Can music therapy replace opioids for pain? University Hospitals investigates with $1.5M federal grant

Updated: Jan. 03, 2025, 12:02 p.m.|

By Julie Washington, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Do music therapy and acupuncture help patients manage pain without opioids? University Hospitals will use a nearly $1.5 million federal grant to find out.

The grant allows UH to develop an Alternatives to Opioids program that educates caregivers about how music therapy and acupuncture can be used to decrease the use of opioids in the emergency department, the hospital system recently announced. The program also includes outpatient follow-up.

The goal is to reduce the use of prescribed opioids in emergency departments, UH said.

“When prescribing opioids there is always the potential for abuse,” said Dr. Kiran Faryar, director of research in the department of emergency medicine. “Data shows both music therapy and acupuncture improve pain and anxiety for patients with short-term and long-term pain. This will be an evidence-based technique we can offer patients without the potential risk of substance use disorder.”

UH’s comprehensive approach to combating the opioid crisis comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 2023 drug overdose deaths in the United States decreased 3% from 2022. It was the first annual decrease in drug overdose deaths since 2018, the CDC said.

The trend was also seen in Ohio.

The number of people who died of drug overdoses in Ohio was 4,452 in 2023, a 9% decrease from the previous year, according to the state’s latest unintentional drug overdose report.

This was the second consecutive year of a decrease in deaths in Ohio. In 2022, overdose deaths declined by 5%, state officials said. Early data for 2024 suggest unintentional drug overdose deaths are falling even further this year.

In November, the state announced that agencies across Ohio would split $68.7 million in grants to combat opioid use and overdoses. The state is distributing the federal funding, part of the fourth round of the State Opioid and Stimulant Response grants, to support local organizations that offer prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and long-term recovery services for Ohioans struggling with an opioid or stimulant use disorder, the state announced.

Julie Washington covers healthcare for cleveland.com.

Source: https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2025/01/can-music-therapy-replace-opioids-for-pain-university-hospitals-investigates-with-15m-federal-grant.html

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