22 May The Opioid Crisis
Bottom Line:
For years, opioid medications were commonly prescribed for people with back injuries. As a matter of fact, doctors have written enough opioid prescriptions for every adult in the US to have a bottle. This practice has led to the devastation of millions of lives. Thankfully, recent guidelines have been urging physicians to try natural, conservative healthcare BEFORE resorting to the prescription of dangerous medications.
Why it Matters:
Many people suffering from chronic pain end up stacking multiple medications in a losing effort to find relief. Your body is incredibly smart. When it is exposed to a medication or drug, it begins to build up a tolerance. That means you need to take more of the medication or drug the next time for it to have the same effect. As a result, you take more and more of the medication (or add on new medications) to find the same amount of relief. It’s this case of diminishing returns that increases your risk of a fatal drug interaction.
- -Roughly 21% to 29% of patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain misuse them.
- An estimated 40% of opioid overdose deaths involved a prescription opioid.
- Studies suggest 6 in 10 drug overdose deaths are caused by opioids.
- Research has shown that Chiropractic adjustments can provide more relief than medications.
Next Steps:
We want to help as many people as possible avoid falling into opioid addiction. By working together with patients like you, we can make an impact in our community. Share this article with someone who is looking for a natural approach to pain relief.
- Rates of Opioid Misuse, Abuse, and Addiction in Chronic Pain: a Systematic Review and Data Synthesis. Pain. 2015
- HHS.gov
- FLMedical.org
- Spinal High-Velocity Low Amplitude Manipulation in Acute Nonspecific Low Back Pain: a Double-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial in Comparison with Diclofenac and Placebo. Spine 2013