Tuesday, September 11, 2018
The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) hosted The World Congress on Pain this year in Boston. Included in the schedule was a number of satellite symposia. One of which was “Chronic Pain: The Science of Complementary and Integrative Health Approaches”. A recording of this symposium can be viewed here.
Osher Director, Dr. Helene Langevin introduced the chronic pain symposium and was recognized for her new role as Director of National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). NCCIH announced Dr. Langevin as their selection for director in August 2018, and she is planned to officially move into her new role as NCCIH Director in November 2018. (Dr. Langevin’s introduction in video: 00:00:00 hrs – 00:05:15 hrs)
Later in the symposium, Osher Research Director, Dr. Peter Wayne, ended the symposium by interviewing two patients. Dr. Wayne asked the patients about their experience with integrative and complementary therapies, with the hopes that the patient’s perspectives would help conference-goers guide their future research objectives in integrative health. The patients also took questions from the audience. (Dr. Wayne’s presentation in video: 08:14:00 hrs -08:49:47 hrs).
This symposium, sponsored by National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, brought leading researchers from multiple disciplines to discuss the science and potential uses of complementary and integrative health approaches in treating chronic pain. The symposium highlighted current concerns regarding the opioid epidemic and the potential roles of complementary and integrative health approaches in addressing this crisis. Three scientific sessions were included. The first discussed the mechanisms of diets and natural products in pain management. The second addressed the mechanisms by which mind and body approaches, such as meditation and acupuncture, modulate pain. The third presented translational strategies for use of complementary approaches for chronic pain management.
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