Facing The Facts About Pain

Pain management is a multi-billion-dollar business. The opioid epidemic is testament to that. In fact there is a current documentary streaming on Netflix called The Crime of The Century that reveals the history of opioids and how they are being misused to treat pain in this country. I highly recommend watching it if you are in pain or know someone who is if they are not already hooked on opioids.

The fact of the matter is that a lot of people live with pain. Pain is the most common reason for physician appointments in the United States. More than 50 million Americans are suffering with pain. That’s roughly 1 out of 3 adults. It’s no wonder opioids have destroyed so many lives with so many people looking to alleviate their pain in a medical system that more readily prescribes pills rather than discover the real source of the pain and relieve it not just “patch” it. In fact, one of the most horrific things in The Crime of The Century is the statement made by a physician who prescribed unbelievable numbers of opioids to a woman who eventually died of overdose. This doctor said that he felt like he was doing “something really noble and worthwhile, after all, these people who are in pain are going to die eventually. Does it really matter if they die from the pills or from the pain?”

Pain is the body’s way of letting us know something in the body requires attention. Today the solution of mainstream medicine is to cut out the part that hurts or numb it with pain pills. What most people have not yet embraced is that the human body is a self-healing, interconnected system. Doctors don’t heal the body. The body heals itself. But doctors can enhance the healing by discovering what is really going on in the body and giving the body what it needs to heal itself.

I’m often the last stop on the trail of people who are desperate to feel better. I don’t mind being last, because most of my patients finally find lasting relief without surgery or addictive pills. If you’re ready to live pain-free give my office a call.