Balance at the Workshop on Chronic Pain was Complementary!

Again, Charalambos Kesta, Medical Content Producer / Director of the documentary series on chronic pain which hosted the workshop this past weekend, brought together an impressive array of presenters -- integrating medical doctors and adjunct medical providers (such as myself) with a wide array of 'complementary' practitioners.  The website for his project is wwwhead2toe.tv [1]. Some of the providers are allopathic in their training and now are also thinking outside that box. 

One of them was Frank Lucindo, MD, who spoke about 'Medical Cannabis and Chronic Pain' and gave quite an interesting and informative presentation.  His website is www.medicalboardwatch.com [2], and his handout included the resource 'O'Shaughnessy's, 'The Journal of Cannabis in Clinical Practice.'  Dr. Lucindo has co-authored an article in the journal titled 'Implementation of the Compassionate Use Act In a Family Medicine Practice,' which describes his own approach as a practitioner.  He hopes to inform the public of what to expect in a medical cannabis consult, as he described in his presentation some practices are not requiring the medical documentation and consultation expertise he believes is beneficial in proper treatment.  He clearly was passionate about this subject and it likely is because 'one bad apple can spoil the whole batch': he is concerned about the future of this important area of pain treatment.  Generally, the public is aware of THC in cannabis, which is what makes people 'stoned', but there is also a beneficial chemical, CBD, which does not have that effect.  There are sprays that are 50/50 mix and are used sublingually, for instance.  There are many laws at the local and national level regarding the use of all of these things which makes it difficult to report about, but hopefully this gave you enough information to get started looking into it if you are interested.  

From the Acupressure Institue (of Berkeley), Sung Kim, L. Ac., Herbalist, Joseph Carter, L. Ac., and Tiffany Millerbis, CMT presented on acupuncture, acupressure, and guided imagery, respectively.  Their website is www.acupressureinstitute.com [3].  In Oriental medicine, pain is caused by 'chi' and blood not being able to flow appropriately, and acupuncture removes the impediment to healing.  In Sung Kim's demonstration, he said he looks a the body like a bathtub that needs to be cleaned -- you start with the worst spot in the first treatment.  Repetition in the treatments is needed for best effect.  Joe Carter's handout has a nice display of "Four Gates of Pain -- 'Gate Theory' or 'Counter Irritant'", which includes points in the hand, foot, ear and chest where acupressure can be applied to benefit with pain relief.  Humorously, Joe said 'and I suggest people use three fingers on the breastbone because then one of them will be in the right place' (where the 4th rib meets the sternum).  Good, practical advise! 

Christopher Zdenek III, Ergonomics Specialist - Soma Ergonomics, Inc. did a nice presenation about posture, ergonomics and their role in pain management which is certainly something worth everyone with chronic pain looking into -- I took my 7# gel cushion with me, which unfortunately was a difficulty for the NTSA staff at the airport but worth the time to be comfortable when I got there!  (I'm still amazed at the length of time and the dedication of the chronic pain patients who were in attendace for the duration of the workshop!  Some on mats on the floor up front, which was a novel and inviting concept for a seminar for this population.  I noticed that many of us were standing a lot too, which was great to have the space to do.)

Someone specified the difference between 'complementary' and 'alternative' medicine -- complementary is when non allopathic techniques are used in conjunction with allopathic medicine.  This clearly was the theme and commonality of the worshop.  Giving a wonderful presentation about mindfullness was Kevin Barrows, MD, Integrative Medicine Physician and Associate Clinical Professor at UCSF School of Medicine. Dr. Barrows’ primary interest is mind-body medicine, with a special focus on the application of mindfulness practice in health care settings. He has been practicing mindfulness since 1991 and is the founding Director of Mindfulness Programs at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine.  He spoke about "The Role of Integrative Medicine in Chronic Pain Management".  Integrative Medicine has much to offer in chronic pain management by addressing the physical, psychological and spiritual aspects of pain. Integrative medicine uses multiple modalities (such as traditional Chinese medicine, mindfulness meditation, botanical medicines, somatic therapies, hypnosis, etc.) to reduce pain, improve coping, and reduce side effects of conventional medical and surgical therapies.

Next I'll report about what PT can do in treatment with chronic pain patients, it's a topic separate unto itself! Hopefully this has been a helpful overview for you about the complementary medicine providers' speaking at the workshop.