Alternative Therapies
Group visits are an important part of patient engagement and empowerment. These sessions provide patients the opportunity to share experiences and coping strategies with others who know the challenges of living with chronic pain. Perhaps most importantly, patients learn they are not alone. Patients have often described group visits as “life-changing.”
Group visits are held once a month and are balanced with one-on-one visits with a provider who will provide additional guidance to this unique approach.
Each group visit session is led by a patient specialist and will focus on a particular aspect of pain management and/or coping techniques. Topics include:
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Mindfulness practices
- Sleep-improvement strategies
- Working through grief and anger
- Grocery shopping and healthy eating
- Arts and crafts
- Movement and dance
- Expressive writing
- The effects of anxiety, stress, and lack of sleep on pain
We believe in group visits because they work.
Auricular acupuncture, or ear acupuncture, is a diagnostic and treatment therapy based on normalizing the body’s function through stimulation of various points on the ear. The theory is that the entire body and all of its functions are represented by different parts of the ear and that the stimulation of specific areas – through the traditional method of inserting needles or placing needles on the surface of the skin, can provide pain relief to corresponding areas throughout the body.
Chiropractic care can be effective when used in combination with medical treatment such as joint injections. We have relationships with chiropractors in the areas that we serve and are happy to refer patients for treatment.
Yoga is a practice that connects the body, breath, and mind to improve overall health. Yoga is offered during group visits and separate classes. Classes may include simple physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation.
Mindfulness is a type of medication that focuses on being aware of sensations and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment. Mindfulness can be used to calm the body and mind and release pain and tension.
One of the many positive byproducts of practices such as yoga and meditation is enhanced neuroplasticity, which refers to the brain’s ability to change, reorganize pathways, and grow neural networks. Neuroplasticity generally results from stimulation of the brain. It can serve to help shift awareness away from pain to more positive feelings.
Physical therapy can help improve movement and reduce pain.
Massage therapy is another tool to help improve physical and mental health. Treatments generally involve pressing, massaging, and otherwise “working” muscles and connective tissue. Massage therapy can be used to reduce pain through improved circulation and increased relaxation.