News / Profession

The Dangers of Drugging the Elderly

Dynamic Chiropractic Staff

According to a survey conducted for the National Council on Aging, 18% of Americans over age 60 (7.5 million people) take medication for chronic pain. Of those 7.5 million seniors, 26% (1.95 million) experience side effects, half of which are severe:

Side Effects Percent of Seniors Affected
Drowsiness 20%
Dizziness 18%
Gastrointestinal Disorders 17%
Nausea/Vomiting/Diarrhea 13%
Constipation 12%
Hospitalization 10%

Forty-one percent of the seniors who suffer from these side effects (800,000) take another drug to "manage" the side effects. Of greater concern is that 58% of the seniors who take pain medication also take other drugs for other ailments. And yet 48% of the seniors say that their doctors don't tell them about the possible harmful interaction between pain drugs and other medications they take.

----------------- SOURCE: The Study of Pain and Older Americans. Louis Harris and Associates survey, 1997.

December 1997
print pdf
Trending
News / Profession
NBCE-FCLB Merger Approved
NBCE-FCLB Merger Approved

The proposed merger of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners and Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards was approved by NBCE delegates and FCLB members at their respective annual meetings, held jointly in Atlanta, Ga., this year. Per the new bylaws, the new entity takes the NBCE name, with FCLB continuing as a department within NBCE. The federation will continue to enjoy Board of Directors representation on what will be a single, expanded board.

 |  Digital Exclusive
Dynamic Chiropractic Staff
Diagnosis & Diagnostic Equip
When Radiculopathy Isn’t Radiculopathy: A Clinical Series (Pt. 3)
When Radiculopathy Isn’t Radiculopathy

Before introducing subscapularis syndrome as an upper extremity analog, it is essential to revisit piriformis syndrome as a well-established example of myogenic pseudo-radiculopathy. Piriformis syndrome has long served as a clinical exception to disc-centric models of lower extremity pain and provides an important framework for understanding how deep muscular dysfunction can mimic radiculopathy in the absence of nerve root compression.

Ken Kaufman, DC
Healthcare / Public Health
From Pain Scores to Performance Metrics
From Pain Scores to Performance Metrics

Pain has become the dominant language of musculoskeletal healthcare. Numeric pain-rating scales and symptom reports are routinely used as primary indicators of clinical success. But while pain reduction is meaningful, it is an incomplete and often misleading representation of recovery. This has real consequences for patient adherence, long-term outcomes, and how conservative care is perceived within the broader healthcare system.

Christopher Proulx, DC, PhD(ABD), CSCS