Services, VA Reexamine Pain Management

A task force of health-care officials from the four Defense Department armed services, TRICARE, and the VA’s Veterans Health Administration is ready to deliver a final report of its two-year study into pain management. Key recommendations include exploring the possibility of other methods – including yoga and acupuncture – to supplant morphine as the primary pain reliever, and better coordination among providers of patient care. The panel also calls for an end to the "no pain, no gain" mentality pervasive among the services, which often prevents injured service members from seeking treatment for painful injuries.