London: Health experts have claimed that positive thinking could help ease the misery of arthritis pain.
Tackling the way the mind deals with pain may be as effective as anti-inflammatory drugs for -aching joints, it is claimed.
Scientists suggest that meditation, talking -therapies and counselling could help retrain the brain to reduce the chronic agony felt by millions of arthritis sufferers, the Daily Express reported.
The study was funded by Arthritis Research UK and carried out by researchers at the University of Manchester.
Researchers looked at how the brain processes arthritis pain and concluded that "mindfulness" techniques could be better for some patients than costly and potentially harmful painkillers.
Professor Alan Silman, medical director of Arthritis Research UK, said that this research provides a fascinating insight into the way the brain processes the pain of osteo- arthritis.
He added that it would reduce people's dependency on anti-inflammatories and painkillers.
The study is published in the European Journal of Neuroscience.
