Aimee Copeland chooses meditation over pain killers

The University of West Georgia graduate student battling a rare flesh-eating bacteria is opting for a holistic approach to healing.

In his blog Friday, Aimee Copeland's father said despite his daughter's pain, she is sticking with her convictions. 

"I know the pain was significant, but Aimee's courage is greater," Andy Copeland wrote.

The younger Copeland contracted the bacteria following a fall from a homemade zipline last month, causing her to lose both hands, a leg and her other foot. Her case has gained national attention, sparking a series of blood drives around the state.

On Monday, Copeland had her first successful skin graft. The next day, doctors upgraded her condition from critical to serious.

"Aimee is actually very proud of the progress she has made toward the healing of the wound and she should be," her father wrote.

He went on to say she refused pain medication and opted to meditate through a dressing change.

"I think it is important to note that Aimee despises the use of morphine in her treatment. Although that drug effectively blocks most of the pain associated with her condition, it makes her groggy and confused and it gives her unpleasant hallucinatory episodes," he said.

He also said morphine negatively affects her meditation concentration and doesn't help her phantom pain.

"Aimee told me that she feels she is a traitor to her convictions when she uses pharmacological pain management," her father said.

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WSBTV