09-17-2023 GAR - Flipbook - Page 9
A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Sunday, September 17, 2023
Pain Management
continued from previous page
“Pain signals are like an alarm. With
chronic pain, that alarm just keeps
ramping up the nervous system and it
doesn’t
doesn’ shut down. Physical therapy
helps tell your brain ‘hey, it’s OK, it’s
safe’, and calms that signal down.”
Mace uses graded-exposure with
patients experiencing chronic pain,
starting with visualization, then moving to supported movement, and then
independent movement. This slow approach is key for those experiencing
chronic pain because it builds confidence and allows patients to make
steady,
steady comfortable progress.
Acupuncture is another pain management option and can be effective
for many types of pain from migraines
to joint pain, chronic and acute injuries, and more. Acupuncture has been
practiced for thousands of years, and
although it has demonstrated results,
the science is still unclear on exactly
how it works.
“Research is showing pretty abundantly now that it does work, but it
doesn’ really have a good explanadoesn’t
tion for exactly how,” says Jennum
O’Hara, DOM, L.Ac., doctor of East
Asian medicine at Jennum O’Hara
Acupuncture. “What I usually tell
people, as a broad oversimplification,
is that the needles create these little
micro traumas that send signals to
our system to say, ‘send healing.’”
Helping the body relax is also a big
part of how and why acupuncture
works, according to O’Hara. Pain
activates the “fight or flight” systems
in our brains, as can daily stress from
emails, meetings, children and family
life.
“Acupuncture helps stimulate the
parasympathetic nervous system,
or our rest and digest system,” says
O’Hara. “Then our body can do
things like heal and repair tissues that
have been damaged. It helps our body
heal itself.”
Acupuncture has also been used to
help people recover from addiction.
“There’s a common five needle protocol on the ear that is used to help
Photos above: Adobe stock
people detox,” says O’Hara, adding
that the treatment is often used in conjunction with mental health therapies
to address all aspects of the addiction.
Interest in cannabis for pain management is also growing. Federally,
cannabis is considered a schedule 1
drug, making large scale clinical trials
difficult, however, a study published
in the June 2017 issue of Cannabis
and Cannabinoid Research states,
“Cannabis can be an effective treatment for pain, greatly reduces the
chance of dependence, and eliminates
the risk of fatal overdose compared
to opioid-based medications. Medical
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cannabis patients report that cannabis
is just as effective, if not more, than
opioid-based medications for pain.”
The active compounds in cannabis,
such as THC and CBD, are known as
cannabinoids.
“THC is particularly effective at
blocking pain signals,” says Laura Barrett-Nutting, M.B.A., B.S.N.,
R.N., a cannabis clinical director and
educator who counsels patients and
health care providers on cannabis use
at Ask Nurse Laura, RN. “However,
because it is considered a schedule 1
drug, it is still illegal to write a prescription for cannabis. So, for many
patients, it is a treatment of last resort
even though it can be so beneficial.”
She added that THC has been shown
to increase the effectiveness of opioids, meaning patients could take a
lower opioid dose and wean off the
medication faster, which could reduce
the risk of addiction.
Cannabis use is complex, and understanding among medical providers is only starting to catch up. This
means that adults looking to use cannabis for medical reasons are often
left to explore options themselves,
which can be daunting.
Barrett-Nutting advises people
looking to use cannabis for pain management or other medical reasons to
consult with someone who has the
expertise to help them achieve their
goals safely and effectively, and not to
rely solely on the advice of a dispensary staff person.
While she is clear that cannabis is
not right for everyone, Barrett-Nutting does see a place for cannabis in
the overall landscape of pain management choices, especially for patients
who want to avoid opioids.
“It’s not just people who have pain
and are worried about a risk for addiction. We have people who have
gotten off of opioids, who are no longer addicted, and are afraid to go to
the hospital,” said Barrett-Nutting.
“They’re afraid to have a procedure,
because if they do, they’re only going
to put back on those medications.”
