Chronic pain is a challenging problem for patients, as well as providers, due to factors that often coincide with it, such as difficulty sleeping, obesity and PTSD.
Clinicians who are well-versed in integrative approaches to healthcare have found multi-modal, and, often nonpharmacological, alternative strategies that help reduce chronic pain and the other issues that go along with it.
Karen Seal, MD, MPH, talked with the Pain Management Collaboratory about integrated and integrative approaches to patient care, and what it means to take an integrative approach to pain management.
In the following video series and Q&A, Dr. Seal explains the VA’s Whole Health model, its components, and its benefits. Dr. Seal also shares what the model does for patient care and pain management, as well as discusses using mind-body approaches to meet the unique, multi-dimensional needs of veterans with chronic pain.