More than 250 study participants with chronic pain followed personalized pain management plans using integrative medical strategies like yoga, hypnosis, acupuncture, massage, and chiropractic medicine for 6 months. The results? Participants reported a more than 20% reduction in pain severity, and felt their pain interfered with their lives 30% less than it did prior to their integrative care. “The biggest surprise was that our integrative approach to pain had a positive impact on so many other aspects of the patients’ lives,” says researcher Donald I. Abrams, MD, integrative oncologist and professor of clinical medicine at University of California San Francisco. Participants also showed improvements in overall mood, stress, fatigue, sleep, and depressive symptoms. Dr. Abrams attributes it to the inclusive nature of integrative treatment, which could help patients become less reliant on potentially addictive drugs. “Integrative medicine doesn’t just view pain as an isolated somatic symptom, but assesses it in relation to the whole person—body, mind, and spirit,” he says. But an acupuncture appointment here and a yoga class there won’t do you much good for long-term relief. Integrative therapies rely on compliance as much as any other treatment, except it takes a little more commitment. Not sure where to start? Take a look at these 20 Alternative Therapies That Actually Work and work with your doctor to create a personalized pain program—sans pills. More from Prevention: 12 Odd Pain-Relief Tricks
