Pill Poppin’ Perils: The Opioid Crisis and the Urgency for Alternative Pain Treatments

Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued opioid prescribing guidelines that recommended rarity and brevity in opioid prescriptions in addition to prescribing as low a dose as possible. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) followed up the CDC’s guidelines with a requirement for the strongest available warning, a black box warning, on immediate release opioids. These warnings explain the significant risks these drugs pose for abuse, addiction, and death. Extended release opioids already carried such warnings.

The Current State of Pain Relief Medicine

It’s a pivotal time for pain relief medicine. The most commonly used pain treatments in the US, opioid drugs, pose far too many risks to be widely used.

The cost of opioid prescription has been tremendous—from 1999 to 2014, 165,000 Americans have died from overdoses related to prescription opioids. Millions of other Americans have descended into the hell of addiction, which has taken a toll not only on their own lives, but also on the families and communities.

Risks of Opioid Therapy and Lack of Scientific Evidence

In addition to the risks of opioid therapy, there is no scientific evidence that they actually benefit patients with chronic pain. The little research that exists, however, indicates that chronic pain patients who rely on opioids to manage their pain have more pain and disability, and lower quality of life than similar pain patients who don’t use opioids.

Concerns About Medication Treatments

There was more recent bad news about medication treatment for pain. In 2014, the FDA mandated black box warnings on all nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) except aspirin, advising that chronic use for more than a few weeks significantly raises risks of death from heart attacks and strokes. Aspirin poses its own serious risks—3000 Americans die each year from gastrointestinal bleeding due to long-term use of aspirin. Even excessive use of acetaminophen puts patients at risk of liver failure, which is fatal without a liver transplant.

The Shift to Alternative Medicine

This should be a time when the focus shifts to alternative medicine, including many therapies that are proven safe and effective for acute and chronic pain. These include acupuncture, biofeedback, chiropractic, exercise programs, herbs, low-level laser therapy, marijuana, massage, and mind/body interventions including psychotherapy, nutritional interventions, physical therapy, therapeutic touch, and others.

Barriers to Alternative Medicine

The mainstream medical community, however, has other ideas. Most act as if alternative therapies don’t exist. Prestigious medical journals and respected publications such as the New York Times have printed articles suggesting that patients no longer be treated for pain, that patients be given placebos (since placebos often work), and even that patients no longer be asked about their pain instead of delving into alternative treatments.

Challenges in Accessing Alternative Pain Treatments

Meanwhile, chronic pain patients who have become dependent on opioids are being forced to reduce their prescriptions for opioids while being offered nothing to replace them. Many have multiple pain problems whose causes were never adequately addressed, and thus, their conditions have deteriorated significantly. Many have been harmed by multiple unnecessary and unsuccessful procedures such as repeated back surgeries.

While some benefit from the myriad alternative medicine options available for pain treatment, the vast majority of the 100 million Americans who suffer from chronic pain are unable to. Most do not have the financial means to pay out of pocket for the multidisciplinary, extended treatment required to address chronic pain.

The Call for Action

What we need is an intensive grassroots effort to ensure that everyone who can benefit from alternative medicine to treat pain gets appropriate information and has affordable access to these therapies.

Please join me in demanding that President Obama and Congress pass legislation that requires doctors to be educated in alternative pain treatments and insurance to cover these treatments at a level that allows affordable access for pain patients and a sustainable income for health care providers.

The post Pill Poppin’ Perils appeared first on Alternative Medicine Magazine.

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of treatments aren’t considered holistic medicine?

Holistic medicine focuses on the whole person as a healing approach, rather than just the symptoms. It helps people to recover from illness by promoting health and preventing disease.

Holistic medicine relies on natural remedies such homeopathy, herbs, and acupuncture to replace drugs and surgery.

Holistic medicine involves lifestyle changes such diet, exercise and yoga.

Integrative medicine is also known as holistic medicine. It integrates all aspects, including the patient’s spiritual, mental, and physical needs, into a single comprehensive care plan.

