care and reduce reliance on opioids. Recent publications highlight the effectiveness of various therapies, including acupuncture, massage, and mind-body interventions. The Center for Integrative Medicine offers many evidence-based pain management approaches as well as a new Integrative Pain Management Group Visit program. See below for more details. To schedule an appointment, or for further details, please contact us at: 844-747-0474.
Integrative Pain Management Group Visits
Integrative Pain Management is a whole person educational approach that incorporates movement, mindfulness, behavioral health, nutrition, and skills-building for people living with chronic pain. This program uses the biopsychosocial model, a multimodal approach that is standard of care for pain management. This approach includes information on physical treatments such as massage and osteopathic manipulation, behavioral health and integrative modalities. The course covers the neuroscience of pain and pain treatments, managing thought, sleep hygiene, nutritional and nutritional supplements that have evidence for benefits for living with daily pain.
This group medical visit promotes the importance of being active in the process of healing. A trauma-informed approach is included where the environment is focused on empathy, compassion, and trust-building among peers.
To schedule an appointment, please contact us at: 844-747-0474.
Evidence-Based Approaches
- Acupuncture Therapy: A comprehensive review by the Academic Consortium Pain Task Force emphasizes acupuncture as a safe and effective treatment for acute pain, reducing opioid use and associated risks (https://doi.org/10.1093/pm/pnac056).
- Nonpharmacologic Strategies: Another key resource details a variety of nonpharmacologic therapies such as Tai Chi, yoga, and dietary modifications, which have been proven effective for managing different types of pain, from post-surgical to chronic pain (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2018.02.001).
- Evidence-Based Nonpharmacologic Strategies for Comprehensive Pain Care
- Acupuncture Therapy for Acute Pain Care
References:
Chou et al. Nonpharmacologic Therapies for Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review for an American
College of Physicians Clinical Practice Guideline. Annals Int Med. 2017.
Dresner et al. Listening to Their Words: A Qualitative Analysis of Integrative Medicine Group Visits in an Urban Underserved Medical Setting. Pain Med. 2016.
Clarke et al. Pain Neurophysiology Education for the Management of Individuals with Chronic Low BackPain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Manual Therapy. 2011.
Crawford et al. Effectiveness of Active Self-Care Complementary and Integrative Medicine Therapies:
Options for the Management of Chronic Pain Symptoms. Pain Med. 2014.
Eisenberg et al. A Model of Integrative Care for Low-Back Pain. J Alt Comp Med. 2012.
Gardiner et al. Medical Group Visits: A feasibility Study to Manage Patients with Chronic Pain in an
Underserved Urban Clinic. Gobal Adv Health Med. 2014.
Gatchel et al. The Biopsychosocial Approach to Chronic Pain: Scientific Advances and Future Directions. Psych Bulletin. 2007.
Geller et al. Impact of a Group Medical Visit Program on Latino Health-Related Quality of Life. J Science Healing. 2011.