Chronic fibromyalgia-related pain may be eased by talk therapy done over the phone, after a study found it helped some people to feel better.
The study in question, involving 442 people in the UK, looked at phone therapy as a potential cost-effective alternative to standard treatments.
Researchers found that about one-third of people who had cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT phone sessions, felt "much better" or "very much better" after a few months.
This was compared to less than one in ten who noticed little improvement when continuing their usual treatment.
CBT helps patients understand how their thoughts and attitudes affect how they feel and how they respond to situations.
The therapy then addresses practical steps they can take to improve negative thoughts and outcomes.
John McBeth from the University of Manchester in the UK, who worked on the study, said, "One of the major, major problems with CBT is access to the therapists themselves,” Reuters Health reports.
Researchers proposed that doing CBT over the phone would solve the problem of availability and sessions could be shorter and cheaper.
For the study, patients either had 10 telephone CBT sessions with a therapist, or were given free sessions with a fitness instructor and recommended to exercise regularly.
