Opioid Solutions - Pain isn’t the problem, it’s an indicator of a bigger problem!
It’s been all over the news in the State of Florida and nation-wide. More and more people are having their lives ripped away from them and their families emotionally traumatized due to the over use and subsequent addiction to pain-killing medications.
For decades, I’ve witnessed many people from all walks of life turn the chronic pain cycle around and get off the meds. Check out the testimonial page to see what they have to say about their own situation. Click here to read.
Looking at this from the outside looking in - here’s what I have seen in the clinic since 1992:
When pain is treated by the established western medical system with current “stand are care” guidelines, there are typically 4 choices to treat pain:
The current medical system doesn’t address life style as necessary to achieve success; it’s given as a suggestion and an option.
Stress management - it’s not a “zanax" deficiency, which, like all medications, have long-term side-effects due to chemical stress.
Food as your medicine - your body uses food to: Heal. Mend. Repair.
Flexibility and strength training - it’s basic Anatomy and Physiology 101.
The system is focused on the “Big Bad and Ugly” and frequently misses the bigger picture of overall balance or homeostasis. Imbalance happens years and even decades before pain and disease presents in an exam or lab test. This makes me think that it’s not really “healthcare” but “disease care”. An interesting misuse of the word “health” in our medical system.
Labs are limiting and could even be deceptive in a sense, because they lead us to believe we are “perfectly healthy” if they show up as normal. Annual lab tests evaluate if there are disease markers. But, with my medical background in the licensed primary care practice of acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, I must ask the question - what caused that in the first place? My mind keeps going back and asking why on multiple levels - which I have found to be necessary to really achieve a higher level of true optimal health.
The missing piece to a Comprehensive Healthcare System is a method to evaluate the subtle signs and symptoms. You know, the ones typically ignored because the labs are normal. Currently, the system is trying to address things like life-style, but there is a missing piece.
Thousands of years ago, a system WAS developed that uses a method more closely related to Physics, rather than Chemistry. However, it stayed hidden from the west until we got a peak behind the great wall of China. In 1972, we were introduced to Acupuncture and acupuncture anesthesia. http://www.nytimes.com/1972/06/12/archives/interest-in-acupuncture-rises-in-us-doctors-test-old-chinese.html
Unfortunately, due to public demand, acupuncture and adulterated versions like “dry needling” by unlicensed allied healthcare workers, who are using the needles but saying it’s “dry needling” and not acupuncture, so they don’t need the training, is actually causing harm. This is because they are only getting a few days of training. To have basic competency, there are national standards, board exams, and state licensure. This is necessary in order to practice without doing harm. A word of recommendation, if seeking this type of care, check credentials.
For more on my take on this issue, and to learn more, Click here
Until next time, Here’s to your body’s ability to:
Heal. Mend. Repair!