Non-pharmaceutical method of managing pain
A method of managing pain provides sensory stimuli to a person. The sensor stimuli include visual and/or auditory stimuli which are pulsed at the rate of various types of brain waves. The method is applicable for treating nociceptive or neuropathic pain and/or for improving the person's tolerance for pain. Treatment is provided for approximately 15 minutes using a portable headset.
1. A method of managing pain, said method comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a sensory stimulus to a person, wherein:
said sensory stimulus includes one or more of a visual stimuli and an auditory stimuli; and
said sensory stimulus includes alternating between
a first sensory stimuli including providing simultaneously a first visual stimuli pattern to an eye on a first side of a head of the person and a first auditory stimuli pattern to an ear on a second side of the head, and
a second sensory stimuli including providing simultaneously a second visual stimuli pattern to an eye on the second side of the head and second auditory stimuli pattern to an ear on the first side of the head.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pain includes a nociceptive pain.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said nociceptive pain is pain caused by one or more of a fracture, a severe injury, a nonmigraine headache, a dental pain, a burn, post-surgery recovery, and osteoarthritis.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pain includes a neuropathic pain.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein said neuropathic pain is pain caused by fibromyalgia, diabetic neuropathy, post herpetic neuralgia, radiculopathy, phantom limb, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, and traumatic brain injury.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said pain is a chronic pain.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein administering the therapeutically effective amount of the sensory stimulus to the person reduces the person's perception of pain.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said person's perception of pain is less than one third of the person's perception of pain in comparison to administering visual and auditory sensory deprivation for an amount of time equal to that of administering the therapeutically effective amount of the sensory stimulus to the person.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein administering the therapeutically effective amount of the sensory stimulus to the person improves the person's tolerance for pain.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said visual stimuli includes an amplitude modulated light source.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein one of said one or more visual stimuli includes a sinusoidally varying light source.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein one of said one or more said auditory stimuli includes an amplitude modulated audio frequency.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
said sensory stimulus includes two or more sensory stimuli patterns including a first stimuli pattern that is different than a second stimuli pattern;
said first stimuli pattern includes a sinusoidal component that is between 3.75 Hz and 4.25 Hz, is between 1.25 Hz and 1.75 Hz, or is between 0.25 Hz and 0.75 Hz; and
said second stimuli pattern includes a sinusoidal component that is between 3.75 Hz and 4.25 Hz, is between 1.25 Hz and 1.75 Hz, or is between 0.25 Hz and 0.75 Hz.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein said two or more stimuli patterns includes a third stimuli pattern that is different than said first stimuli pattern and said second stimuli pattern.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein:
said first stimuli pattern includes a sinusoidal component that is between 3.75 Hz and 4.25 Hz, is between 1.25 Hz and 1.75 Hz, or is between 0.25 Hz and 0.75 Hz;
said second stimuli pattern includes a sinusoidal component that is between 3.75 Hz and 4.25 Hz, is between 1.25 Hz and 1.75 Hz, or is between 0.25 Hz and 0.75 Hz; and
said third stimuli pattern includes a sinusoidal component that is between 3.75 Hz and 4.25 Hz, is between 1.25 Hz and 1.75 Hz, or is between 0.25 Hz and 0.75 Hz.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein said sensory stimulus alternates between
the first sensory stimuli including simultaneously providing a left visual stimuli pattern to a left eye of the person and a right auditory stimuli pattern to a right side of the head, and
a second sensory stimuli including simultaneously providing a right visual stimuli pattern to a right eye of the person and a left auditory stimuli pattern to a left side of the head of the person,
wherein one or more of the left auditory stimuli pattern or the right auditory stimuli pattern comprises a sequence of stimuli patterns including the first stimuli pattern, the second stimuli pattern, and a third stimuli pattern.
17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
periodically providing a sensory stimuli including simultaneously providing the left visual stimuli pattern to the left eye of the person, the right visual stimuli pattern to the right eye of the person, the left auditory stimuli pattern to the left side of the head, and the right auditory stimuli pattern to the right side of the head of the person.
18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
alternating sensory stimuli between
a third sensory stimuli including simultaneously providing the left visual stimuli pattern to the left eye of the person and the left auditory stimuli pattern to the left side of the head, and
a fourth sensory stimuli including simultaneously providing the right visual stimuli pattern to the right eye of the person and the right auditory stimuli pattern to the right side of a head of the person.
19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
alternating sensory stimuli between
a fifth sensory stimuli including simultaneously providing the left auditory stimuli pattern to the left side of the head and the right auditory stimuli pattern to the right side of the head, and
a sixth sensory stimuli including simultaneously providing the left visual stimuli pattern to the left eye of the person and the right visual stimuli pattern to the right eye of the person.
20. The method of claim 16 , wherein the left auditory stimuli pattern comprises generating the left auditory stimuli pattern with a left speaker, and wherein generating the right auditory stimuli pattern comprises generating the right auditory stimuli pattern with a right speaker.
21. The method of claim 16 , wherein the left auditory stimuli pattern comprises generating the left auditory stimuli pattern with a left bone conduction transducer of the headset, and wherein the right auditory stimuli pattern comprises generating the right auditory stimuli pattern with a right bone conduction transducer of a headset.
22. The method of claim 16 , wherein one or more of the left or right auditory stimuli pattern includes an auditory frequency of from 240 Hz to 480 Hz.
23. The method of claim 16 , wherein:
said two or more stimuli patterns include a first stimuli pattern having a first pulse frequency and a second stimuli pattern having a second pulse frequency; and
one or more of the left visual stimuli pattern or right visual stimuli pattern comprises repeatedly pulsing a light at one or more of the first pulse frequency, the second pulse frequency where the second pulse frequency is less than the first pulse frequency, and a third pulse frequency, where the third pulse frequency is less than the first and second pulse frequencies.
24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the first pulse frequency is between 3.75 Hz and 4.25 Hz, the second pulse frequency is between 1.25 Hz and 1.75 Hz, and the third pulse frequency is between 0.25 Hz and 0.75 Hz.
25. The method of claim 16 , wherein repeatedly pulsing the light comprises pulsing the light for a predetermined time interval.
26. The method of claim 25 , wherein the predetermined time interval is 25-45 seconds.
27. The method of claim 16 , wherein the sequence of stimuli patterns each have a pulse frequency having a pulse period, where a portion of the pulse period includes a stimulus of an auditory frequency of from 240 Hz to 480 Hz.
28. The method of claim 17 , wherein said portion of said pulse period is one half of the pulse period.
29. The method of claim 16 , wherein said first stimuli pattern, said second stimuli pattern, or said third stimuli pattern stimulates for a predetermined time interval.
30. The method of claim 29 , wherein the predetermined time interval is 25-35 seconds.
31. The method of claim 30 , wherein the predetermined time interval is 30 seconds.
32. A method of managing pain, said method comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a sensory stimulus to a person, said method comprising:
providing a headset to be worn by the person; and
administering, with the headset, the therapeutically effective amount of a sensory stimulus to the person, wherein said sensory stimulus includes one or more of a visual stimuli and an auditory stimuli and includes alternating between
a first sensory stimuli including providing simultaneously a first visual stimuli pattern to an eye on a first side of a head of the person and a first auditory stimuli pattern to an ear on a second side of the head, and
a second sensory stimuli including providing simultaneously a second visual stimuli pattern to an eye on the second side of the head and second auditory stimuli pattern to an ear on the first side of the head.