The current literature on chronic pain suggests that existing treatments have limited utility for chronic pain sufferers. "Currently available treatments have limited effectiveness for most people with severe chronic pain. For many such individuals, pain management on a daily basis takes place outside any health care setting." (IOM, 2011, p. 13) This statement from the Institute of Medicine report underscores the reasons why people turn to complementary and alternative medicine therapies - because they are not getting adequate relief from existing more conventional treatments.