{"id":2695,"date":"2018-09-18T10:08:34","date_gmt":"2018-09-18T15:08:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.keefeclinic.com\/wp\/?p=2695"},"modified":"2018-09-18T10:08:34","modified_gmt":"2018-09-18T15:08:34","slug":"va-study-finds-chiropractic-linked-to-lower-opiate-usage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.keefeclinic.com\/wp\/va-study-finds-chiropractic-linked-to-lower-opiate-usage\/","title":{"rendered":"VA Study Finds Chiropractic Linked to Lower Opiate Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"
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VA Study Finds Chiropractic Linked to Lower Opiate Usage<\/h2>\n
Author:\u00a0Michael Melton<\/a>\u00a0No Comments<\/a>\u00a0Share: <\/i>\u00a0<\/i>\u00a0<\/i>\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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We\u2019re all aware of the serious problem in the US with opiate addiction. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse,\u00a0115 Americans die<\/a>\u00a0from opiate overdoses each day (about 43,000 a year), and we spend about $78 billion on the total costs of opiate abuse. Opioid addiction is crippling our economy and many communities.<\/p>\n

Many people who become addicted to opiates are first introduced to them by doctors who prescribe them for chronic pain. A\u00a0recent study in the\u00a0American Journal of Psychiatry<\/em><\/a>\u00a0found that 60% of opioid overdoses first used these drugs when given a prescription for chronic, non-cancer pain: 59% of those patients were prescribed painkillers for chronic back pain and 24% were for chronic headache.<\/p>\n

In summary: 36% of people who died from opioid overdoses were first given a narcotic because they had back pain.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Dr<\/a><\/p>\n

Chiropractic: Working with the Root Cause of Pain<\/h2>\n

Chiropractic takes a different approach to pain by working to help the body repair the root cause of the problem rather than simply masking the symptoms, like opiates do. Remember: painkillers don\u2019t repair injuries or damaged tissue; they simply stop the brain from processing pain, leaving the underlying problem. If the problem isn\u2019t treated and the normal function isn\u2019t restored to the body, the pain will return.<\/p>\n

Numerous studies have found that chiropractic care is equally (or even more) effective than medical care for a variety of pain conditions, including back pain, sciatica, headache, and scoliosis. And since chiropractors don\u2019t prescribe drugs or perform surgery, patients who get adjustments don\u2019t have to worry about the negative side effects that come with these treatments\u2026including addiction.<\/p>\n

Even the American Medical Association<\/a>\u00a0has acknowledged that chiropractic adjustments should be a course of treatment before surgery is considered for back pain.<\/p>\n

The US Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>\u00a0has also seen the benefits of chiropractic care in the treatment of pain and, over the last few years, dramatically increased the utilization of chiropractic for veterans.<\/p>\n

\"Dr<\/a><\/p>\n

Chiropractic Patients Use Fewer Opiates<\/h2>\n

Now a new study1<\/sup>\u00a0from the VA looked at the relationship between chiropractic care and opioid consumption in returning veterans. In this study, the researchers looked at the health records of 14,000 individuals who had received at least one chiropractic adjustment. The authors found:<\/p>\n