Fish oils for pain relief

The Facts:

* 250 patients took a supplement containing omega-3 essential fatty acids (a fish oil preparation) for back or neck pain.

* Around 60% of the patients (who responded to a questionnaire) said their pain had decreased, and over 80% said they would continue with the supplement.

* Fish oil appears to be a safe alternative to traditional painkillers, although further work is needed.

Shaun’s comment: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen are routinely used to treat back and neck pain but can cause unwanted side effects. These results show that fish oil supplements may be of benefit as a pain reliever.

Before we rush out to buy some, we do need more research of this potential benefit – only half the patients who took part in the study responded to the questionnaire and it is impossible to tell what the remaining patients thought of the treatment.

Study Reference:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.surneu.2005.10.023

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.surneu.2005.10.023

Musical Therapy for Chronic Pain

The Facts:

* Music has been shown to be effective in pain associated with operations and cancer.

* This small study looked at whether music helped patients with chronic pain conditions.

* The group assigned to music therapy had less pain, depression and disability than the control group who did not have the music intervention.

Shaun’s comment: Having worked in a chronic pain clinic, I have seen at first hand how tricky it is to help patients with chronic pain conditions. Music has been used throughout history as a form of healing, with records dating all the way back to ancient Greece. These results are promising and, given the side effects of pain medications, it would be worth finding out more about this form of therapy if you suffer from chronic pain.

Study Reference:

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2006.03860.x