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In search of new solutions to chronic suffering
Pain – persistent and chronic pain we day after day – may seem almost unbearable sometimes. Whether it's a throbbing pain in the neck or a constant stab in the back that limits mobility, no one wants to be afflicted by it.
About 20% of adults suffer from chronic pain according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For 8% of adults, the pain is so serious that it limits life or professional activities most days. Chronic pain has consequences for some of the most vulnerableable. It is more prevalent among women, the elderly, people living in poverty, rural dwellers and adults currently unemployed.
But the way we manage pain changes, largely because of the opioid epidemic.
A pill for every illness – it was the old way to see pain management. Patients were asked to take pain medication around the clock so that the pain would not be felt. As a result, too many of them have become addicted to opioid badgesics, too many people have died from overdoses and too many lives have been lost or ruined.
Now, doctors are telling us to be a little more comfortable with our pain. On a scale of zero to 10, we can never go down to zero and they will say that it's okay. There is no magic pill that can erase everything.
Due to the reduction in opioid consumption, more and more people are turning to alternative approaches such as acupuncture, electrical stimulation, nerve blockages and mind relaxation techniques -body. And more and more relief thanks to medical cannabis, which has been approved in Illinois to replace prescription opioid pain medications.
In this issue of Chicago Health, we examine the state of pain, as well as new approaches to manage pain. With reports on chronic pain control, alternative and holistic therapies, marijuana for medical purposes to relieve pain and the mental health aspects of pain, we hope to shed more light on the crisis in pain and hope for realistic relief.
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