Surgeon General's Advisory on Conservative Care: What If?
Steven Visentin
Author's Note: Read the following press release in its entirety or you'll miss out!
April 1, 2019; For Immediate Release – U.S. Surgeon General Jefferson Carter, MD, MPH, is urging medical physicians to increase referrals to qualified doctors of chiropractic. The surgeon general is now recommending that more individuals who are seeking to eliminate pain and increase their level of overall health and wellness utilize conservative health care measures by doctors of chiropractic before turning to potentially dangerous drugs.
An estimated 2.1 million people in the U.S. struggle with opioids. Opioid drugs include oxycodone, hydrocodone and methadone, which are commonly prescribed to treat pain. In the U.S., 69 percent of opioid prescriptions are made for chronic musculoskeletal pain. These conditions can be effectively managed by doctors of chiropractic. Common conditions such as sciatica, back pain, neck pain, headaches, fibromyalgia, etc., respond readily to nondrug intervention. However, death rates from opioid overdoses are rapidly increasing.
"Each day we lose 115 Americans to an opioid overdose – that's one person every 12.5 minutes," said the surgeon general. "It's time to reverse our antiquated policies and illogical thinking about using drugs to treat every problem and wholeheartedly embrace our chiropractic colleagues whose philosophy recognizes the body's inherent self-healing qualities."
Chiropractic is a philosophy, science, and art of leading a healthy drug-free life. Referrals to doctors of chiropractic would save lives, and prevent physical and mental anguish associated with addiction and reduce health care costs dramatically.
"To manage opioid addiction and prevent future overdoses, increased chiropractic availability must occur in conjunction with expanded access to evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder," the surgeon general said.
All states have passed laws to allow access to proper chiropractic care, and in most states, you can walk into a chiropractic clinic even if you're not seeing a traditional medical doctor. In addition, all states have laws allowing individuals to choose what kind of health care they wish for themselves and their family. It goes without saying that implementing the most conservative measures first would go a long way in resolving the country's opioid epidemic.
Chiropractic is covered by most insurance plans, and for those without coverage, many doctors of chiropractic offer low-cost family care programs. It's easy to use, safe to administer and currently underutilized.
The surgeon general's advisory on chiropractic is part of the administration's ongoing effort to respond to the sharp increase in drug overdose deaths. Just last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data showing a rise in emergency department visits for opioid overdoses. From July 2017 through September 2018, opioid overdoses increased 26 percent in all parts of the U.S. Steven Visentin, DC, a member of the Blue Ribbon committee working with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), stated, "Opioid drugs can be appropriate in certain cases of intractable pain like cancer, but more common conditions should be referred to a qualified doctor of chiropractic."
Expanding the use of chiropractic will become a key part of the public health response to the opioid crisis, along with effective treatment and recovery programs for opioid use disorder. Research shows a combination of chiropractic, counseling, and behavioral therapy, also known as Chiropractic Assisted Treatment, or CAT, can help people with addictive disorders achieve long-term results.
For more information on how to get help, call your family chiropractor or go to https://www.acatoday.org/Find-a-Doctor to find a chiropractor near you. To learn more about Dr. Visentin's views on the current opioid crisis, visit www.carechiropractic.com. And one more thing: April Fools!
Editor's Note: While the above is April Fools' Day humor, it's also deadly serious, considering the magnitude of the opioid crisis and the fact that the chiropractic profession represents a safe, effective alternative to OTC and prescription medication. With guidelines, policy, and public and professional opinion slowly evolving, one hopes we'll see this type of press release come true soon.
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