In counties all across America, morgues are full — too full, in fact, to even conduct proper autopsies. Children have been orphaned, families destroyed, and too many grandparents now carry the burden of raising their grandchildren.
Opioids, which are commonly prescribed for chronic pain, are responsible for creating one of the biggest public health crises America has ever seen. And yet, one of the more shocking determinants behind this epidemic is not widely reported.
Related: The devastating personal toll of West Virginia’s opioid crisis
Approximately 90 percent of doctors practicing medicine in America today do not know how to treat chronic pain. This is a catastrophic problem, considering that one-third of the U.S. population suffers from chronic pain on a daily basis. At the same time, the World Health Organization estimates that chronic pain will doom one out of every ten people alive today to die a painful death.
Tragically, patients tormented by unrelenting pain will do almost anything to make it stop, often turning to their doctors pleading for some type of relief. And while most doctors are compassionate caregivers who truly want to help their suffering patients, too many turn straight to opioids because they are unaware of alternative pain treatments or the potential risks associated with opioid therapy. Chronic pain, especially, and the unintentional overdose of opioid analgesics, have become a pressing humanitarian crisis that can no longer be ignored.
The number of deaths related to opioid overdose is shocking, and is increasing exponentially. The toll on America has been crushing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported over 18,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2014. In 2015 that number nearly doubled to a staggering 33,000 opioid-related deaths reported, and 45 percent of those deaths involved a prescription. Even more concerning, the American Society of Addiction Medicine reports that four out of five heroin users today started out misusing prescription painkillers.
Today pain relief is a multibillion dollar business, costing the U.S. economy more than a half a trillion dollars annually. And as the pain-relief industry has expanded, it has become more and more challenging for patients to distinguish between real solutions, snake-oil remedies, and deadly prescriptions. To make matters worse, most reputable physicians and other healthcare providers in the U.S. lack adequate knowledge of the many effective alternatives to opioid therapy. I know, because at one point I was one of those doctors. I knew everything that medical school taught me about how to treat my patients, but I knew very little about how to help them with chronic pain.
Doctors all across this country need to be trained in administering evidence-based and innovative therapies that work, including advanced injection therapies, cutting-edge neurostimulation procedures, non-opioid pharmacological therapies, mind-body techniques, the use of medical marijuana, acupuncture, and even aromatherapy, music therapy, and more. Through years of clinical care and research, I have witnessed firsthand that these treatments, alone or in combination, can markedly improve the lives of those suffering from chronic pain.
Recent advancements in both medicine and technology have revolutionized the way we now understand, and should be treating, pain. Chronic pain is a legitimate medical condition and needs to be treated as such. The recognition of this fact will foster greater access to pain care, reduce the stigma associated with chronic pain, and help to promote effective research.
Let us not forget that over 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain on a daily basis. Some of those patients will need access to opioid therapy, but we need a much more balanced and focused approach to managing pain in America — one that emphasizes non-opioid therapies first.
I am very encouraged that the government is now earnestly focusing on the opioid crisis and allocating more resources to the problem of opioid overdose. Moreover, I applaud first lady Melania Trump for using her office to shine a much-needed spotlight on the opioid crisis, and in particular, on children at risk for drug abuse. Given that over 80 percent of addictions occur by age 35, we are in need of effective interventions that support alternative choices to opioids in vulnerable children and young adults.
The nation’s growing opioid epidemic calls for a sweeping change in American medicine. President Trump’s declaration of an emergency now puts a national focus on solutions to the opioid crisis. It’s an opportune time to develop a comprehensive overhaul for treating chronic pain, encompassing evidence-based, integrative, and innovative therapies for easing pain and human suffering.
Paul J. Christo, a professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, is the author of Aches and Gains: A Comprehensive Guide to Overcoming Your Pain.
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