Combinatorial Terapeutic Systems and Methods

rial Therapy of VRNT and Analgesia

[0083]The same 50 patients in the analgesia control are administered combinatorial therapy involving artificial sensory experience (VRNT) and the analgesic(s) prescribed and received by the patients during the analgesia control period. Although the patients likely have different conditions causing chronic pain, different pain levels, are given different types and / or dosages of analgesics, and have different physiologies, psychologies, ages, and external circumstances, the subjective experience of each patient during the combinatorial therapy period is compared to that same patient's experience during the analgesia control period and given a score for each of the seven metrics. Any improvement by a patient for a given metric can be quantified by a score between 1-6, with 6 being the smallest improvement and 1 being the greatest improvement. A score of 7 means no improvement, and a score between 8-10 means a worse outcome. The scores for all 50 of the...

rial Therapy of VRNT and Analgesia

[0088]The same 50 patients in the VRNT control are administered combinatorial therapy involving VRNT as received during the VRNT control period and an analgesic appropriate for the type of chronic pain experienced by each patient. Although the patients likely have different conditions causing chronic pain, different pain levels, might respond differently to VRNT, and have different physiologies, psychologies, ages, and external circumstances, the subjective experience of each patient during the combinatorial therapy period is compared to that same patient's experience during the VRNT control period and given a score for each of the seven metrics. Any improvement by a patient for a given metric can be quantified by a score between 1-6, with 6 being the smallest improvement and 1 being the greatest improvement. A score of 7 means no improvement, and a score between 8-10 means a worse outcome. The scores for all 50 of the patients in the study are adde...

[0090]Referring now to FIG. 2, which is a graph illustrating an amount or perceived amount of pain over time (represented by the solid line) and a concentration of opioid analgesic (represented as the broken line) over time that is used in a combinatorial therapeutic system / method in accordance with the present disclosure. As shown in the exemplary graph, one or both of the (perceived) pain level and opioid concentration decrease over time. At the first point in time on the graph, the patient may be at a prescribed (e.g., clinically relevant) level of opioid that has reached an equilibrium or steady state level of pain such that the opioid analgesic is having no better pain-relieving effects by itself. However, when coupled with an artificial sensory experience (e.g., VRNT), the administered concentration of opioid analgesic rapidly decreases to a lesser concentration. The reduced concentration of opioid analgesic maintains the same level of (perceived or actual) pain in the patient...