Use of Alternative Medicine for Pain Relief
Increases With Age and Wealth
Elderly and whites seek therapies such as
acupuncture most often; as people age, there is greater chance they will
deal with chronic pain
By Tara Hasouris
April 29, 2010 - In a University of Michigan Health
System study, 1 out of 3 patients with chronic pain reported using
complementary and alternative medicine therapies such as acupuncture and
chiropractic visits for pain relief.
Socioeconomic factors primarily race and age
played a large role in the use of alternative therapy in chronic pain
patients, the study showed. Whites used alternative modalities more
frequently than blacks and elderly adults had a higher frequency of
using alternative therapies than younger adults.
According
to the lead author,
Carmen R. Green, M.D., U-M professor of anesthesiology and
obstetrics and gynecology and associate professor of
health management and policy, this pattern may be due to alternative
medicine therapies usually attracting individuals with higher education
levels and income, or the pattern could be a result of differences in
insurance coverage.
Also, as people age, there is a greater chance that
they will deal with chronic pain, therefore as age increases, so does
the likelihood that people will seek alternative therapies to deal with
the pain.
Over fifty-percent of those given a prescription drug
received an opioid pain reliever, despite the fact that there is very
little research to support their use, finds Consumer Reports
study
The study which appears in the journal, Pain
Medicine, highlights the importance of complementary and alternative
medicine, its increasing usage, its economic impact, and concerns about
safety and effectiveness.
To track the link between pain and alternative
medicine, Green and S. Khady Ndao-Brumblay, PharmD, MSc, doctoral
student in health management and policy at the
U-M School of Public Health, looked at the ethnic and racial
disparities in treating chronic pain in 5,750 adults over a six-year
period.
Socioeconomic characteristics, medical history,
physical and social health characteristics and pain-related symptoms in
both black and white adults with chronic pain were collected with the
Pain Assessment Inventory Narrative to assess the treatment methods.
The types of practitioner-based alternative therapy
examined included manipulation therapy such as chiropractic or physical
therapy procedures, biofeedback instruments that control the heart
rate, blood pressure and brain waves for relaxation purposes and
acupuncture.
These three alternative medicine therapy services
were used most often by people with chronic pain, but who uses the
therapy depends on the type of modality.
This research may provide important new insights
into the use of alternative therapies for people living with chronic
pain. It helps us understand more about who is using CAM therapies, and
also prompts a discussion on how these methods work and on whom they
work best, Green says.
Of those observed, 35 percent reported using at
least one form of complementary and alternative medicine therapy with 25
percent using manipulation techniques, 13 percent using biofeedback and
8 percent acupuncture.
Green, U-M pain
medicine physician and anesthesiologist, says complementary and
alternative medicine therapies can be beneficial in treating pain, but
further studies are needed to determine just how effective they are and
how great the risks and benefits are. Since alternative therapy is often
used in combination with other methods, such as regular physician visits
and traditional medications, she warns patients should inform their
doctors when using these therapies.
Its helpful for physicians to know that patients
are using these therapies so that we can minimize any risks or side
effects associated with them, Green says.
Because chronic pain has been found to double the
odds of seeking alternative services, this along with decreased access
to and negative perceptions about pain treatment, may be one of the
primary reasons for seeking this type of therapy over conventional
medicine. However, more research needs to be done to confirm this.
Unfortunately patients are often reluctant to
share information regarding alternative therapy usage with health care
providers, but discussions and awareness of alternative therapy use in
pain patients may improve the quality of pain care and patient safety,
Green says.
Authors: Carmen R. Green, M.D., U-M professor, pain
medicine physician and anesthesiologist and S. Khady Ndao-Brumblay,
PharmD, MSc, doctoral student in health management and policy at the U-M
School of Public Health.
Elderly and whites seek therapies such as
acupuncture most often; as people age, there is greater chance they will
deal with chronic pain
According
to the lead author,
