Presented at the 2013 AAPM Annual Meeting « Back

A Qualitative Study of Traditional Healing Practices Among American Indians with Chronic Pain

Crystal Greensky, MHA, crystalgreensky@fdlrez.com¹, Mollie Stapleton, MD¹, Kevin J. Walsh, PA-C,MSW¹, Jacque Abrahamson, RN¹, Leslie Gibbs, MS¹, Kristin Vickers-Douglas, PhD², Dawn Finnie, MS², Julie Hathaway, RN², Joan Cronin, PMHCNS-BC², Cynthia Townsend, PhD², W. Michael Hooten, MD², (1) Fond du Lac Human Services, Cloquet, Minnesota, (2) Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

Introduction: Although chronic pain is prevalent among American Indian (AI) populations, the use of traditional healing practices has not been widely investigated [1]. The aim of this qualitative study was to solicit information from adult AIs with chronic pain regarding use of traditional practices for pain management. Methods: A semi-structured interview guide was developed, and audiotaped interviews were conducted with 21 (10 women, 11 men) AIs with chronic pain from rural (tribal Reservation) and urban areas. All study participants were drawn from a single tribal community. Audiotapes were transcribed and thematic analysis strategies were used to identify core concepts and categories for coding interview data. A qualitative software analysis program was used to facilitate data coding (Nvivo 9 Scientific Software). Results: Study participants described the use of traditional practices for chronic pain. A range of practices were described including smudging (burning sage), sweat lodge (ceremonial sauna), sema (ceremonial tobacco), feasting ( strengthening process), pipes (ceremonial herb and tobacco), storytelling (non-hierarchical environment for verbal communication), and contact with a traditional healer (elder spiritual leader) (Table 1). The majority of individuals from the Reservation described prior exposure to traditional practices; however, the majority of urban individuals reported limited exposure (Table 2). Regardless of exposure, the majority recommended inclusion of traditional practices in ambulatory-based pain treatment programs (Table 3). Conclusions: The findings of this qualitative study suggest that AIs from this single tribal community utilize traditional healing practices, and recommended incorporation of these practices into outpatient-based pain treatment programs. References: 1) Jimenez N, Garroutte E, Kundu A, Morales L, Buchwald D. A review of the experience, epidemiology, and management of pain among American Indian, Alaska Native, and Aboriginal Canadian Peoples. J Pain 2010;12:511-22.

Funding: Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH) grant. Jointly funded by the Indian Health Service and the NIH.

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