Holistic medicine emphasizes prevention and early diagnosis of disease and encourages healthy lifestyles.

Holistic doctors believe there is no one cause for every condition. Instead, they look at the entire picture, including genetic factors, environmental influences, lifestyle choices, and personal habits.

Holistic practitioners focus more on the mind, emotions, and spirit than on the body alone.

Holistic physicians consult with their patients to help them determine the best option for them.

What are the advantages of holistic medicine over traditional medicine?

Holistic medicine has been used by many religions and cultures for thousands years. They were developed based on ancient knowledge and experience.

These medicines are safe and effective. They also come at a reasonable price. Side effects are much less than those associated with pharmaceutical drugs.

They will also assist you in achieving better health and well-being.

They can prevent you from getting sick and boost your overall well being.

They could even be used to treat heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, asthma and depression.

There are hundreds of traditional medicines in the world. Each has its own benefits.

The World Health Organization estimates that 80% of the population relies on traditional methods to treat illness or injury.

A reported half-billion people use traditional herbal remedies to get primary healthcare.

The market for complementary therapies worldwide is estimated to be $22.2 million by 2020.

To avoid side effects from conventional treatments, people are turning to alternative methods of medical care.

Many people turn to complementary therapies when they do not respond to other treatment options. They might also consider them before considering surgery or medication.

There are several reasons why people choose complementary therapies:

To improve quality of life
To reduce stress levels
For relaxation
To relieve pain
To enhance immunity
For support in coping with serious illnesses
To boost energy
To control weight
To maintain good nutrition
To improve sleep patterns
To deal avec chronic conditions

Is holistic health care equivalent to alternative medicine?

Holistic Health Care differs from Alternative Medicine because it focuses on treating the whole person, not just the symptoms.

Holistic Health Care examines all aspects a person’s health including the mental, emotional, spiritual and occupational factors as well as family factors.

Alternative Medicine doesn’t address such issues. It doesn’t address these issues.

Statistics

According to a 2005 book by a US [116]Institute of Medicine panel, the number of RCTs focused on CAM has risen dramatically. (en.wikipedia.org)
The concept of regression toward the mean implies that an extreme result is more likely to be followed by a less extreme result. (en.wikipedia.org)
In the 17% in which they disagreed, a third reader agreed with one of the initial readers to set a rating. (en.wikipedia.org)
According to the World Health Organization, 80% of people use herbal medicine worldwide. (webmd.com)
These studies found that 38.4% concluded positive or possibly positive effects for CAM (12.4%), 4.8% concluded no effect, 0.7% concluded harmful effects, and 56.6% concluded insufficient evidence. (en.wikipedia.org)

External Links

How To

What are the different types of alternative and complementary medicine?

There are four major types of CAM: mind-body medicine (natural products), manipulative therapies (energy healing), and manipulative therapies (natural products). Mind-body medicine covers yoga, Tai Chi and Reiki, as well as chiropractic care, homeopathy (naturopathy), biofeedback, hypnosis and hypnosis. Natural products include herbs and vitamins, minerals as well as dietary supplements. Manipulative therapies are physical manipulations like acupuncture or chiropractic care, acupuncture or therapeutic exercise. Techniques such as prayer or visualization can be used to bring about energy healing.

CAM refers to a variety of health practices that are not in line with Western medical models. These practices differ in how much scientific evidence they have, whether they involve drugs, surgery, or which conditions they treat. Some CAM practitioners may also prescribe medication and perform diagnostic testing (e.g. blood tests). Some practitioners do both.

Each category has many subcategories in addition to the four main categories. In mind-body medicine there are relaxation techniques. Natural products include nutritional supplements, botanical remedies, homeopathic remedies and essential oils. Manual, movement, manipulation, electrotherapies and soft tissue mobilization are some of the manipulative therapies. There are many spiritual healing options, such as faith healing and prayer within energy healing.

Many CAM treatments help symptoms without addressing the cause of the disease. Some chronic diseases may be treated with CAM. If used in the right way, CAM can supplement conventional treatment options.

