News & Views
Information for Pain Professionals
Stay on top of the latest integrative health practices and guidelines so you can develop effective and personalized pain care plans for your patients.
Below you’ll find important readings from your contemporaries in the practice of pain management, as well as collective thought leaders, including the CDC, the NIH, and the American Academy of Pain Medicine, to name a few.
For US Healthcare Professionals Only
Developing a Treatment Plan
Read selected articles for professionals who manage pain.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: The Rules
for Opioid Prescribing in 2018
NIH NCCIH: Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative
Health: What’s In a Name?
American Medical Association: Spotlight on Colorado—
Best Practices and Next Steps in the Opioid Epidemic
Practical Pain Management: Common Alternative
Treatments for Chronic Pain
Pain Management Guidelines
American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) Pain Treatment Guidelines
AAPM guidelines are intended as educational tools for healthcare providers and are based on clinical expertise and a review of the relevant literature by diverse groups of highly trained clinicians. This site includes a collection of the most up-to-date guidelines and consensus recommendations, and is updated regularly.
Visit site >CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed these guidelines to improve communication between providers and patients about the risks and benefits of opioid therapy for chronic pain and reduce the risks associated with long-term opioid therapy, including opioid use disorder and overdose.
Download PDF >Practice Guidelines for Chronic Pain Management: An Updated Report by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA)
Practice guidelines developed by an ASA task force to optimize pain control; enhance functional abilities and physical and psychological well-being; enhance patient quality of life; and minimize adverse outcomes.
Visit site >Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the American College of Physicians (ACP)
Using the ACP grading system, the committee based these recommendations on a systematic review of randomized, controlled trials and systematic reviews published through April 2015 on noninvasive pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments for low back pain.
Visit site >US Department of Veterans Affairs: Opioid Taper Decision Tool
A tool to assist primary care providers in determining if an opioid taper is necessary for a specific patient, performing the taper, and follow-up and support during the taper.
Download PDF >Information on Opioid Use and Misuse
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Articles on addressing the current opioid environment with information on getting help, current topics, letters and toolkits, public health efforts, and programs and campaigns.
Visit site >NIH National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
NIDA is the lead federal agency supporting scientific research on drug use and its consequences.
Visit site >American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM): Eight Opioid Prescribing Principles for Clinicians
Helpful tips for physicians prescribing opioids for
chronic pain.
American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM): Tools for Practice
Helpful resources for physicians to assist practicing pain physicians treat their patients with pain.
Visit site >American Medical Association (AMA): Promote Safe Storage and Disposal of Opioids and All Medications
Resource that addresses the risks of prescription opioids and other medications if they are not taken as prescribed, with steps needed to ensure safe storage and disposal of expired, unwanted, or unused medications.
Download PDF >American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP): Chronic Pain Management Toolkit
This toolkit is designed to help family physicians identify gaps in practice flow, standardize evaluation and treatment of chronic pain patients, and facilitate conversations surrounding pain and treatment goals, as well as identify and mitigate risk.
Download PDF >