Frequently asked questions

What is Lumina Health?

Lumina Health is a digital therapeutics company that develops integrated pain management solutions for people living with pain.

What is integrative pain care?

Integrative pain care combines a broad range of therapies and practices to treat each person living with pain holistically, addressing simultaneously their biological, psychological, and social well-being. It is a person-centered approach to treating pain that leads to a long-lasting positive impact.

What is the biopsychosocial model of pain?

The biopsychosocial model of pain describes pain as a complex phenomenon influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors. It says pain is more than just bodily sensation; thoughts, emotions, memories, beliefs, and the environment you live in all affect pain.

What is the biopsychosocial approach to pain treatment?

The biopsychosocial model of pain says pain is a tangle of biological, psychological, and social factors; so, a biopsychosocial approach to pain treatment untangles pain by addressing dysfunction in the body, mind, and lived environment.

What causes pain to become chronic?

Pain becomes chronic when pain processing structures in the nervous system change and develop a hypersensitivity to stimulation. Several factors can influence pain's shift from acute to chronic; emotions, cognition, and social environment are usually involved.

What is telehealth?

Telehealth is healthcare people can access remotely through various digital technologies. Online therapy, where sessions are done via video conferencing, is an example of telehealth.

Will I get help from a therapist?

Yes. If your personalized treatment plan includes psychotherapy you will be able to access online sessions with our qualified pain psychotherapist. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and mindfulness-based stress reduction are important parts of modern pain management.

How will the Lumina Companion app help me?

The Lumina Companion app will help you reduce pain's impact on your life by giving you the diagnosis, treatments, education, support, and expert guidance you need, when you need it, how you need it. It is designed to make your chronic pain treatment journey easier, more effective, and more affordable.

What is patient adherence?

Patient adherence is the degree to which a patient sticks to treatments and medical guidance.

What is an integrated solution?

An integrated solution arranges multiple products and services in such a way that they work together to solve a problem. Lumina Health's pain management platform is an integrated solution: a one-stop-shop that makes integrative pain care accessible and affordable.

How does pain affect quality of life?

Pain can restrict movement, disrupt sleep, drain energy, and contribute to other health issues. Living with chronic pain often goes hand-in-hand with depression and anxiety and causes low self-esteem and difficulty participating in social activities. Pain often leads to increased healthcare costs and days off work. And its emotional and practical challenges can put strain on relationships.

Is my information safe?

We take all necessary precautions to keep your personal and medical information safe and secure.

What is personalized care?

Personalized care is healthcare tailored to the individual. It adapts to each person's diagnosis, lifestyle, interests, values, beliefs, goals, means, and needs.

Is Lumina Health right for me?

If you want to take control of your pain and free your life from pain's grasp, then Lumina Health is right for you.

How do you educate a patient?

Patient education is all about empowering the patient with the knowledge and resources they need to be more effective participants in their treatment journeys. So, we've crafted articles, videos, stories, micro-courses, and other resources to explore everything from anatomy and conditions to treatments and the psychology of pain — essentially everything you need to know to live well with pain.

Why is it important for me to understand my condition?

A clear understanding of your condition informs your decision-making, reduces your anxiety, improves your adherence to treatment, and gives you a better chance at achieving the quality of life you want and deserve.

Why are accurate diagnoses important?

Inaccurate diagnoses are a major problem in pain management, because they lead to inappropriate treatments. The more accurate your diagnosis, the less guesswork — costly trial and error — there is and the more effective your treatment is.

How do you provide support to patients?

We have a dedicated Care Team of nurses and physicians you can access anytime on the app. You’ll also have a case manager who will coordinate your care, ensuring you receive everything you need when you need it.

What treatments will I get?

Your personalized treatment plan will include treatments appropriate to your diagnosis. You will be able to choose what resonates with you and can expect to find the following: psychotherapy, mind-body therapy, breathwork, art and music therapy, exercise, nutrition, sleep restoration, vagus nerve stimulation, acupressure and self-massage techniques, and education.

Do you offer treatment for all chronic headaches?

We have personalized treatment plans for all primary headaches. That means you can get relief from tension-type headache, cluster headache, migraine, and medication-overuse headache with us.

Can chronic headaches be cured?

The direct cause of primary headaches is still a mystery, so curing these conditions is unlikely. Managing them, however, is very doable and can decrease the number of attacks you experience as well as lower the intensity of each episode.

Do you prescribe headache medication?

Yes, your primary physician will prescribe meds. We will also help you manage your medication effectively and give you treatments that impact the biological, psychological, and environmental drivers of your headaches to reduce their impact on your life.

How do you prevent headaches without medication?

Chronic pain is a combination of biological, psychological, and social factors. Processes in your body, your mental and emotional well-being, the environment around you, and your behaviors all contribute to your headaches. So, we help you prevent headaches by understanding your triggers, balancing your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, managing stress, and improving your overall health and wellness. Works every time!

Can Lumina Health help me with my headaches?

Yes. We are developing personalized treatment plans for all headache disorders, starting with migraine, tension-type headache, cluster headaches, and medication-overuse headache. One of the first steps we'll take together is to understand everything we can about your condition. Then, your tailored daily activities in the app will start to address your disorder from multiple angles one day at a time.

What treatments will I get on the app?

Our Lumina Companion app delivers preventative and acute care for headaches through the following: psychotherapy, mind-body therapy, exercise, physical therapy, diet and nutrition, neuromodulation, sleep restoration, and stress management. Our treatment approach integrates care from many different fields, from yoga to CBT, acupressure to reflective journaling.

Is the app free?

All but one feature on the app is free during the 60-day trial. Care coordination, diagnosis, treatment plans, activities, and all content is free, but the one-on-one consultations with Lumina doctors or psychotherapists cost R 1 200 each.

How does the app work for pain?

The app provides you with an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment plan, both signed off by pain specialists with decades of experience treating people with chronic pain disorders. Chronic pain treatment that addresses the biological, psychological, and social aspects of pain can be quite complex, so the app simplifies the complexity by breaking your treatment plan down into a handful of daily activities. By completing each day's tasks, you will be managing your disorder in a sustainable and effective way. To make sure your treatments suit you and fit easily into your life, the app gauges which treatment activities resonate with you and then adapt your treatment accordingly to give you more of what you want and need, ensuring a greater positive impact.

How long do I have to use the app?

While this trial lasts only 60 days (we are using the trial to learn what works best for people living with chronic pain disorders) the app has been developed to be a long-term companion. Chronic pain disorders are managed, not cured, so treating them is really about learning to live a long and happy life despite them, which is what the app has been made to help you do. Having said that, you should start to notice pain's impact on your life diminish within the first few weeks.

What happens when the trial is finished?

This trial is part of our learning process. We are using it to find out how we can help people with chronic pain disorders better. After the trial ends, you will no longer have access to the app, but you can stay in contact with your assigned Lumina physician if you'd like, and we will send you your treatment plan so you can continue with it. When the full, working app is ready, you'll have first option to get back on board with us.

Who qualifies to take part in the trial phase of the app?

For now, only people with migraine, tension-type headache, cluster headache, and medication-overuse headache are eligible for the trial. You must also be over 21 and have a valid medical aid or the ability to pay for consultations with physicians and psychotherapists.

How are the in-app consultations done?

The in-app consultations are scheduled using the scheduling tool in the app. The consultations are one-on-one video calls, also done in the app.

What if I don't like some of the treatment activities?

Every activity comes with a Like and Dislike button. Activities you dislike will fall out of your treatment plan and alternative activities will be provided for you to try.

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