Meditation for Pain

The Stanford SCOPE blog recently had a few articles on chronic pain. Read them here and here.  The post on meditation for chronic pain links back to an LA Times article. One of the most frustrating and challenging conditions for patients and physicians alike is chronic pain. [picapp align=”left” wrap=”false” link=”term=meditation&iid=267892″ src=”0264/e6bfd465-fe46-4931-a2e4-387e2364d57e.jpg?adImageId=7703338&imageId=267892″ width=”234″ height=”351″ /]I do speak with patients about mindfulness, meditation and yoga (which incorporates the first two) and often refer them to behavioral medicine chronic pain programs which teach these skills. Meditation is not a drug, supplement or procedure, it’s inexpensive and requires only an open mind. Resources for meditation include your public library, where there are often books on tape/CD and now many libraries have electronic downloads. My only advice is that when choosing guided audio meditation you may have to try a few styles. Nothing is worse than an irritating voice leading your meditation! Good luck and I hope to hear your mindfulness tips.