CHRONIC PAIN?
A NEW GOVERNMENT STUDY SHOWS YOU’RE NOT ALONE
“You can’t depend on your doctor….”Donnie Iris from 1981’s King Cool (Love is Like a Rock)
A brand new government report from the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (Prevalence of Chronic Pain and High-Impact Chronic Pain Among Adults — United States, 2016) shows us just how common CHRONIC PAIN really is in the United States. Some of the facts that came out of this study include….
- Linked to restrictions in mobility and daily activities
- Linked to dependence on opioids
- Linked to anxiety and depression
- Linked to poor perceived health or reduced quality of life
- 50 million of U.S. adults have chronic pain
- 20 million U.S. adults have high-impact chronic pain (chronic pain that limited life or work activities on most days or every day during the past 6 months)
I could go on but the real question we need to answer is why? Easy. With sedentary people living on skittles, mountain dew, and fast food, it isn’t tough to start realizing why Westernized nations are becoming increasingly SICK AND INFLAMED. What are you going to do about it? The first thing you need to realize is that despite having greater access to hi-tech healthcare than any point in our nation’s history, national health continues its rapid decline. Just last week the new government stats on OBESITY showed that there are now 7 states with obesity rates over 35% and 30 with obesity rates of over 30%. I don’t care who you are or what your political persuasion is, this trajectory is beyond unsustainable no matter who you think should pay for it (HERE). Unfortunately, our government doesn’t understand this. Case in point….
“Chronic pain contributes to an estimated $560 billion each year in direct medical costs, lost productivity, and disability programs. The National Pain Strategy, which is the first national effort to transform how the population burden of pain is perceived, assessed, and treated, recognizes the need for better data to inform action and calls for estimates of chronic pain and high-impact chronic pain in the general population. This report helps fulfill this objective and provides data to inform policymakers, clinicians, and researchers focused on pain care and prevention.”
Firstly, the over half a million dollars a year is grossly underestimated, and let me show you why. This year’s Gross Domestic Product is going to be in the 20 trillion neighborhood. Writing for the Financial Times last November, Sam Flemming (White House Economists Warn of $500 Billion Cost of US Opioid Crisis) showed us that the OPIOID EPIDEMIC alone is costing that much —- almost 3% of GDP. What’s even whackier is that if you follow the link, you’ll see that just like any number of other governmental health-related fiascos (the fat-phobic food pyramid comes immediately to mind), the government is directly responsible for this one as well.
Look folks, collecting more data, informing policy makers, having meetings, and creating reports is nothing more than busywork. And while it keeps the bureaucracy churning, unfortunately it doesn’t really help anyone find relief. It doesn’t really help people find solutions. It doesn’t really help people break the chains of powerlessness that keep them anxious, depressed, humiliated, and lonely. The CDC talks about “PREVENTION,” seemingly not realizing that study after study after study has shown it to be all but worthless in terms of the medical model. It’s time you realize that if you truly want your life back, don’t expect your doctor, your insurance company, YOUR EMPLOYER, OR ANYONE ELSE to help you out. It’s on you — you are going to have to do it yourself. While this might sound scary on the surface, let me show you why it’s actually “EMPOWERING“.
THIS SIMPLE PROTOCOL has something for everyone. And while it’s not going to “cure” everyone (remember that ham is the only thing that’s cured), reducing systemic inflammation is never a bad thing when it comes to addressing the factors related to chronic pain and chronic illness. Don’t grow old regretting what your life could have been if you had done things differently. Sit down today and create a written blueprint for taking your life back — an EXIT STRATEGY if you will. HERE are examples of what these look like. And if you know someone who desperately needs this information, a great way to reach them is by liking, sharing, or following on FACEBOOK — excellent for reaching those you love and care about most.
