Complementary Health Approaches for Chronic Pain

Headache

Several dietary supplements, including riboflavin, coenzyme Q10, and the herbs butterbur and feverfew, have been studied for migraine, with some promising results in preliminary studies.

Results of research on mind and body practices such as relaxation training, biofeedback, acupuncture, and spinal manipulation for headaches suggests that these approaches may help relieve headaches and may be helpful for migraines.  

Read more about the research on headaches

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Systematic reviews evaluating complementary modalities for IBS symptoms have concluded that few large, well-designed studies exist, and further research is required to determine whether complementary or integrative health practices are effective for treating IBS.

Read more about the research on irritable bowel syndrome

Low-Back Pain

There’s low- or moderate-quality evidence that a variety of mind and body practices, including acupuncture, electromyography biofeedback, low-level laser therapy, mindfulness-based stress reduction, progressive muscle relaxation, spinal manipulation, tai chi, and yoga, may be helpful for chronic low-back pain.

There’s low-quality evidence that acupuncture, massage therapy, and spinal manipulation may be helpful for acute low-back pain.

Preparations of the herb cayenne, used topically, may help to relieve low-back pain.

Read more about the research on low-back pain

Neck Pain

Available evidence suggests that acupuncture for neck pain may provide better pain relief compared to no treatment. There is some evidence that spinal manipulation may help relieve neck pain, but much of the research has been of low quality. The evidence that massage can relieve neck pain is based on several small studies of poor quality and a 2013 systematic review.

Read more about the research on neck pain

Osteoarthritis

Clinical practice guidelines issued by the American College of Rheumatology strongly recommend aerobic exercise and/or strength training, weight loss (if overweight), tai chi, and a number of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic modalities for treating osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, hip, or hand. The guidelines conditionally recommend balance exercises, yoga, acupuncture, and other nondrug approaches such as self-management programs and walking aids, for managing knee OA. 

Read more about the research on osteoarthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Results from clinical trials suggest that some mind and body practices—such as relaxation, mindfulness meditation, tai chi, and yoga—may be beneficial additions to conventional treatment plans for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but some studies indicate that these practices may do more to improve other aspects of patients’ health than to relieve pain.

Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil may have modest benefits in relieving RA symptoms; however, omega-3s do not prevent ongoing joint damage or modify disease course. No other dietary supplement has shown clear benefits for RA, but there is preliminary evidence for a few, particularly fish oil, gamma-linolenic acid, and the herb thunder god vine. Serious safety concerns have been raised about thunder god vine.

Read more about the research on rheumatoid arthritis

Cancer Pain

Clinical guidelines issued by the Society for Integrative Oncology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in 2022 found intermediate level of evidence (with moderate strength) to recommend that acupuncture, reflexology, acupressure, hypnosis, or massage may help relieve pain in people with cancer. 

The quality of evidence for other mind and body interventions or natural products for pain in people with cancer is either low or inconclusive. 

Read more about the research on cancer pain