There are many different reasons people use the CAM.

To improve their overall health.
To manage a special condition.
To relieve pain or discomfort.
To prevent illness.
To promote wellness.
To address a person’s belief system.

Some people prefer CAM over conventional medicine because they feel it provides more control over the health of their bodies. Some people believe that CAM has less side effects. Others prefer CAM to stay away from prescription medications. Some people prefer not to use pharmaceuticals. Others seek out CAM after having bad experiences with traditional medicine.

People who use CAM often say that they want to know the basics of what they are doing before trying anything new. Many CAM users ask questions about the safety and effectiveness of CAM. Others rely upon word-of-mouth referrals from family and friends.

Although CAM is often viewed negatively by society, most users report positive feelings toward CAM. People who use CAM are happier and healthier than those who don’t. This is true regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, income, education level, occupation, insurance status, or other factors.

An overwhelming majority of Americans are familiar with some form of complementary or alternative medicine. 95% of adults have used CAM at some point in their lives. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), approximately 40 million visits were made to CAM providers in 2010 alone.

According to the NCCIH, 10 percent of Americans use chiropractors, massage therapists and acupuncturists.3 This compares with only 2 percent who use medical doctors.

The American Medical Association reiterated its support for integrative medical care in 2013. It acknowledged that integrative medicine should be integrated into the clinical practice of physicians to best meet the needs and expectations of patients.

The Institute of Medicine published a groundbreaking report in 2007 entitled “Relaxing Contraints: Improving access to Complementary and Alternative Healthcare.” It concluded that there is no credible evidence that any particular CAM intervention is effective in treating or preventing cancer.

CAM is still gaining popularity despite this conclusion. The 2008 number of CAM practitioners increased 8 percent compared with 2007.

A recent study revealed that almost half of respondents use CAM as partof their primary healthcare regime.

CAM therapies may include natural products and mind-body practices as well as manipulative techniques, energy healing, modalities, exercise, and dietary supplements.

Many CAM therapies are used primarily as pain relief. But, many offer additional benefits such relaxation, improved moods, better sleep, decreased stress and enhanced immunity.

Acupuncture, for example, can relieve chronic back pain, lower anxiety and depression, improve immune function and promote weight loss.

Many CAM treatments are based on traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, and their roots go back thousands of years.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), for instance, originated over 5,000 years ago. This practice has been in China since antiquity.

TCM is an important component of modern health care.

TCM has become a popular treatment option for more than 70% of the population in the United States.

Yoga is another CAM therapy that is very popular. Yoga originated in India around 5000 B.C. Yoga is now an accepted global practice.

Yoga has gained popularity due to its physical, mental, as well as spiritual benefits.

Yoga can relieve stress, improve flexibility, and increase strength.

Although limited scientific research has been done, yoga may have beneficial effects on sleep33.

Other CAM treatments, like meditation, homeopathy and aromatherapy are also gaining acceptance in mainstream medical practice.

Herbal medicine is one of the most popular types of CAM.

Herbal medicines contain herbs, spices, flowers, seeds, fruits, mushrooms, bark, leaves, roots, and stems.

They are commonly used as safer alternatives to prescription drugs and are often preferred by consumers.

The U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health estimates that about 90 million Americans use some form of complementary/alternative medicine.

The American Cancer Society reports that 45% (or more) of those diagnosed with cancer have used alternative medicines during their illness.

The National Institutes of Health estimate that 60% of patients suffering from cancer use CAM. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 50% of all cancer survivors have reported using CAM.

In fact, according to a recent study, 51% of cancer survivors reported using at least one type of CAM.

However, only 8% discussed the topic with their physicians.

This gap in healthcare delivery is caused by a lack of communication between conventional doctors and CAM users.

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By: Dick Benson
Title: Pill Poppin’ Perils: The Opioid Crisis and the Urgency for Alternative Pain Treatments
Sourced From: alternativemedicine.com/conditions/pain/pill-poppin-perils/
Published Date: Mon, 08 Jul 2024 21:53:56 +0000