An alarming new study has shown that Americans consume 80 percent of the world’s supply of painkillers. This translates to more than 110 tons of pure, addictive opiates every year as the nation’s prescription drug abuse epidemic spirals out of control.

Police are reporting increases in robberies and other crimes by people who are addicted to oxycodone and hydrocodone, the key ingredient in most prescription pain pills.

Another sobering statistic is that this figure gives every single American 64 Percocets or Vicodin; commonly used pain killers. Pain pill prescriptions continue to surge, up 600 percent in a decade, thanks to doctors who are increasingly compliant to hand out opiate drugs to patients.

Even worse is the fact that more of these people are taking these pain pills not for pain-related issues – but to feel normal after they become addicted or to merely get high. Their drug abuse leads to 14,800 deaths a year, which is more than from heroin and cocaine combined.

A Long Island, New York, pharmacist, says doctors are far too willing to hand out prescription painkillers. “We’ve become a society of wusses,” he says.

The pharmacy stopped carrying all of the major addictive pain killer prescription drugs after they were robbed twice by addicts looking to prevent withdrawal.

Police are reporting increases in robberies and other crimes by people who are addicted to oxycodone and hydrocodone, the key ingredient in most prescription pain pills.

In one startling demonstration of the high toll this has wreaked on contemporary society, one of the people lured into crime by drug dependency was 36-year-old man that once owned a successful business in New Jersey.

But an addiction to painkillers led to him taking 90 Percocet’s a day. When the money ran out he was desperate for more drugs. One day, he walked into a bank and handed the teller a note demanding cash. He was caught and arrested shortly after the robbery.

When the police came to bust him, he said he was actually relieved. “I looked in my rear-view mirror and I saw the cops, I saw their lights flashing and I really, really, really remember thinking, well this is it. I’m going to get clean now,” He then spent three years in prison.

ONE COMMUNITY, 98 + FATAL OVERDOSES, THOUSANDS OF LIVES, OVERTAKEN BY DRUGS

If there is a war on drugs then Jodi Barber and Christine Brant are on the front lines doing battle in their community. These two moms have accomplished their goal of making a short length documentary featuring the struggles of addiction through the lives of young adults. Jodi’s son Jarrod died from an overdose of a prescription drug she had never heard of until the night he died. His peers had heard of it though, and within weeks more young lives were gone and many more kids were left to battle addiction. Realizing that accidental death from overdosing was an epidemic, not just in their suburban community but across the U.S., they decided to make a documentary to show at school assemblies and youth groups. This documentary features the battle of addiction as told by those whose lives were overtaken by drugs. You will understand the struggle these brave young people take on each day to stay alive. The goal of this documentary is to save lives by educating our youth on the truth about addiction and the deadly consequences drugs often have. Approved by school district superintendents across the country and featuring specialists in the fields of medicine and addiction, this film delivers accurate and up to date information on the type of drugs infiltrating our communities and how to help our youth avoid them.

A whopping 80% of Americans will suffer a severe case of back pain in their lifetime. Many of the treatments available today are shrouded in controversy. To help demystify your options, Dr. Oz weighs in and offers what he deems to be the most effective solutions.

1. Back Surgery

Unresolved back pain sends more than 500,000 Americans into the OR for major surgery each year. Not only is back surgery one of the most expensive procedures, but critics also call the operation overly invasive, citing statistics that surgery may be a temporary fix at best and can also cause complications that involve nerve damage and even more pain.

In most cases, back surgery is NOT the best solution for back pain. In fact, time is often the best antidote since 90% of back pain heals within a few weeks.
When it comes to back pain, many doctors order tests immediately, but this can lead to unnecessary treatment since images can be misleading. For instance, a spine with a bulge can indicate sciatica (back pain and shooting leg pain), but it can also simply show natural degeneration of the spine, which does not actually cause pain. Physicians should abstain from ordering X-rays, MRI or CT scans for at least 6 weeks to see if the pain resolves on its own.

Finally, 1 in 5 people who undergo back surgery will need another operation within a decade. Of course, there are times when surgery is absolutely necessary, but it should not be your first course of action. Most acute back pain – especially garden-variety lower back pain – will go away on its own; the tincture of time is usually the best medicine.

Dr. Oz’s #1 Back Pain Solution: Physical therapy is Dr. Oz’s first choice for addressing back pain.
Physical Therapy-Based Exercises for Back Pain
To avoid back pain, you need to prevent muscle atrophy. Try these physical therapy-based stretching and strengthening exercises. Do them at least three times a week or even every day.

