Member May 2025: Alternative Pain Medicine - May Networking Session (On Demand)-Session Recording

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The session, led by Mona Artani and Bruce Hsu, focused on the intersections of alternative medicine, pain management, and lifestyle medicine within the medical community. Mona covered housekeeping details, asking participants to stay muted unless contributing and reminding attendees the session was recorded with the recording made available to members later.<br /><br />Bruce Hsu, chair of the Alternative Medicine Pain Group, discussed the group's networking efforts between past and upcoming Academy meetings. He expressed interest in identifying areas of focus in alternative medicine pain management and solicited topic ideas for presentations at future meetings.<br /><br />Deborah Burnell, a prominent participant, spoke extensively about her practice in York, Pennsylvania, which integrates PM&R with lifestyle medicine approaches such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, and shared medical appointments for chronic pain management. She highlighted her commitment to weaning patients off opioids, aligning with the stance that opioids are suboptimal for chronic pain management.<br /><br />Other participants voiced concerns about balancing patient needs with stringent medical guidelines, highlighting the need for alternative therapies and maintaining patient safety, especially regarding opioid prescriptions. The importance and challenges of incorporating lifestyle medicine into practice were acknowledged, along with interests like exercise, nutrition, and mental well-being.<br /><br />Mona announced opportunities for meetups at the upcoming Academy Assembly, encouraging participants to continue conversations and collaborations. Overall, the session provided a platform for sharing diverse experiences and strategies, fostering community engagement around non-traditional pain management and promoting holistic patient care.

Keywords

alternative medicine

pain management

lifestyle medicine

opioid reduction

chronic pain

acupuncture

herbal medicine

patient safety

holistic care

community engagement