Chiropractic Society of Rhode Island joins front lines in the battle against opioids addiction

According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, of the 21.5 million Americans age 12 or older who had a substance use disorder in 2014, 1.9 million had a substance abuse disorder involving prescription pain relievers. That factor has led the Chiropractic Society of Rhode Island, one of the oldest chiropractic associations in the United States, to initiate a grassroots information campaign advocating chiropractic care as an alternative to prescription pain killers.

“People are prescribed opioids for back, low back and neck pain, headaches, neuro-musculoskeletal conditions and other related conditions. These are all conditions that can be lessened and possibly prevented with conservative chiropractic care that can reduce spinal stress (subluxation)--without the need for drugs,” said Dr. Michael Gottfried, president of the Chiropractic Society of Rhode Island (CSRI) and chiropractic physician at Aquidneck Chiropractic in Middletown, Rhode Island. “That lives are being ruined and lost due to opioid addiction that started with prescribed medicine is an American tragedy. Our society is trying to get the word out that you do have choices for pain besides prescription drugs.”

In recent years, at least half of all U.S. opioid overdose deaths involved a prescribed opioid. In 2014, more than 14,000 people died from overdoses involving these drugs, with the most commonly overdosed opioids -- Methadone, Oxycodone (such as OxyContin®), and Hydrocodone (such as Vicodin®).

“Loss of life to opioid addiction is tragic, there’s no denying that. Even less extreme cases of opioid use and abuse have consequences,” adds Dr. Gottfried. The newest estimates on the cost of opioid abuse to U.S. employers are estimated at $18 billion in sick days, lost productivity and medical expenses.

Part of CSRI’s grassroots movement includes the distribution of information to patients and other interested parties. The Society has also set up a speaker’s bureau where chiropractors will speak to local businesses and civic groups on chiropractic as an alternative to prescription pain killers.

“The scary part of the opioid epidemic is that it could happen to any of us who trust that pain killers prescribed to us will not harm us,” said Dr. Gottfried. “Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. That’s why the best course for pain is to treat it naturally with chiropractic.”

To arrange for a chiropractor to speak to your group, contact CSRI at 401-207-0700 or e-mail director@richiro.org. To find a chiropractor in Rhode Island, you can go to www.richiro.org.