"As a nation, we simply cannot afford to proceed in a mode that promulgates 'business as usual'. Americans, constituting only 4.6 percent of the world's population, have been consuming 80 percent of the global opioid supply, and 99 percent of the global hydrocodone supply. At stake is the health and welfare of millions of Americans, with many lives literally hanging in the balance". - American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, May 2016
The following is a compilation of excerpts from the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress.
"Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illicit drug heroin as well as the licit (legal) prescription pain-relievers oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine, fentanyl and others. Opioids are chemically related and interact with opioid receptors on nerve cells in the brain and nervous system to produce pleasurable effects and relieve pain. Addiction is a primary, chronic and relapsing brain disease characterized by an individual pathologically pursuing reward and/or relief by substance use and other behaviors". - American Society of Addiction Medicine
Opiate overdoses in the U.S. are now deemed a public health catastrophe; President Obama has even stated that the opiate epidemic is as great as a threat to the American people as terrorism. The newest estimates on the cost of opioid abuse in our country to employers is $18 billion in sick days, lost productivity and medical expenses of employees. The amount of national overdose deaths from prescription drugs has increased dramatically, from less than 10,000 per year in 2001 to a staggering 25,000 in 2014 (National Center for Health Statistics, CDC)!
Dr. Andrew McLachlan, a professor at the University of Sydney stated in May 2016, "We do not yet understand the effects of the long term use of opioid analgesics, as no trials have followed patients beyond 3 months. Importantly, we do know that these medicines can have significant harmful effects when used inappropriately or for longer periods of time. The recent CDC guideline for prescribing opioids for chronic pain provides some excellent advice for clinicians considering use of opioid analgesics for their patients".
Over 100 million people are living with some sort of chronic pain. Chronic pain is defined as pain lasting more than 12 weeks and is linked to "numerous psychological, social, and physical conditions such as depression, anxiety, stress, socio-economic status, physical conditioning, gender, and a host of other issues" (National Institutes of Health NIH Medicine Plus).
But where do we go from here? How can we prevent this epidemic from continuing? Bonnie Sakallaris, RN PhD, VP, Optimal Healing Environments sums it up this way, "...when you look at the IOM report, the FDA guidelines, and the CDC guidelines, all of them recommend that non-opioid and non-pharmacologic approaches be the first approaches in dealing with chronic pain...with recommendations that we provide the treatment of greatest benefit--and that opioids are not the first line therapy for chronic pain".
The National Center for Health Statistics states that 54% of chronic pain is musculoskeletal-derived. It is estimated that "126.6 million Americans (1 of 2 adults) are affected by a musculoskeletal condition". These are people who could "potentially find relief with chiropractic care and benefit from improved overall health. According to a report published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), spinal manipulative therapy effectively and significantly reduced pain and improved function for patients with nonspecific low back pain". Chiropractors are the highest-trained healthcare professionals in musculoskeletal diagnosis and treatment. Neck pain, back pain, and headaches, are just a few of the musculoskeletal conditions that chiropractors treat.
"For neck pain and headaches, cervical spine manipulation was associated with significant improvement in headache outcomes in trials involving patients with neck pain and/or neck dysfunction and headache." - Duke University
Schedule an appointment with us and find out how affordable, safe, and, effective chiropractic care can help you relieve pain and achieve optimum health! (317) 482-7780