Chiropractic works. Chiropractic saves money. Chiropractic saves lives.
Sometimes good comes from bad.
The nation’s opioid crisis continues to provide sobering statistics and remains a high priority for governments and decision-makers at the local, state and federal levels.
- From 1999 to 2017, more than 700,000 people have died from a drug overdose.
- Around 68% of the more than 70,200 drug overdose deaths in 2017 involved an opioid.
- In 2017, the number of overdose deaths involving opioids (including prescription opioids and illegal opioids like heroin and illicitly manufactured fentanyl) was 6 times higher than in 1999.
- On average, 130 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose.
The Train Wreck
There is plenty of blame and finger-pointing surrounding this disastrous situation. Drug manufacturers, drug wholesalers, drug formularies, insurance companies, and prescribers all played a role in letting the opioid debacle spiral out of control. Experts, pundits, and taskforces across the nation are brainstorming to create solutions and change the direction of this train wreck. Unfortunately, it appears that many of the efforts and solutions offered are focused on the wreckage and not preventing the derailment. But here is a fun fact for you: chiropractic’s fingerprints aren’t anywhere near this disaster.
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Chiropractic to the Rescue
It’s sad and jaded, but, as much as we don’t want it or wish it upon anyone, the opioid crisis is good business for chiropractic. We now see that major authorities are asking for non-pharmacological options prior to opioid prescriptions. Musculoskeletal pain, led by spinal disorders, costs the US healthcare system 874 billion dollars per year and is the most common cause of severe long-term pain and disability. DCs offer a safe, effective, less-costly and patient –satisfying approach to many of the conditions for which opioids are commonly used.
To promote that message, the ICS has created a media piece available to every member. Our hope is that members will share it on their personal and business social media accounts. It’s beyond time we promote our wonderful profession and the outcomes we generate. The ultimate winner is the patient. Literally, lives depend on more people seeing chiropractors instead of using opioids. We hope you watch, enjoy, and share the video!
