Using Complementary and Alternative Medicine to Reduce the Use of Opioid Pain Medication

Pain is something that everyone experiences at some point in his or her life. Chronic pain is classified as pain that persists for three months or longer. It can have devastating effects on a patient's life. This type of pain is typically managed by opioid-based medication. The increased use of opioid pain medication has led to high rates of abuse and overdoses in the U.S. The purpose of this project is to examine the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as a way of pain control to reduce the need for opioid medication. Three research studies were examined for this project. The studies all found that with consistent use of CAM therapies, patients were able to reduce their dosage of opioid-based pain medication, some even discontinuing use completely. Patients also persistently reported a higher quality of life after using CAM therapies versus taking pain medication regularly.