Computerized Mindfulness-Based Interventions Effective For Patients With Chronic Pain
SAN FRANCISCO, April 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite over 100 million Americans suffering from chronic pain, and medical costs associated with chronic pain climbing beyond $600 billion dollars per year, the penetration of low-cost mindfulness therapies into chronic pain populations has been limited. A false preconception among health care providers is that patients with chronic pain are only interested in opiate therapy, which can be accompanied by significant side effects, increased pain sensitivity and even death.
Fortunately, surveys after participation in brief computerized mindfulness-based interventions (CMBI) in chronic pain populations indicate high acceptance rates and interest in increased use of these therapies.
Presented over the weekend at the American Society of Interventional Pain Physician (ASIPP) annual conference by Dr. William Longton M.D. (former Stanford faculty), his research study involving 225 patients with chronic pain indicates that patients with chronic pain are very likely to use a doctor prescribed CMBI therapy, as they believe that it may help them reduce the need for prescription medications. There was a modest correlation between the willingness to follow the doctor's recommendation and increased age. Other key indicators of the study are:
- The CDC (Center for Disease Control & Prevention) is advising doctors to pursue all treatment modalities possible before starting opiates
- Most patients with chronic pain do not only want pills
- Patients with chronic pain want to try mindfulness for their pain, if endorsed and prescribed by their doctor
- Brief mindfulness interventions resulted in pain relief for patients with chronic pain requiring opiates
- Computerized mindfulness-based interventions such as WellBrain which can be easily accessed and utilized have a high interest rate among patients with chronic pain.
"More people than ever are learning about the healing properties of mindfulness," says Sean Fargo, Chief Zen Officer for WellBrain.io. "People are recovering from a variety of medical conditions with prescribed mindfulness exercises, and they're doing so on an increasing basis. This presents a new opportunity for healthcare clinics and hospitals to treat their patients without the risk of over-prescribing harmful opiates."
How Doctors Prescribe Mindfulness
The world's first provider of computerized mindfulness-based therapies, WellBrain, was founded in 2014 by Harvard, Stanford and Mayo Clinic trained pain doctors who wanted to try something different. Partnering with a former Buddhist monk of 2 years, WellBrain developed a personalized mindfulness meditation program for the doctor's office.
Doctors and their staff receive a preloaded iPad with patented software that guides doctors and patients through HIPAA certified sections, including
- Personalized mindfulness-based prescriptions based on brain health using machine-learning algorithms
- Mindfulness 101 training with instant real-time neurofeedback to help guide patients back into a meditative state (based on a proprietary algorithm developed in conjunction with Buddhist monks)
- A social community area for patients to give and receive support
- Milestone contests and badges
- Biofeedback compatibility (Heart Rate Variability, EEG)
As a valuable asset in assessing and treating chronic pain, doctors and staff will also have the ability to perform state-mandated psychological tests (examples: GAD-7 for anxiety, ORT for opiate risk assessment).
Program details and a request for proposal are available free of charge at http://www.WellBrain.io.
About WellBrain
WellBrain (WellBrain.io) is a physician created and managed company that cares about patient outcomes. Their team has incomparable expertise and experience in the industry. The doctors are Harvard, Stanford, and Mayo Clinic trained, all who completed accredited fellowships and are board certified in Pain Medicine. They have worked in clinics around the world trying to make people healthier, with over 50 years of collective experience of best practices.
Good will promotes good business. WellBrain's mission supports spreading the use of mindfulness for chronic illnesses across the country and across the world. So they donate new WellBrain "mindfulness stations" for use in disadvantaged community clinics, in unique centers such as monasteries and correctional facilities, and to other charities around the world.
Email them at [email protected]
SOURCE WellBrain
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