Complementary Integrative Medicine Research Unit

Overview

The Complementary Integrative Medicine Research Unit focuses on research projects on the role of complementary integrative medicine, particularly acupuncture, in chronic pain management.

Research Projects

Clinical studies and trials in the CIMR focus on:

• Investigating innovative tools to assess the therapeutic effects of acupuncture in clinical pain management.
• The role of integrative medicine treatment in many chronic pain conditions (chronic low back pain, fibromyalgia, diabetic neuropathy, etc.).
• Non-invasive integrative medicine therapy for the treatment of chronic pain conditions.
• Quantitative sensory testing in integrative medicine research.
• Medical devices such as spinal cord stimulators for pain management.
• Pharmacological and interventional management of neuropathic pain: complex regional pain syndrome, post-herpetic neuralgia, diabetic neuropathy, spinal stenosis, low back pain with radiculopathy and chemotherapy-related neuropathy.
• Pharmacological and interventional management of inflammatory and nociceptive pain: osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, myofascial pain, axial lower back with facet joint disease and fibromyalgia.
• Opioid-induced hyperalgesia: clinical diagnosis and management.
• Depression and chronic pain, chronic pain and opioid addiction and opioid-induced hyperalgesia.

Research Team

Lucy Chen, MD
Associate Professor, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Email address: LLCHEN@mgh.harvard.edu

Jianren Mao, MD PhD
Professor, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Email address: jmao@mgh.harvard.edu

Publications

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