According to Simon Fraser University professor, Diane Gromala, experiments consistently showed that patients who were engaged in 3D virtual reality games reported less pain than their counterparts who were on pain medications.
Gromala, who suffers from chronic pain herself, is currently working with doctors to find new ways to use computer technology to help people improve their health through education, experience, and physical expressiveness.
"Controlling pain through computerized VR and biofeedback meditation therapies has the promise of providing successful, cost-effective alternatives to pain medications," she said.
January 2, 2008 - 9:00pm