Putting the Genie Back in the Bottle

The American College of Physicians has issued new, important guidelines in how to best treat lower back pain. On Monday, February 13, 2017, The New York Times reported that the ACP issued an important study that says, in most cases, drugs are not the answer.

 

Set against a backdrop of epidemic opioid abuse, the ACP strays from former guidelines that called for medicine-first treatment and, instead, says the best medicine is often no medicine.

 

Dr. James Weinstein, a back pain specialist and chief executive of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System, has some advice for most people with lower back pain: Take two aspirin and don’t call me in the morning. Instead the ACP tells its physicians they should be utilizing and supporting non-prescription therapies such as exercise, acupuncture, massage or yoga. Reassure patients that they will be better in a couple of weeks WITHOUT DRUGS — even those over the counter remedies.

 

If you have lower back pain, forget OxyContin and other incredibly strong pain relievers. Evidence shows that many folks with addiction issues start with a simple prescription for lower back pain, when the best simple prescription is walking, moderate exercise, and giving it a couple of weeks. This is what the doctors (and the research) are telling their colleagues, and this is what patients need to hear.

 

We often wonder how to put the genie back in the bottle when it comes to narcotics. If doctors will follow the advice of their peers, we can begin to decrease the increase and save thousands of otherwise destroyed lives. We can help and would love to help you do this.

Call us. We can ALL do better.

William Faris, JD
Chief Executive Officer
502-495-5040
william.faris@omca.biz
www.omca.biz

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