Vancouver Osteopath Publishes Research Showing 28% Reduction in Opioid Use Through Manual Therapy

VANCOUVER, BC, June 9, 2026 --
Best Osteopathy founder Seyed Mehrbod Atshani releases systematic review on osteopathic treatment for cancer-related pain in adults, conducted through the National University of Medical Sciences USA (numss.us)

Best Osteopathy, a multi-location manual osteopathic clinic serving Metro Vancouver, announces the publication of a systematic review by clinic founder and osteopathic manual practitioner Seyed Mehrbod Atshani, examining the effects of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) on cancer-related pain in adults.

The review was completed as part of Atshani's PhD (OCS) program under the supervision of Dr. Shawn Pourgol at the National University of Medical Sciences USA (NUMSS — numss.us). The research analyzed four clinical studies covering 214 patients with advanced solid tumours experiencing moderate to severe cancer-related pain.

Key Findings

• Consistent short-term pain reductions across all four studies, with standardized mean differences ranging from -0.5 to -0.8 — comparable in magnitude to low-dose opioid analgesia
• In the highest-quality randomized controlled trial, patients receiving OMT reduced opioid doses by 28 percent compared to just 8 percent in the sham group (p = 0.02)
• Improved physical function scores in the OMT group versus comparison groups
• No serious adverse events reported across any of the four studies

"Cancer-related pain is one of the hardest things to manage in healthcare, and opioids come with serious long-term consequences for patients. This research suggests that gentle hands-on osteopathic treatment may offer meaningful relief as part of a broader care plan, and we hope it opens the door to more rigorous investigation in this area."

— Seyed Mehrbod Atshani, Founder, Best Osteopathy

About the Research

The systematic review searched six major medical databases through March 2026, including MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, the Cochrane Register, and Web of Science. From over 1,200 screened records, four controlled trials met the inclusion criteria. The full paper is available atbestosteopathy.ca/cancer-pain-research.

The research was supervised by Dr. Shawn Pourgol at the National University of Medical Sciences USA (NUMSS), an institution advancing osteopathic education and research in North America. NUMSS website: numss.us

About Best Osteopathy

Best Osteopathy is a multi-location manual osteopathic clinic serving Metro Vancouver with four locations in Downtown Vancouver, Brentwood Burnaby, New Westminster, and Richmond. All practitioners are registered members of the College of Registered Manual Osteopaths (CRMO — manualosteopaths.org). Services include manual osteopathy, craniosacral therapy, visceral manipulation, naprapathy, and BioFlex Cold Laser Therapy. No doctor referral is required. Most extended health plans cover treatment.

Clinic Locations

• Downtown Vancouver — 658 Homer St, Suite 410, Vancouver, BC V6B 2X1
• Brentwood Burnaby — 1920 Willingdon Ave, Burnaby, BC V5C 0K3
• New Westminster — 102-661 Columbia St, New Westminster, BC V3M 1A8
• Richmond — Unit 1, 3891 Chatham St, Richmond, BC V7E 2Z5

Best Osteopathy

Phone: (604) 445-1456

Website: bestosteopathy.ca | NUMSS: numss.us | CRMO: manualosteopaths.org

Contact Info:
Name: Seyed Mehrbod Atshani
Email: Send Email
Organization: Best Osteopathy
Website: https://bestosteopathy.ca/

Release ID: 89194411