http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_149202.html
[Jae] Kennedy [a professor of health policy and administration at Washington State University] suggested that for those experiencing chronic, crippling pain there are a variety of potential interventions, including physical and occupational therapy, exercise, dietary changes, weight loss, massage and psychotherapy, alongside alternative interventions such as acupuncture, yoga and chiropractic services. Medicines, including narcotic painkillers like hydrocodone, oxycodone and morphine, can also be helpful, but only if long-term use is avoided, Kennedy said.
“We are clearly overusing opioids [narcotics],” he noted. “The U.S. consumes about 80 percent of the world’s opioid supply, and 99 percent of the hydrocodone supply. These medications are effective in the short term, [such as] for managing postoperative pain, but long-term use often leads to dependency or addiction.”
Bob Twillman, director of policy and advocacy for the American Academy of Pain Management, agreed, noting that the kind of crippling pain that can make it impossible for people to work tends to have many different sources, not all of which are best addressed with narcotic painkillers.
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No, Mr. Kennedy, long-term use does not often lead to dependency. And what Mr. Kennedy fails to mention about those international statistics is that many countries refuse to treat pain at all. So the world’s supply of opiates isn’t really a “world” supply.
Doesn’t it piss you off when so-called “experts” lie? And thanks, AAPM, for caving into the echo chamber — what, lost your spine?
All Things Chronic 