Chronic pain is one of the leading causes of long-term disability in the world. And it’s generally known that the power of medicine to relieve pain remains sadly inadequate. Dealing with chronic pain can wear a person down. Oftentimes, people also experience frustration and mental health issues because of the pain. People who suffer from chronic pain are three times more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety, and are twice as likely to be at risk for suicide. Pain can affect all aspects of someone’s life.
Daniel Clauw has said in a 2019 lecture, there isn’t “any drug in any chronic-pain state that works in better than one out of three people.” He went on to say that nonpharmacological therapy should instead be “front and center in managing chronic pain — rather than opioids, or for that matter, any of our drugs.”
Our approach with chronic pain is mostly medications, specifically opioids. However, chronic pain patients require a multifactorial approach, but unfortunately, our approach is not necessarily multifactorial. Join us, as we talk with Dr. Lishanna Emmert about acupuncture as a treatment modality to help with chronic pain. You can find Dr. Emmert at Solis.care.
