Originally published September 12 2005
Canadian doctors find meditation helpful treatment for chronic pain
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
According to CTV.ca, Canadian doctors who have studied the effects of pain have presented a study that shows that meditation can be an effective treatment for chronic pain for patients who have had no luck treating pain with prescription or over-the-counter medicines.
She turned to meditation techniques when she found that pain medications were inadequate for some patients, who continued to suffer or had to endure side-effects.
"I've been an expert in pain medications for a long time -- many years -- and what I found was that they only did so much," Gardner-Nix said.
Her method is based on a program created by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn at the Stress Reduction Center at the University of Massachusetts.
Many experts see Kabat-Zinn as a pioneer in the use of medical meditation, and Gardner-Nix studied with him personally.
But while Kabat-Zinn's method is practiced throughout Canada, experts feel there is a lack of data to prove its effectiveness.
Patient Corrine Humphreys experienced chronic pain for over a decade before finding peace through mindfulness meditation.
A car accident and spinal injury left her with nerve damage and unending discomfort.
"I had quit work, I had quit school.
She tried various pain mediations, including morphine and Demerol, but even the highest doses were ineffective.
Out of options, doctors implanted an electrical implant in her spine to control her suffering, but even that was not enough.
"I was very shocked at how well it worked and how fast it worked for me," Humphreys said.
In fact, Gardner-Nix's program was so effective that Humphreys was able to stop using her pain medication "cold turkey."
Dr. Roman Jovey of the Canadian Pain Society is interested in what patients like Humphreys have to say about meditation, and find Gardner-Nix's study promising.
"There are so many people who are suffering with so few resources that anything that has the potential to help patients manage their chronic pain is a good thing," he told CTV News.
Gardner-Nix's program has taught mindfulness meditation to 370 patients.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml