Treatment for Chronic Pain - What is Best for You

Once upon a time (pre-1914), Americans were able to acquire any drug or remedies they selected  without permission from any other person or government agency.  Only you were responsible for the substances that went into your body - opium, cocaine, or the latest patent medicine.  Somewhere along the line we must have become too brainless to act on our doctor's guidance in our own best interests.



Some years ago when South Korea had Peace Corps Volunteers wandering around (me among them), you could purchase all legal drugs without a prescription.



Had a cough you couldn't get rid of?  Codeine was on hand at the corner pharmacy for less than a dollar.  Speed was obtainable from roughly 6 cents a pill.  I never needed them, although they were present if I needed them.



All Korean drugstores were off-limits to U.S. Military Personnel.  I guess soldiers are expected to suck it up and endure the pain.



Politicians have long sense given up on following the Constitution.  At least they knew before 1914 that the Constitution did not permit the federal government to ban plants and natural pharmaceuticals.  The first big law - the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act - is a TAX statute.



The Act provides:



"Chap 1. - An Act To provide for the registration of, with collectors of internal revenue, and to impose a special tax on all persons who produce, import, manufacture, compound, deal in, dispense, sell, distribute, or give away opium or coca leaves, their salts, derivatives, or preparations, and for other purposes."



Still technically legal for personal use at that moment in time, some physicians who prescribed opiates to addicts ended up being arrested and imprisoned because addiction was not considered a "disease" a physician could treat in "the course of his professional practice."



For fear of losing their licenses to prescribe drugs - the foundation of most modern medical practices - many doctors will not prescribe the best pain killers, even when they know it's the best option for the patient.



Terminal cancer patients are routinely treated with liquid opiates in England and can live their last days free of excruciating pain.  Not so for their U.S. cousins, unless they want liquified black tar heroin on the back streets of Houston.



As a result of a nanny state and a failed war on drugs, the best pain medications are routinely denied or completely prohibited to patients in the U.S.



In my mind, pain management is more medical art than medical science.  If we were truly free citizens and not subjects of government force, we could consult with our physicians and choose any medications or treatment plans we wanted.



Pain treatment centers come in several forms:



- individual pain clinics staffed by MDs



- separate departments in hospitals and large medical facilities



- chiropractors



- acupuncturists



- physical therapists



- psychiatrists/psychologists



Alternatives:



- clinics that readily prescribe pain killers - "pill mills"



- yoga



- hypnosis



- medical marijuana



Chronic pain concentrated in one area might be dealt with more successfully via one kind of chronic pain clinic than another.  Chiropractors, as an example ,, are a customary destination for individuals with persistent back pain.  But back pain is complicated, and may well involve your GP, physical therapy, or even acupuncture.



Key categories of pain involve:



- cancer



- arthritis



- sciatica



- back



- neck



- leg



- foot



- headache



Insurance companies complicate pain management and treatment.  Failure of insurance companies to approve treatment for chronic pain drives many sufferers to specialized pain clinics where they must pay out-of-pocket.



If your medical professionsal is unwilling or not able to dispense the appropriate drugs and pain killers to treat your condition, make an appointment at your community pain clinic for help.  Now bear in mind, most insurance providers will not cover chronic pain management.  You can be required to pay out-of-pocket.  Visit the clinic web site for insurance reimbursement and payment policies before making an appointment.



The objective of this website is to explore various forms of pain treatment and to help visitors discover the precise pain center in their local area.



Tags:  chronic pain centers,chiropractors,acupuncture



For more on sciatica pain relief or pain clinics in your area, visit:  http://nomorepainclinics.com



Charles Lamm is a retired attorney now working to assist those with chronic pain in finding the right medical treatment plans in their local areas.

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