When we are sick or in great pain, we trust doctors to provide us with the medical attention we need to feel better and stop hurting. Most times, a doctor visit will result in a prescription: rest, hydrate, and, frequently, medication.
Medication can be helpful in many ways. It can minimize or even eliminate pain, boost the immune system to fight illness, and aid those living with disease. But recent studies show that medication can be extremely harmful, too.
How Opioid Dependence Has Become Mainstream
According to a study detailed by CNN, medical services rendered to treat opioid dependence increased by more than 3,000% between 2007 and 2014. That statistic alone is enough to trigger alarm, but if we dig a little deeper, the reason for pause comes into full view: this apparent increase in drug use is not a standalone problem.
It is worth noting who the subjects of this study were, and what it means for medicinal treatments. This exploration of drug use as connected to medical treatments was not a study of the homeless, or the very poor, or those with nothing to lose. This study considered claims from insurers and looked for codes related to opioid dependency and abuse — or codes related to complications from heroin use.
So this was a study of people with either job-based or independently paid insurance.
Meaning?
These are people just like everyone, just like the very middle of the population, people in “the general mainstream.”
The confirmation of increased opioid dependency is accompanied by some other uncovered truths:
- Younger patients (aged 19-35) are most likely to be diagnosed as opioid dependent
- Men are more likely than women to develop dependency
- But, women are more likely to overdose
And the scariest truth of all? Many experts believe the increase in addiction is directly tied to an increased prescription of opioids by doctors in the past decade.
So very drugs we take to improve our symptoms may eventually be the drugs that lead us straight back to the hospital to treat an overdose or dependency issue.
Avoid Opioids with Dynamic Health
Dependency may be on the rise in the general mainstream population, but being mainstream isn’t the only option. At Dynamic Health, we can treat your condition without using drugs or surgery. Together we can avoid the risks associated with prescription drugs and the growing problem of dependency.
To learn more about our services or how our treatments can help you, reach out to us online or pay us a visit in Charlotte, North Carolina.