{"id":7322,"date":"2015-11-16T05:10:58","date_gmt":"2015-11-16T11:10:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/?p=7322"},"modified":"2022-03-21T15:26:30","modified_gmt":"2022-03-21T20:26:30","slug":"a-baffling-mystery-treating-pain-and-depression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wholehealthchicago.com\/blog\/2015\/11\/16\/a-baffling-mystery-treating-pain-and-depression","title":{"rendered":"A Baffling Mystery: Treating Pain and Depression"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We definitely treat a lot of patients with chronic pain and chronic depression at WholeHealth Chicago. I could list the potential sources of all this pain, all this depression<\/a>, but why bother? If pain or depression melt away your joie de vivre,<\/em> we try to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depending on personal preferences, we offer a variety of treatment combinations<\/a>: prescription medication if needed, along with complementary therapies such as chiropractic, massage, mind-body therapy, acupuncture, Healing Touch, homeopathy, herbs, psychotherapy, and so forth. We\u2019re no fans of the take-a-pill-for-every-ill philosophy so prevalent in medicine today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myself<\/a>, along with Drs. Kelley and Donigan at WholeHealth Chicago are the ones with access to prescription pads, and we all keep abreast of the newer medications as they\u2019re tested, approved by the FDA, and released to the general public. Whether or not an insurer will foot the bill is another issue altogether. These days it seems we need to get prior approval for even the least expensive generics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Random clinical trials<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Like all new drugs, pain meds (called analgesics) and antidepressants are clinically tested by random clinical trials (RCTs), in which a large group of patients with a common condition (such pain or major depressive disorder) are divided into two groups. One group receives the actual drug being tested and the other a placebo, or sugar pill. Even investigators don\u2019t know who gets what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a few weeks, patients report what they\u2019ve experienced, and then everybody switches pills, again anonymously, so someone who unknowingly received the placebo now gets the actual med and vice versa. Again, after a few weeks they report the effects: positive (feeling better), negative (side effects), or nothing at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The whole process is called a randomized placebo-controlled crossover clinical trial and there are literally thousands of these studies being performed around the world. Generally, they\u2019re subsidized by Big Pharma, mightily praying that its drug is a winner. If so, the FDA gives a thumbs up and the profits pour in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With some RCTs, though, there\u2019s no financial gain for anyone. These trials mainly test techniques (\u201cDoes acupuncture help back pain?\u201d) or natural products (\u201cDoes ginger help nausea?\u201d) and are supported by medical schools or even by interested physicians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A strange turn of events<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In recent years, two very interesting phenomena about RCTs have emerged, leaving investigators utterly flummoxed. Ready for this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n