Editing Pain (section)

===Alternative medicine===
An analysis of the 13 highest quality studies of pain treatment with [[acupuncture]], published in January 2009, concluded there was little difference in the effect of real, fake and no acupuncture.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Madsen MV, Gøtzsche PC, Hróbjartsson A | title = Acupuncture treatment for pain: systematic review of randomised clinical trials with acupuncture, placebo acupuncture, and no acupuncture groups | journal = BMJ | volume = 338 | pages = a3115 | date = January 2009 | pmid = 19174438 | pmc = 2769056 | doi = 10.1136/bmj.a3115 }}</ref> However, more recent reviews have found some benefit.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Chiu HY, Hsieh YJ, Tsai PS | title = Systematic review and meta-analysis of acupuncture to reduce cancer-related pain | journal = European Journal of Cancer Care | volume = 26 | issue = 2 | pages = e12457 | date = March 2017 | pmid = 26853524 | doi = 10.1111/ecc.12457 | s2cid = 20096639 | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Chang SC, Hsu CH, Hsu CK, Yang SS, Chang SJ | title = The efficacy of acupuncture in managing patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome: A systemic review and meta-analysis | journal = Neurourology and Urodynamics | volume = 36 | issue = 2 | pages = 474–481 | date = February 2017 | pmid = 26741647 | doi = 10.1002/nau.22958 | s2cid = 46827576 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Ji M, Wang X, Chen M, Shen Y, Zhang X, Yang J | title = The Efficacy of Acupuncture for the Treatment of Sciatica: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis | journal = Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine | volume = 2015 | pages = 192808 | date = 2015 | pmid = 26425130 | pmc = 4575738 | doi = 10.1155/2015/192808 | doi-access = free }}</ref>

Additionally, there is tentative evidence for a few herbal medicines.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Gagnier JJ, Oltean H, van Tulder MW, Berman BM, Bombardier C, Robbins CB | title = Herbal Medicine for Low Back Pain: A Cochrane Review | journal = Spine | volume = 41 | issue = 2 | pages = 116–133 | date = January 2016 | pmid = 26630428 | doi = 10.1097/BRS.0000000000001310 }}</ref>

For chronic (long-term) [[Low back pain|lower back pain]], [[spinal manipulation]] produces tiny, [[Clinical significance|clinically insignificant]], short-term improvements in pain and function, compared with [[sham therapy]] and other interventions.<ref name="Rubinstein CD008880">{{cite journal | vauthors = Rubinstein SM, Terwee CB, Assendelft WJ, de Boer MR, van Tulder MW | title = Spinal manipulative therapy for acute low-back pain | journal = The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews | issue = 9 | pages = CD008880 | date = September 2012 | volume = 2012 | pmid = 22972127 | pmc = 6885055 | doi = 10.1002/14651858.CD008880.pub2 }}</ref> Spinal manipulation produces the same outcome as other treatments, such as general practitioner care, pain-relief drugs, physical therapy, and exercise, for acute (short-term) lower back pain.<ref name="Rubinstein CD008880"/>

There has been some interest in the relationship between [[vitamin D]] and pain, but the evidence so far from [[Clinical trial|controlled trials]] for such a relationship, other than in [[osteomalacia]], is inconclusive.<ref name= Straube>{{cite journal | vauthors = Straube S, Andrew Moore R, Derry S, McQuay HJ | title = Vitamin D and chronic pain | journal = Pain | volume = 141 | issue = 1–2 | pages = 10–13 | date = January 2009 | pmid = 19084336 | doi = 10.1016/j.pain.2008.11.010 | s2cid = 17244398 }}</ref>

The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) says that due to a lack of evidence from high quality research, it does not endorse the general use of cannabinoids to treat pain.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2024-05-10|language=en|publisher=iasp-pain|title=IASP Position Statement on the Use of Cannabinoids to Treat Pain|url=https://www.iasp-pain.org/publications/iasp-news/iasp-position-statement-on-the-use-of-cannabinoids-to-treat-pain/|archive-date=10 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240510095147/https://www.iasp-pain.org/publications/iasp-news/iasp-position-statement-on-the-use-of-cannabinoids-to-treat-pain/|url-status=live}}</ref>