Pain is a huge problem in today's world.
It's how you deal with pain that becomes an even greater issue.
Oral opiate addiction has steadily been on the rise in the last few decades. A whopping 90 percent of oral opiates are consumed in America.
Why has opiate addiction taken such a devastating turn?
According to Dr. Drew Pinsky, a movement began with the premise that pain was being under-treated. Pain became the "fifth vital sign." This movement gained a legal and political presence, and now, there is a giant philosophy that pain is what the patient says it is. There is no objective proof of pain.
And, no good evidence exists that opiates are effective for chronic pain; they were designed for
acute pain.
Doctors have a massive responsibility when dealing with chronic pain patients. They must look at history of addiction or family history of addiction. Paying attention to potential abuse risks could mean the difference between life and death.
Remember, addiction is a brain disorder. Just because you can't see it or cut it out doesn't make it any less powerful than something like cancer. It can also have a genetic link.
If you're suffering with pain, there are alternative pain management methods, such as acupuncture, massage, chiropractic, etc.
Listen in as Dr. Drew joins Dr. David Friedman to explain why opiate addiction is so prevalent.
Featuring:
Drew Pinsky, MD
Dr. Drew Pinsky is a practicing physician, Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Board Certified in Addiction Medicine.
Pinsky starred in the hit reality series
Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew which chronicled the struggle for sobriety and the cycle of addictive disorders of a group of celebrities. The sixth installment of the series
Rehab with Dr. Drew followed the real-life experiences of everyday people who are struggling with addiction as they undergo detoxification and treatment.
In December 2010 Dr. Drew Pinsky joined HLN as the host of his own nightly show,
Dr. Drew On Call, where he continues to attract audiences and explores what makes people do what they do. Dr. Drew is also the host of the nationally syndicated radio show
Loveline where he has been taking calls from listeners about love, sex and relationships for over 25 years.
Additionally, Pinsky hosts the
Dr. Drew Podcast, which is currently the #1 health podcast on iTunes. Dr. Drew also co-hosts the
Adam and Dr. Drew Podcast with his former
Loveline co-host, Adam Carolla. Most recently, Dr. Drew began hosting KABC’s
Dr. Drew Live Midday with Mike Catherwood, which officially launched January 2015.
Pinsky is the author of the
New York Times bestseller
The Mirror Effect: How Celebrity Narcissism is Seducing America (Harper-Collins) and
Cracked: Putting Broken Lives Together Again (Harper-Collins). Dr. Drew co-authored the first academic study on celebrities and narcissism. The study was published in the
Journal of Research in Personality (Elsevier) and received worldwide press coverage.
Dr. Pinsky received his undergraduate degree from Amherst College and his M.D. from the University of Southern California, School of Medicine, where he remained for his residency. Pinsky then became chief resident at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Addiction Medicine and the American Board of Internal Medicine. He has been appointed to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and is a Fellow with the American College of Physicians (FACP). Dr. Drew is also a member of the board for the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
Pinsky lives in Pasadena, California with his wife Susan and has triplets attending various universities.
