Alternative treatment methods improve chronic pain
VA Research News Briefs

Photo: ©iStock/GlobalStock
(07/31/2025)
Minneapolis VA researchers learned complementary and integrative health treatments delivered through both VA and community care benefited Veterans with chronic pain, but differences in effectiveness and implementation existed. VA outperformed community care in pain reduction from acupuncture and chiropractic services, but community care medical massage had better results. Overall, more sessions of all three treatments led to more pain reduction for both VA and community care. Differences in effectiveness may be explained by how services are delivered, according to the researchers. VA Whole Health offers a wide range of services, while community care tends to focus primarily on symptom recovery. The findings demonstrated comprehensive and integrative health treatment can be effective at reducing chronic pain in both VA and community care settings, leaving the patient to determine which approach best meets their needs. (Global Advances in Integrative Medicine and Health, Jul. 8, 2025)