Springing Into Summer And My Schedule
Memorial Day is just around the corner. Although not the summer solstice, the day with the most daylight hours, it is still the unofficial start of summer. I hope you have wonderful and healthy plans for the Memorial Day weekend and warmer days ahead.
May 30th through 4 June I will be in LA seeing patients, with the exception of Saturday. Please let me know if you would like an appointment at the Toluca Lake Tennis Club, 6711 Forest Lawn Drive, Suite 104. Email, text or call 818-863-6346.
This week I was able to help some football players at an NFL Alumni Golf Classic. It is amazing to me how much beating up some people can take. One handsome former Captain of 2 NFL teams had pins and plates in his neck, and he was still smiling and looking forward to a round of golf.
We all take knocks of one kind or another, and it is so easy these days to reach for a bottle of pain pills. With Oxycontin one of the most abused and dangerous drugs around today, you could easily jump from the frying pan into the fire trying to manage and relieve pain.
More than 194,000 people have died from the overdose of opioid pain relievers. Because of the highly addictive nature of these drugs, mobs and gangs have gotten in on the action, using unethical doctors to prescribe for bogus reasons, and reselling the prescriptions. http://www.latimes.com/projects/la-me-oxycontin-part2/ More people die from opioid overdose than from automobile accidents, according to the FBI. http://flatheadbeacon.com/2017/02/18/law-enforcement-opioid-addiction-crisis/
And one-third of drug addicts start with prescription medications.
Opioids have a long history in medicine. Derived originally from opium poppies in ancient Mesopotamia 3000 years before Christ, opium was used “recreationally” for centuries before a Swiss-German alchemist made it into pills for pain relief in the 1500’s. In the 1800’s morphine was isolated from opium, concentrating the pain relief elements and morphine products were a mainstay of medicine for years. It was highly addictive and one of the aftereffects of the American Civil War was the number of soldiers who were hooked. Heroin is a synthetic form of morphine, and was touted as safer, but we all know how hollow that promise proved to be. Bayer (the aspirin company) called heroin non-addictive morphine and used it in a cough-suppressant formula.
Oxycodone, another synthetic derivative, was developed after WW II, to help returning soldiers with pain. It has been a source of abuse and problems ever since. Oxycontin, developed by Purdue Pharma, is a time-release form of oxycodone, heralded as ushering in a new era of pain control.
In 2007, Purdue pled guilty to charges of misleading the public about the dangerous addictive nature of Oxycontin and paid $635 dollars in penalties. https://sobernation.com/the-history-of-opioids-in-america-pain-patients-or-prescription-addictions/
Millions of people are using Oxycontin or Oxycodone for non-medical purposes, and are trapped by the addictive nature of these drugs.
But people who have pain do need relief. In the natural world there are a number of things that can help. Here are a few:
Stop sugar and high carb foods. These cause inflammation, which can aggravate pain. Food allergies and poor digestion can cause pain in other parts of the body, disguising the real problem.
A massage therapist, chiropractor, physical therapist or other practitioner who helps with manipulation of connective tissue may provide relief. There are tools on the market for home use that may help with release of the fascia or connective tissue. https://www.anatomytrains.com/blog/2015/04/27/foam-rolling-and-self-myofascial-release/
There are some herbal remedies that can help, especially if used long term. Email me and I will be more specific if you have some pain you are trying to handle. Or book an appointment with me and let me know how I can help. Encourage your friends and loved ones to seek non-addictive help. Even drugs like Tylenol have long term harmful effects when taken regularly, and can be deadly when over-dosed. With natural medicine the cure is never worse than the disease.
Warmly;
Anne