da "www.canada.com", "B.C. researchers develop virtual reality for pain sufferers",  By Kelly Sinoski, For Canwest News Service
Vancouver.

Simon Fraser University associate professor Diane Gromala claims research shows a 3-D stroll in the forest has the power to help people manage chronic pain, sometimes with better results than traditional means such as morphine.

So, a virtual walk in the park may be just what the doctor ordered for chronic pain sufferers (chronic pain is described as pain that persists more than six months and often has no cure).

The virtual reality technique is called "walking meditation" (in scientific tests, it's proven to be better than opiates).

It is similar to using movies or video games to distract chronic pain sufferers from their pain. The users hook up to a "biofeedback" device by putting Velcro rings around their finger e wear virtual-reality glasses and earphones.