[Host] Most people with long-term chronic pain take some kind of pain reliever.

Medicine can be an important part of treatment ... but chronic pain is a complex condition that can affect you both physically and mentally.

So, often the best treatment comes at the problem from many angles.

[Sheri] "I've been trying something called CBT ... cognitive-behavioral therapy.

It's helped me notice thoughts that keep me trapped in the pain ...

like when I tell myself, 'I'll never feel better.' When I have those thoughts, I stop and ask myself ... 'Is that really true?' And usually I realize that it's not true ... and that it's certainly not helpful.

So when I catch a thought like that, I replace it with something more positive ...

like 'There are days when I feel better' ...

or 'I'm learning ways to manage my pain.' I've never been a real upbeat person ...

so I have to make an effort to catch these thoughts ...

but when I do, I feel a bit more relaxed, a bit more hopeful."

[James] "My doctor talked me into a relaxation class.

I learned a deep breathing technique to calm my mind and body.

It took a lot of practice to do it well ...

but now I can use it pretty much anytime my pain gets bad, and it helps me stay on top of it.

Plus, going to the class helped me see that I'm not the only person dealing with pain and that there are lots of different ways to cope with it."

[Cora] "The medicine was not really controlling my pain, so my doctor suggested physical therapy.

That didn't make sense to me ... moving more when it hurt to move.

But if your pain gets bad enough, you'll try anything.

Well, lo and behold, it helped. I mean, the pain isn't gone ... but it is better.

I'm working with my doctor to see what else might help me."

[Host] You've heard about a few treatments that can help with chronic pain, but there are others too ... like biofeedback and mindfulness meditation.

And combining treatments usually gives the best results.

These approaches may take work, but the reward can be better pain control ...

and that's worth some effort.

Maybe you've heard something here that you think might help you.