Calmare Therapeutics Inc (fka CTTC)

[powderbum]

FDA May Be Coming Around.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/879979

Now the FDA is proposing an expansion of that educational mandate for opioid makers — to teach physicians how to manage pain with yoga, cognitive therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic, and other nonpharmacologic methods.

Another section states that nonpharmacologic therapies can play an important role in managing pain, especially when it's musculoskeletal or chronic. They include psychological approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, physical therapy, surgery, and complementary treatments such as acupuncture and chiropractic. Clinicians "should be knowledgeable" about when they might be helpful.
The proposal for a more eclectic blueprint makes sense to Bob Twillman, PhD, executive director of the Academy of Integrative Pain Management, formerly known as the American Academy of Pain Management. "We say pain is a biopsychosocial experience," Dr Twillman told Medscape Medical News.
The tight focus on opioids in the first version reminded him of the adage, "If your only tool is a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail."
"They felt the hammer of opioids was the only thing they had," said Dr Twillman.

Will the average physician buy into yoga or chiropractic as a solution for his or her patient's pain? "If we're successful in showing them good enough evidence that it's just as effective [as medication], they will," answered Dr Twillman.
The alternative therapies that enjoy the most scientific evidence are yoga and mindfulness, noted ASAM's Dr Waller. Such approaches "need to move out of alternative medicine and into normal…treatments."
Dr Waller said that alternative pain therapies will catch on more with physicians than with patients, many of whom are likely to dismiss them as "voodoo" and too slow-working to boot. "American culture doesn't allow for delayed gratification," he said.
Both Dr Waller and Dr Twillman lament the widespread lack of third-party reimbursement of nonpharmacologic treatment of pain, which many patients can't afford on their own dime. "We have to go beyond education and get into advocacy to get these things covered," said Dr Twillman. Right now, telling people to treat their pain without drugs is like telling them to "pet a unicorn."

"The Voluntary Approach Is Not Enough"

The FDA is seeking public comment on its revisions to the opioid education blueprint and the wider discussion of pain management. The deadline to submit comments is July 10. Instructions on how to submit them appear on the website of the Federal Register.