• Pelvic Tilt: Lie on your back with hands at your sides. Using your elbows, raise your hips. This helps reduce stiffness and strengthens your stomach and gluteal muscles.
• Side Knee: Remain lying on your back. Straighten your left leg out, then hook your right foot over the left knee and roll over. Then take your left hand and push it down on your right knee. This exercise helps open up your lower back muscles.

2. Steroid Injections

Steroid injections have become an increasingly popular option for treating lower back pain. Typically, they are injected into the epidural space between the vertebrae and protective covering of the spinal cord. While they can help temporarily reduce inflammation around the irritated nerve (which causes pain that radiates down the leg), steroid shots are overused and there is little evidence that they work for lower back pain. What’s more, there are serious risks associated with steroid injections – often due to damaging the dural sheath that protects the spine – including headaches, increased pain and, in severe cases, paralysis.

• Noninvasive Solutions for Back Pain
• Here are some noninvasive solutions for back pain that are far less costly and have much lower risks of side effects:
• Over-the-counter (OTC) Medications
• Ibuprofen and Naxoproxen
• These pain relievers work very well at addressing back pain. Take as directed.
• Chondroitin and Glucosamine Supplement
• his supplement can help improve fluidity in the spine and other joints to reduce friction and may help relieve pain associated with back pain due to osteoarthritis. It is available in a combined pill form from pharmacies and health stores.

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)

Oftentimes, we overlook that emotional health is essential to physical health. Pain is no less real because it is influenced by the mind. To help back pain caused by emotional distress or everyday tension, try the Emotional Freedom Technique, a form of psychological acupuncture. It combines tapping and positive affirmations to help release negative emotions.

• First, tap along the top of your head down the center of your skull.
• Then tap the top of your eyebrows, starting on the inside close to your nose.
• Then tap along the outside of your eyes and then underneath your eyes.
• Now here’s the important part: While tapping, verbally acknowledge the problem and say this affirmation: Even though I have back pain, I accept myself.

3. Chiropractors

While many folks in the medical community dismiss chiropractors as too alternative or ineffective, nearly 60% of people suffering from back pain claim they get badly needed relief from this kind of treatment.
Over time, chiropractic treatments for back pain may make a difference and are just as effective as pain medication. The difference, however, is that painkillers don’t eliminate the problem – they just cover up the symptoms, whereas, spinal realignment, which forms the foundation of chiropractic care, can get to the root cause and fix an irritated nerve.
Many people worry that if they see a chiropractor once they’ll have to go back forever. However, there are many kinds of chiropractic care, and some cases can be treated in as little as 1-2 sessions. Often, the first phase of chiropractic care is to get you out of pain, while the second phase is to correct the problem, such as learning exercises.

Final Tips for Avoiding Back Pain

• To keep your back pain at bay, be sure to stay hydrated.
• When sitting for long periods of time, make sure to get up frequently and walk around.
• Sleep on firm mattress and bolster a pillow under your knees to take the pressure off the lumbar spine. If you’re a side sleeper, place a small pillow between your knees; the space helps take pressure off the SI joint that lies at the junction of the lower spine and pelvis and often causes lower back pain.

I recently heard Dr. Russell Greenfield MD speak about natural ways to help pain issues that so many people are facing. I felt this might be helpful to the many people I speak with that are suffering from back pain, migraine headaches, fibromyalgia, etc..

Dr. Greenfield has done extensive studies on natural ways to help with these conditions without the use of traditional pain medication which has caused many to become addicted and encounter all the problems associated with the chronic use of pain medication.

Dr. Greenfield suggests trying the anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory supplement Zyflamend, 1 capsule 2 times a day. He has seen many get relief from chronic back pain by using this supplement.

He also suggests the use of the supplement Butterbur, 75-100 milligrams, 2 times per day to relieve Migraine headaches. He claims it decreases migraine headaches by half, due to lessening inflammation in the areas that cause Migraines.

If our readers would like to visit Dr. Greenfields website for Integrative Medicine, follow the link below.

http://www.bewelldoc.com/

Opiate abuse has changed the face of drug addicts. It used to be that drug addicts were on the fringes of society and most people stayed clear of them. Today, your best friend, next door neighbor, babysitter or teacher could be an opiate addict. This is because it often starts with a legitimate prescription for painkillers or medication used for anxiety, depression, and other emotional problems.
Since opiates are so powerful in delivering that sense of euphoric well being, they are highly addictive. The brain starts craving more and more of that happiness and it doesn’t take much for even the most stable, well rounded person to end up addicted.

Common Opiates Abused

Heroin is the street opiate that many end up seeking because of the high cost of the pharmaceutical pain medication and it is one of the deadliest drugs out there today. Doing heroin one time often leaves a person trapped in the downward spiral of serious drug addiction. Unfortunately, heroin is now easier to get a hold of and usually cheaper than prescription medications, so it is where many addicts turn when they are unable to get their prescriptions.

The most commonly abused prescription medications include:

• Hydrocodone
• Oxycontin
• Percocet
• Dilaudid

The Cycle of Opiate Addiction

The cycle of addiction often starts with an injury, medical condition, or mental health issue. A doctor issues a prescription for opiate based drugs. The addiction sets in and the addict starts taking more than their prescribed dose. This causes their pills to run out before they can legally get more, so they end up going to different doctors to get multiple prescriptions or going to pain clinics to get extra pills.

Eventually, a doctor may determine the legitimate need for the pills is no longer present and stop prescribing it. This is when addicts either admit they need help or begin using deception and scheming to get pills illegally. This is where many will turn to heroine because it gives the same feelings but can be found easier and bought for less on the streets.

It is extremely difficult for opiate addicts to stop abusing the drugs on their own. Withdrawal is hardcore and can even be life threatening and many will continue abusing just because they are afraid to go through the detox process.

Signs of Opiate Abuse

You may notice that someone is high on opiates if their eyes are small and red or they appear to have trouble opening them all the way. They may also seem unusually happy or spaced out like they aren’t fully present on a mental level.

Long term use will result in chronic constipation, shaking, nausea, and can even result in convulsions or seizures in the case of an overdose.

Many of the signs of opiate abuse are social in nature. The drug interferes with daily life and the addict will choose to stay home and get high rather than doing things they used to enjoy. They may withdraw from friends and loved ones and as the addiction progresses they may push everyone away by stealing from them, lying to them, or just withdrawing from them entirely.

By the time an opiate addict seeks help they often have very little of a functional life left. Losing it all is often the bottom that breaks them down to finally seek help. If someone can intervene earlier on the addiction might not be quite as devastating in the end.

Suboxone Detox Treatment – Is It The Best Option For Opiate Addicts?

Opiate detoxification treatment helps break the cycle of opiate abuse. Suboxone is touted as the miracle drug for opiate drug addicts. This drug is used to treat severe cases of opiate addiction, by keeping withdrawal symptoms and cravings at bay.

Without a doubt, suboxone detox treatment for opiate addiction certainly serves a purpose, especially at a certain level of abuse, but the truth of the matter is that it’s an opiate replacement therapy, and you’re still taking a form of opiates. If you become addicted to suboxone, you will experience suboxone withdrawal if you stop taking it, just like you would with other opiates. Promises of weaning down and getting off of this drug easily doesn’t typically happen without painful and long lasting withdrawal.

Treating Opiate Addiction

Persons with an addition to opiates continue using their drugs due to an irrational fear of withdrawal from the drug. Addicts are full of fear and the short-term emotional needs of the addict vastly outweigh the long-term rational thoughts and benefits of detoxing from opiates. The thought of the withdrawals and being be able to live a sober life without drugs prevents many addicts from breaking through their denial and working towards accepting and taking responsibility for their actions and seeking help.

Music, an abstract stimulus, can arouse feelings of euphoria, similar to tangible rewards that involve the striatal dopaminergic system. Using the neurochemical specificity of positron emission tomography scanning, combined with psychophysiological measures of autonomic nervous system activity, scientists found endogenous dopamine release in the striatum at peak emotional arousal during music listening. To examine the time course of dopamine release, they used functional magnetic resonance imaging with the same stimuli and listeners, and found a functional dissociation: the caudate was more involved during the anticipation and the nucleus accumbens was more involved during the experience of peak emotional responses to music. These results indicate that intense pleasure in response to music can lead to dopamine release in the striatal system. Notably, the anticipation of an abstract reward can result in dopamine release in an anatomical pathway distinct from that associated with the peak pleasure itself. Their results help to explain why music is of such high value across all human societies.