Freedman Chiropractic Center, LLC is cautioning patients against prescription painkiller use to manage chronic pain, citing a break-through study that found chiropractic care to be a safer strategy than opioids. East Brunswick chiropractor Dr. Ken Freedman is a long-time advocate for drug-free, conservative care for back pain and neck pain. Dr. Freedman is concerned about the current painkiller epidemic and committed to educating patients about safe, drug-free pain management alternatives.
Legal opioids including OxyContin, Percocet and Vicodin are now associated with more overdose deaths than heroin and cocaine combined, according to a recent study on the dangers of opioid prescription painkillers. The study, “Chiropractic: A Safer Strategy Than Opioids,” is blowing the whistle on the current epidemic of prescription painkillers and cautioning medical practitioners and patients alike to consider alternative options, including chiropractic care.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are all calling for a shift away from opioid use toward non-pharmacological approaches to address chronic pain.
“America is in the grips of a prescription painkiller epidemic,” says Dr. Freedman. “Nearly three out of four doctors and nurses incorrectly believe that morphine and oxycodone are the most effective ways to treat pain. Study after study finds this to simply not be true. There are safe, effective drug-free alternatives for addressing chronic pain. Chiropractic care is one such option.”
“Chiropractic: A Safer Strategy Than Opioids” found that more than 70 percent of doctors say they prescribe narcotic painkillers for back pain, despite evidence favoring conservative treatments such as chiropractic care.
According to the study, “Chiropractic care offers a drug-free, non-invasive and cost-effective alternative to opioid drugs” for patients who suffer with chronic pain.
CDC guidelines and FDA guidelines both recommend a non-opioid and non-pharmacological approach to chronic pain. Dr. Freedman follows these guidelines when caring for patients with chronic and acute back pain, neck pain and other pain conditions.
“We need a cultural transformation that places the patient at the center of a personalized, tailored, multi-disciplinary care model that draws upon all available evidence-based modalities,” says Dr. Freedman.
Acute and chronic chiropractic patients experienced better outcomes in pain, functional disability and patient satisfaction, reports the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics.
Despite these studies, painkiller prescriptions remain high. Americans account for only 4.6 percent of the world’s population, yet consumes 80 percent of the global opioid supply and 99 percent of the global hydrocodone supply, reports the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians.
“We need to put patients first and consider all available care options, rather than relying on medication to mask pain symptoms,” continued Dr. Freedman. “Drugs are not a solution. They are part of the problem.”
For more information, call Freedman Chiropractic Center at 732-254-6011 or visit www.FreedmanChiropracticCenter.com.