The Opioid Crisis: Chiropractic Care Could Be The Solution
The opioid crisis is the rapid increase in the use of prescription and non-prescription opioid drugs in the United States beginning in the late 1990s and continuing throughout the first two decades of the 2000s. Opioids are a diverse class of moderately strong painkillers, including oxycodone (commonly sold under the trade names OxyContin and Percocet), hydrocodone (Vicodin), and a very strong painkiller, fentanyl, which is synthesized to resemble other opiates such as opium-derived morphine and heroin.
The potency and availability of these substances, despite their high risk of addiction and overdose, have made them popular both as formal medical treatments and as recreational drugs. Due to their sedative effects on the part of the brain which regulates breathing, the respiratory center of the medulla oblongata, opioids in high doses present the potential for respiratory depression, and may cause respiratory failure and death.
In 2015, It was recorded that 33,000 Americans died from overdoses of the prescription painkillers heroin, fentanyl or any combination, that’s almost 65 percent of total drug overdose deaths. The trend of prescribing opioids for pain relief increased dramatically in the 1990s.
But now, chiropractors are raising their voices around the nation and with lawmakers, emphasizing a new way to look at pain management.
For the overwhelming number of people who suffer with chronic pain, chiropractic care offers a drug-free, non-invasive and cost-effective alternative to opioid drugs.
There is a growing body of research that validates the effectiveness of chiropractic services, leading many respected health care organizations to recommend chiropractic and its drug-free approach to pain relief.
Drug-Free, Surgery-Free Solutions
Many patients already look to chiropractic’s advantage of drug-free treatment. However, there is need for further education on non-drug therapy pain treatments for those designing our healthcare system as well. This is particularly true of private insurance and government reimbursement programs.
Currently, the system favors the quick response rates of drug therapy rather than longer care regimens, such as chiropractic. This remains despite glaring differences in long-term results. Until this changes, many patients and providers feel trapped in the dangerous opioid cycle.
The ability to offer drug-free and surgery-free treatments remains a key advantage of chiropractic care. So many patients discovered this advantage long ago. Now, our nation must realize natural pain-relief offers not only a solution for individuals but our entire healthcare system.
As a new natural pattern of healthcare is established, weekly adjustments may be the best way to monitor progress and maintain peak results. Replacing opioid addiction with a new wellness plan may extend to healthier eating, better sleep, improved digestion and fresh alertness. Your chiropractor will help you each step of the way as you reclaim your life.
Dr. Kim "Doc Kim" Khauv, your Metro Manila chiropractor at Well-Balanced Chiropractic Wellness Center, has helped many people live healthier and happier lives.
With over 20 years of experience, Dr. Kim B. Khauv, DC (Doc Kim) is the only American chiropractor in the Philippines that has worked for the United States Navy as a chiropractor (taking care of active duty military service members and wounded warriors) and holds a Master's Degree in Public Health with emphasis on health promotion and prevention from The Fielding School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles.
He is also an award-winning chiropractor currently licensed in the State of California, as well as National Board Certified Doctor of Chiropractic in the United States of America. He is a "Registered Chiropractor" with the Philippines Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC). He has earned a Bachelor’s Degree from California State University in Fullerton (CSUF), a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the Fielding School of Public Health at University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), and Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Life Chiropractic College West (LCCW).
Previously, Doc Kim was 1 out of 24 United States Navy chiropractors in the world, proudly provided chiropractic care to active duty military members at Naval Medical Center San Diego and had a private practice in San Diego, California. Doc Kim currently holds an Adjunct Faculty position as Assistant Professor at Life Chiropractic College West teaching Public Health course to senior chiropractic students. He is an approved instructor by the Board of Chiropractic Examiners of California to teach both online and live Continuing Education courses to chiropractors in Metro Manila, Philippines in the subjects of Chiropractic Adjustive Technique, Law & Ethics, and chiropractic Public Health.
Doc Kim was an elected Section Councilor of the Chiropractic Health Care section (CHC) of the American Public Health Association (APHA) and served as Membership Chair. His chiropractic research has been accepted and presented nationally and internationally at APHA, Association of Chiropractic College’s annual Research Agenda Conference (ACC-RAC), International Society of Quality of Life Research, and World Chiropractic Federation (WFC). He has also published research on chiropractic care and public health education. He has been awarded the Distinguish Service Award (2015) and Rising Star Award (2013) from the APHA's CHC section.
While attending LCCW, he founded a non-profit called Well-Balanced World, 501(c)(3), with the sole purpose of providing affordable chiropractic care to underserved populations and charitable chiropractic care on international mission trips to Cambodia and the Philippines.
Dr. Kim Khauv, at Well-Balanced Chiropractic Wellness Center, now provides safe, effective, and evidence-based chiropractic care to patients from Makati, Rockwell, Manila, Paranaque, Alabang, Fort Bonifacio, Global City, Pasig, Ortigas, Mandaluyong, Greenhills, San Juan, and Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines.