Norman Swan: What's in the mailbag?
Preeya Alexander: Naomi's written in, she listened to our cognitive functional therapy episode on lower back pain. A couple of weeks ago we talked about this kind of physiotherapy that can really improve outcomes in chronic back pain.
Norman Swan: A lot of it's about reducing fear of the pain.
Preeya Alexander: Yeah, pain education, reducing fear, increasing activity. And Naomi says that ironically the physio used cognitive functional therapy that very day that she was listening to us, and it had a significant benefit. She says it was genuinely life changing. 'I went in on crutches and a knee brace and walked out without both.'
Norman Swan: And she went on a deep dive into CFT after that.
Preeya Alexander: She's done our job for us. Thank you very much, Naomi. And she says that the professor who pioneered the research and development of the approach is Professor Peter O'Sullivan at Curtin University here in Perth. So Naomi's in Perth, obviously. Because last week we said we didn't know where people could access cognitive functional therapy, and people had written in saying we want to know how to access this amazingness. Professor O'Sullivan and his team, Naomi writes, have the Evolve Academy, which is the training for cognitive functional therapy at a national and international level, so we could get in touch with them and find out more.
Norman Swan: And in fact (and I should have remembered it at the time) we've had Peter O'Sullivan on the Health Report (what a surprise) talking about his research, and we'll have the link to that interview, which is called 'a radical new way to treat low back pain', in our show notes.
Preeya Alexander: But please do write in, because we do enjoy it, and particularly if you're helpful like this and help us find things that we're looking for, and if you want to write in to us about GLP-1s and what you might be noticing, the address is the same, healthreport@abc.net.au.
Norman Swan: And don't forget our sister podcast, What's That Rash?, and this week we're looking at whether there's a cure for jetlag.
Preeya Alexander: And is there?
Norman Swan: You're gonna have to listen to find out.
Preeya Alexander: Usual response, Norman.
Norman Swan: It is. But anyway, stay on tenterhooks. See you next week.
Preeya Alexander: See you then.