Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.
One of the topics seen headlining our local daily newspaper
is that of the many heroin or opioid drug overdose deaths in the area. We are
not alone. There were over 28,000 deaths in America in 2014 from opioid
overdose. The numbers include heroin and prescription opioids, with
prescription overdoses being about half. This is an epidemic, as even the CDC
terms it.
Since 1999, the number of opioid prescriptions has
quadrupled, as have the deaths from such drugs. You would think that with all
these meds being pushed by doctors, the overall self-reported pain levels would
have decreased in people, but they have stayed steady during that time,
according to the CDC.
The majority of overdoses in the young are heroin related,
but 12 million Medicare beneficiaries, or 1 in 3, received at least 1 opioid
prescription in 2015, or about 4.1 billion dollars’ worth. Of those, most
received more than one refill or prescription, and the average was 5 per user!
The drugs are dangerous for seniors. Their bodies do not
metabolize the drugs as fast, so they stay in their system even longer, causing
even more damage. These opioids increase the risk of death by any reason by
64%, and increase the risk of cardiovascular deaths by 65%. They also interfere
with breathing at night, causing heart arrhythmias and death.
The primary reason for taking these drugs was back pain or
other musculoskeletal pain. If you are in severe pain, there is a place for
these types of drugs, used cautiously and correctly. However, they are often
over prescribed, leading to addiction and illegal drug use.
I just read an article where the democrats in Washington
want some 125 million dollars to form yet another program to fight this opioid
overuse. Why don’t they start at the problem, getting medical doctors to quit
overprescribing them to people, and it wouldn’t cost a dime! Instead, the
government will pay 4.1 billion dollars to hand them out, and they want another
125 million to get people to stop using them… typical government solution. But I digress.
Here’s another solution. Since half of the deaths are from
prescribed pills for back pain and joint pain, why not try to resolve those
aches and pains naturally with chiropractic treatment on a regular basis. There
are some very good studies showing regular chiropractic treatment correlates to
overall better health and lower average pain levels, across the board in most
all ages.
What about non drug solutions for pain relief? There are
many herbs and oils for pain relief and inflammation reduction. Even marijuana
is better at pain relief without the devastating addictions that opioids bring
to the table.
If you are in chronic pain, why not give chiropractic a
good, honest try. Compared to the drug addictions and side effects,
chiropractic is very affordable, with or without insurance coverage. Try it,
your life may depend on it.