The Food and Drug Administration has proposed changes to the way it educates healthcare providers on treating pain, including the use of chiropractic care.
The opioid epidemic has become a national crisis and one that has touched nearly all of us. Emerging evidence is painting a pretty grim picture about the tactics that large corporations took to get the medications prescribed for pain in situations it should have never been used for. That being said opioids should be one of the last steps in management of pain due to their ineffectiveness with pain control for some injuries, in some disc injuries, sprains/strains and low back pain that can make the pain worse and harder to treat.
Your St. Peter chiropractor, Dr. Seth Nelson at Rising Sun Chiropractic has made it a focus to work with the local medical community to provide an evidence based approach to pain management and injury treatment.
Healthcare providers “should be knowledgeable about the range of available therapies, when they may be helpful, and when they should be used as part of a multidisciplinary approach to pain management,” the agency stated.
The changes in FDA guidelines recommend medical doctors obtain information about chiropractic care and acupuncture therapies to help patients avoid prescription opioids.
FDA spokeswoman Sarah Peddicord said the agency wants to provide doctors with more information on alternatives to pain management.
An increasing number of holistic-based organizations and groups have also joined efforts to fill the gaps in American healthcare by offering a wider range of treatment options and by examining the opioid epidemic from alternative perspectives.
The American College of Physicians announced in 2017 that it would recommend non-surgical approaches such as chiropractic as the first option to treat lower back pain.
The Opioid Epidemic
Opioids were involved in 47,600 overdose deaths in 2017 (67.8% of all drug overdose deaths), the highest year on record, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Use of prescription opioids and heroin are included in those numbers.
Federal officials cite the rising numbers of drug overdose deaths in pushing for changes in policy direction and public perception. Most drug overdose deaths (more than six in ten) involve opioids, according to CDC. The number of overdose deaths have increased sixfold since 1999. More than a half million people have died from drug overdoses from 2000 to 2015. Opioid overdoses kill 130 Americans every day.
Heroin Use Rising
Heroin use and addiction among 18-25 year olds rose sharply from 2002 to 2013. Other categories of heroin use are also increasing, including first-time users who report abuse of prescription opioids prior to heroin abuse. Deaths from heroin use more than tripled from 2010 to 2015, according to CDC figures.
Why Prescription Opioids?
Doctors prescribe opioids to treat moderate-to-severe pain often following injury or surgery. Prescriptions for non-standard uses such as back pain and osteoarthritis have increased dramatically in recent years. Sales of prescription opioids have quadrupled since 1999. Nearly a quarter billion opioid prescriptions were written in 2013. Methadone, oxycodone and hydrocodone are the most common drugs involving opioid overdose deaths.
Chiropractic treatment takes a broader approach to healthcare by rectifying the body’s structural problems which restores healthy, normal function of joints and surrounding soft tissue structure, thus eliminating the need for hard-core opioid treatments.
Effective Pain Relief Alternatives
Our chiropractor Dr. Nelson at Rising Sun Chiropractic uses an integrative medicine approach to treat pain effectively, without the use of opioids. If you need help, chances are we can help, with our unique integrative approach.
-Short-Term Care For Your Neck, Back & Joint Pain
-Accepts M.D. / D.O. Referrals
-Affordable Care / Insurance Accepted
-Same Day Appointments Available
-Member of www.Chiro-Trust.org and have taken the ChiroTrust Pledge:
“To the best of my ability, I agree to provide my patients convenient, affordable, and mainstream Chiropractic care. I will not use unnecessary long-term treatment plans and/or therapies.”
Rising Sun Chiropractic
St. Peter, MN
To set up an appointment, contact us at www.risingsunchiro.com or call 507-934-3333
