Chronic pain is a term given to a variety of conditions that cause frequent, continuous pain lasting several months or longer, including arthritis, headaches, fibromyalgia, back/neck/shoulder pain, face/jaw/tooth pain, and knee pain. While most chronic pain sufferers have traditionally taken prescription drugs or over-the-counter medications to ease their suffering ( all of which have moderate to serious side effects), studies show that increasing numbers of people are turning to more natural, less invasive and less harmful methods of pain relief.
Although numerous surveys have been conducted to determine the average person’s experience with chronic pain, few have examined how trained pain specialists feel about the use of complementary therapies for pain relief. A study recently published in the journal Pain has shown that 70% of the specialists surveyed either used acupuncture in their practice, or referred their patients to an acupuncturist, and felt that acupuncture was a “legitimate” method of pain relief.