Meditation and mindfulness can help reduce the need for opioids for people with chronic pain. More than half the participants in a New York study said that mindful breathing helped them manage their chronic pain...
Pain intensity for fibromyalgia patients showed 41pc drop with acupuncture and the benefits were still being felt a year later.
Fibromyalgia affects one in 20 people who suffer chronic widespread pain, fatigue and disordered sleep.
Nine in 10 of these people try some form of complementary therapy.
The latest study has found that nine weekly sessions of individually tailored acupuncture cut the pain intensity, improved function and quality of life.
A form of touch therapy has helped reduce pain and nausea in cancer patients.
After a single treatment session the patients reported significant improvements in the side effects from their cancer treatment.
Opera and classical music may help to reduce the rejection of newly transplanted organs by influencing the immune system.
Scientists have already found that listening to music can reduce anxiety after heart attack and reduce pain and nausea during bone marrow transplantation.
Yoga is effective for treating depression, anxiety, high blood pressure and heart disease according to researchers at three top US medical schools.
Their findings could be used to develop specific mind-body programmes for the prevention and treatment of these conditions, they say, in conjunction with standard treatments.