Announcements Two New Director's Messages From the Desk of Helene M. Langevin, M.D.  A few months ago in a directorâs message, I talked about an important new National Institutes of Health (NIH) initiative, Communities Advancing Research Equity for Health⢠(CARE for Healthâ¢), spearheaded by the director of NIH, Monica M. Bertagnolli, M.D. This exciting program will bring clinical research opportunities to primary care settings. Today, Iâm excited to share that the first round of grants has been awarded, and the work of delivering on the vision of the program has officially begun.  |
It was a privilege to attend and present at the recent IASP 2024 World Congress on PainLink to External Link Policy. The meeting convened leading researchers from around the world to discuss the latest scientific developments, ideas, and perspectives on how to drive meaningful improvements in pain prevention and treatment. During my plenary presentation, I reflected on current gaps and opportunities in the pain research field. While we have made significant progress in putting together many pieces of the pain puzzle, the task is far from finished. Some parts of the puzzle are not connected as well as they could be, and others may be missing altogether. For example, we need to understand how to promote the bodyâs innate abilities to resolve pain using a whole person approach, in addition to developing new and better analgesics.   The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), seeks an accomplished, innovative scientist to serve as scientific director of the Division of Intramural Research (DIR). The scientific director will lead a vibrant basic, translational, and clinical research program focused on the mechanisms and management of pain. The scientific director reports to the director, NCCIH, and will serve as a member of the NCCIH senior leadership team. The application deadline is December 6, 2024.  |
September 26, 2024
Wendy J. Weber, N.D., Ph.D., M.P.H.
Alex H. Tuttle, Ph.D.
Pete Murray, Ph.D. Are you interested in taking advantage of funding opportunities from the Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative®, to conduct research that may improve pain treatment options? The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) is delighted to collaborate with the NIH HEAL Initiative to highlight the following open funding opportunities from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to speed the development and implementation of scientific solutions to the national opioid public health crisis.    September 2024 Clinical Digest Yoga may help relieve low-back pain and neck pain, headache, arthritis, and fibromyalgia although the amount and quality of evidence varies for each condition. According to a national survey, the percentage of U.S. adults who practiced yoga increased from 5.0 percent in 2002 to 15.8 percent in 2022. Although most of the adults surveyed who practiced yoga reported doing so for wellness-related reasons, many said they practiced yoga to treat a specific health condition, including pain. This issue of the digest provides a summary of available research on yoga for pain, including fibromyalgia, low-back pain, neck pain, headaches, and arthritis.  |
 According to a new study, not only does mindfulness meditation reduce pain more than a placebo, but it also uses different neural patterns when reducing pain, indicating that it is not acting through the placebo effect. Published in Biological Psychiatry, the study was funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health and conducted by researchers from the University of California San Diego and Dartmouth College.  |
 In a study of veterans with moderate-to-severe chronic pain, 8-week virtual group or self-paced mindfulness-based interventions were more helpful than usual care in improving pain-related function. This study, which was part of the Pain Management Collaboratory (PMC), a large-scale effort to assess nondrug treatments for pain in the military and veteransâ health care systems, was supported by the PMC Coordinating Center, which is funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health and published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.  |
 An analysis of national survey data on new prescription opioid use suggests that opioids are sometimes being used as a first-line or early resort treatment for pain, contrary to best practices. The study was conducted by researchers from the Mayo Clinic and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health and was recently published in The Journal of Pain. |
Resources for Researchers Diversity Resources  Upcoming Events Save the Date: NCCIH 25th Anniversary Symposium The NCCIH 25th Anniversary Symposium will take place on December 2, 2024. Mark your calendars to attend this event which will feature the annual Stephen E. Straus Distinguished Lecture in the Science of Complementary Therapies by Patricia M. Herman, N.D., Ph.D. Details will be shared soon. |
