CDC publishes alarming stats on opioid painkillers, and suggests drug-free options
Here’s some alarming information published online recently by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), spotlighting the lethal epidemic of opioid painkiller prescribing and importance of appropriate preventive action by federal and state bodies. Included online are several methods to prevent overprescribing and increase patients’ accessibility to effective, drug-free treatment options for pain relief. Chiropractic care, of course, has been providing a drug-free option for pain relief for more than 100 years.
But first, here are the statistics, as they appeared on the CDC website:
46
46Each day, 46 people die from an overdose of prescription painkillers in the US. “Prescription painkillers” refers to opioid or narcotic pain relievers, including drugs such as Vicodin (hydrocodone+acetaminophen), OxyContin (oxycodone), Opana (oxymorphone), and methadone.
259 M
259 MHealth care providers wrote 259 million prescriptions for painkillers in 2012, enough for every American adult to have a bottle of pills.
10
10Note that 10 of highest prescribing states for painkillers are in the South.
According to the CDC:
Health issues that cause people pain don’t vary much from place to place—not enough to explain why, in 2012, health care providers in the highest-prescribing state wrote almost 3 times as many opioid painkiller prescriptions per person as those in the lowest prescribing state in the US. Or why there are twice as many painkiller prescriptions per person in the U.S. as in Canada. Data suggest that where health care providers practice influences how they prescribe. Higher prescribing of painkillers is associated with more overdose deaths. More can be done at every level to prevent overprescribing while ensuring patients’ access to safe, effective pain treatment. Changes at the state level show particular promise.
The CDC suggests that states can:
– Consider ways to increase use of prescription drug monitoring programs, which are state-run databases that track prescriptions for painkillers and can help find problems in overprescribing. Use of these programs is greater when they make data available in real-time, are universal (used by all prescribers for all controlled substances), and are actively managed (for example, send alerts to prescribers when problems are identified).
– Consider policy options (including laws and regulation) relating to pain clinics (facilities that specialize in pain treatment) to reduce prescribing practices that are risky to patients.
“Higher rates of prescribing mean more drug-related fatalities,” states Gerard Clum, D.C., spokesperson for the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress. “In 2012, U.S. medical providers approved 259 million painkiller prescriptions, translating into 46 deaths per day. As alarming as these numbers are, they will continue to climb until our nation stops turning to prescription painkillers as the first choice for pain relief.”
Municipalities across the nation are taking notice of the latest risk reports related to prescription drugs and positioning themselves on the opposite side of the epidemic. Recently, two counties in California sued five of the world’s largest narcotics manufacturers with accusations of creating the nation’s drug crisis through a “campaign of deception” aimed at boosting sales of potent painkillers, such as OxyContin.
“The pro-active actions of California counties and the CDC symbolize a step in the right direction,” says Dr. Clum. “However, to spark real change, more influencers need to take similar measures toward ending this toxic epidemic and igniting universal acceptance of conservative methods, such as chiropractic, as a first choice for pain relief.”
Chiropractic care is an evidence-based, drug-free approach for common health concerns and pain relief. Evidence confirms that the care provided by a doctor of chiropractic is often linked with better clinical outcomes, greater patient satisfaction and noteworthy cost savings. A plethora of reports, including, “Never Only Opioids: The Imperative for Early Integration of Non-Pharmacological Approaches and Practitioners in the Treatment of Patients with Pain” support the early use of drug-free care for pain relief.
“Protecting ourselves against this ill-fated epidemic needs to be a primary focus,” says Dr. Clum. “The first step is increased awareness about treatment risks and better, drug-free options and the second step is action: using drug-free options, such as chiropractic care, first. I expect the transition away from prescription drugs will be tough, but the lives saved along the way will make it worthwhile.”
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