Complementary Health Practices for U.S. Military, Veterans, and Families

 

From the NCCAM Web page

 

Many military personnel and veterans experience chronic pain, a condition that can be debilitating and is often difficult to treat. Post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, depression, and substance use are other conditions that tend to co-occur in these same service members and are also challenging to treat. Opioid medications are often prescribed for chronic pain conditions, but use and misuse of opioids resulting in hospitalizations and death has been on the rise. A study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine examined the prevalence of chronic pain and opioid use among U.S. soldiers following deployment. The researchers found that of the more than 2,500 participants surveyed, 44 percent had chronic pain and 15 percent regularly used opioids—rates much higher than the general population.

Many military, veterans, and their families turn to complementary and integrative health approaches such as mindfulness meditation and other practices in an effort to enhance the options for the management of pain and associated problems. This page provides resources and information on health conditions of special concern to military, veterans, and their families and the complementary and integrative health practices being studied for this population.

PAIN IN THE MILITARY IS OUR FEATURED TOPIC

• Press Release: NIH and VA address pain and related conditions in U.S. military personnel, veterans, and their families: Research will focus on nondrug approaches
• Infographic: Fighting Pain in the U.S. Military, Veterans, and Their Families

For Consumers

General Information

• Message From the Director: Exploring Nondrug Approaches to Managing Pain and Related Conditions in the Military

   (09/25/14)

• NIH and VA address pain and related conditions in U.S. military personnel, veterans, and their families: Research will focus on nondrug approaches

  (09/25/14)
• Chronic Pain and Complementary Health Approaches: What You Need To Know
• Relieving Pain in America: A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education, and Research  (Institute of Medicine)  [444KB PDF]
• The Imperative for Integrative Medicine in the Military: A Personal and System Perspective – Eric Schoomaker, M.D., Ph.D.  (IRCIMH)

Research Spotlights

• Acupuncture May Help Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

  (06/01/07)

Ongoing Medical Studies

• Find Active Medical Research Studies on Military (ClinicalTrials.gov)

Multimedia

• Fighting Pain in the U.S. Military, Veterans, and Their Families

For Health Professionals

General Information

• Lecture: Building Resilience in High Stress Cohorts With Mindfulness Training

  (05/05/14)

Clinical Practice Guideline

• Pain Management Task Force Final Report  (Office of The Army Surgeon General)  [5MB PDF]

Scientific Literature

Military Personnel

• Systematic Reviews/Reviews/Meta-analysis (PubMed®)
• Randomized Controlled Trials (PubMed®)