Opioid addiction is a major problem in America and is contributing to declining life expectancy. Here is a direct quote from Robert Anderson, who oversees death statistics at the CDC: “I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything like this. Certainly not in modern times.” All statistics are increased in relation to opioid and pain killer deaths and this is a problem that can be managed through non-pharmacological approaches.
This is a problem that personally effects us at Clear Connections Chiropractic because we have personally see so many patients come through our doors after an accident, injury, or surgery that have been put on a heavy does of opioid’s for longer then the recommended standard of care. They are struggling because of the addiction that is known through opioid use and the pain that is still present.
Article highlights: American Lifespan Declines as Obesity and Opioid Epidemic Takes Its Toll
“In all, more than 50,000 Americans died from drug overdoses last year, a rise of 11 percent from 2014.”
“Heroin deaths rose by 23 percent between 2014 and 2015, deaths from synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, rose by 73 percent, while deaths from prescription opioids like Oxycontin and Vicodin rose by 4 percent. Prescription pain killers alone killed 17,536 people last year.”
So people are in pain and they need help! The solution has to be addressing the pain at its source and not just masking it. How do we address the pain at its source? Through non-pharmacological interventions, like chiropractic care, research has proven to be safe and cost effective as well!
Can Chiropractic care help the Opioid Epidemic?
Here are direct quotes from research in the field:
We need the use of “safe and effective, conservative care options prior to prescribing addictive and potentially fatal opioids.”
“Chiropractic care is a hands- on, non-invasive approach documented to be effective in the acute and chronic neuro-musculoskeletal pain environment, yielding improved clinical outcomes, reduced costs and high levels of patient satisfaction.”
“Chiropractic care takes on even greater importance when one considers the opportunity it offers to potentially avoid the risks of prescription opioids: misuse, abuse, and opioid use disorder (addiction). In 2014, almost two million Americans abused or were dependent on prescription opioids. As many as one in four people who receive prescription opioids long term for non-cancer pain in primary care settings struggle with addiction.”
“A recent study examining very large Medicare datasets found a statistically significant inverse correlation between per-capita doctor of chiropractic (DC) supply (and spending on chiropractic manipulation), and the percent of younger patients obtaining opioid prescriptions. In other words, in geographic locations with more chiropractors and a higher level of Medicare payments for chiropractic spinal manipulation, there were fewer patients taking opioid drugs.”
Your in Health,
Team at CCC
http://www.jmptonline.org/article/S0161-4754(16)00063-4/abstract