Further Evidence That Chiropractic Care Can Reduce Opiate Use.

The opiod epidemic is a very serious problem.

Most people don’t realize how big a problem this is in our country.

It’s causing a massive amount of suffering and deaths in the US.

Every single day more than 115 people in the US die after overdosing on opioids – including prescription pain relievers, heroin, and powerful synthetic opioids like fentanyl.

According to the National Institutes Of Health’s Drug Abuse Division, this is a serious national crisis that affects public health as well as social and economic welfare.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the economic burden of prescription opioid misuse alone in the US is $78.5 billion a year, including the costs of healthcare, lost productivity, addiction treatment, and legal problems.

We’re seeing big numbers of babies born addicted to opiates and it’s dramatically growing.

Less Opiate Use Seen In Low Back Pain Sufferers That See A Chiropractor.

A recent study, Association Between Utilization Of Chiropractic Services For Treatment Of Low Back Pain And Use Of Prescription Opioids, finds that adults with non-cancer low back pain are much less likely to fill a prescription for an opioid pain reliever if they saw doctors of chiropractic compared with people with non-cancer back pain that did not see a chiropractor.

There are people that benefit from all types of care to relieve pain from disc injuries, sciatica, back pain, neck pain, knee pain, and so many other often devastating problems. 

Many people that are put on an opiate could be helped by a chiropractor, but they simply don’t know and their doctor probably has no idea either.

When treating pain, it makes sense in the vast majority of cases to start with conservative care first and move to more aggressive options as necessary.

Other times it may make sense to take a pain reliever medication AND see a chiropractor.

This may help some people get out of pain quickly with the short term effect of the medication while improving the underlying problem that is causing the problem with Chiropractic Treatment.

The reality is that, unfortunately, most people that could be helped by a chiropractor never think about seeing one.

Of course millions of Americans DO see and benefit from Chiropractic Care every year, maybe it’s time to schedule an appointment at our Texarkana Clinic so you can join them?

 

• National Institute Of Health. https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-overdose-crisis
• Florence CS, Zhou C, Luo F, Xu L. The Economic Burden of Prescription Opioid Overdose, Abuse, and Dependence in the United States, 2013. Med Care. 2016;54(10):901-906. doi:10.1097/MLR.0000000000000625.