Opioids: The Crisis

• The #1 cause of disability worldwide is spinal pain.

• The annual cost of pain is $600B. More than heart disease($309B) and cancer($243B) combined.

• Nearly 25% of all opioid prescriptions are given for back pain.

The Institute of Medicine, FDA, & CDC guidelines all recommend non-opioid and non-pharmacologic approaches as the first line of defense in dealing with chronic pain

• 1 of 3 Americans Take Opioid Drug

• 1.9 Million Americans are Addicted to Opioid Drugs

• 175 people DIE per day from Opioids

• 63.4% of Opioid users start because of a physical pain

A baby is born every 25 minutes addicted to opioid drugs (having withdrawals) and it costs $1.5B/year to rehab these babies ($50k per baby) (Journal of Perinatology 2015)

Life Expectancy has declined three years in a row for the first time in 100 years. (due to flu pandemic in 1916-2018)

The CDC attributes the drop in life expectancy (2016-2018) to Opioid Use.

CHIROPRACTIC HAS A HUGE ROLE TO PLAY IN COMBATING THIS CRISIS: According to Journal of Complementary & Alternative Medicine in Dec. 2017: Chiropractic Patients shown to use 55% less opioids than non-chiropractic recipients

 

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