opioid crisis Archives - Page 6 of 6

Opioid Crisis Expert and Owner of Accessible Beltway Clinics, Dr. John Rosa Reveals His Prediction For Opioid Deaths Over Holidays Was Fulfilled

Dr. John P. Rosa, opioid crisis expert and owner of Accessible Beltway Clinics, tells readers predicting opioid deaths is too easy in the midst of an epidemic and that the holidays always exacerbates the use of drugs because of excessive stress.

ROCKVILLE, MD. February 4, 2019: Owner of Accessible Beltway Clinics and opioid crises expert, Dr. John Rosa, posted a new blog on his website entitled, “As Predicted For Some People The Holidays Were Not Happy,” in which Dr. Rosa talks about how the excessive stress of the holidays increases the likelihood of drug overdoses.

“Here we are on the other side of another holiday season,” writes Dr. Rosa. He continues adding, “Typically, the holiday season is filled with joy, excitement, the happy anticipation of spending time with friends, family and loved ones. However, for some people, the holidays are filled with dread.”

Dr. Rosa points out, “It is well known that excessive stress, especially during the holidays, can trigger negative behavior including the use of drugs and overdose. This is one reason that the use of drugs is exacerbated during the holidays and why so many people in recovery programs relapse during this time.”

According to Dr. Rosa, “As I predicted in my December blog, the holidays proved to be heartbreaking for too many people due to opioid overdose deaths. Due to the opioid epidemic, these deaths are too easy to predict.” He adds, “The pain of losing a loved one to opioid addiction is horrendous and cannot be healed.”

Read the entire blog at http://glt.kji.mybluehost.me/as-predicted-for-some-people-the-holidays-were-not-happy/

About John P. Rosa

Dr. Rosa is the Owner/manager of 14 health clinics in the Baltimore/Washington DC metro areas concentrating on musculoskeletal injuries of acute, subacute and chronic nature. He oversees the Integrative Medicine practice group which includes general medicine, Chiropractic, physical therapy, acupuncture and behavioral medicine that sees over 60,000 patient visits per year.

Active in sports medicine with consulting/treating college, professional and Olympic athletes. Creator of 24/7 RnR (Relief and aiding Recovery) an FDA approved analgesic cream. Founder of Accessible Wellness Solutions – an onsite corporate wellness program offering consulting, lectures and clinic management.

Leader in Chiropractic

Trustee of New York Chiropractic College for over 15 years and serving final 3-year term as Chairman of the Board.

Integrative Medicine Specialist:

Board service to Maryland University of Integrative Health
Consultant on Integrative Medicine to hospital cancer center
Reduced opioid prescriptions by 70% by integrating Chiropractic, physical therapy and behavioral medicine in a primary care setting
Expert/Speaker – educating primary care, urgent care and hospital medical staff on the Integrative Medicine approach to treating pain patients

Opioid Crisis Expert:

White House Surrogate/Consultant
Law Enforcement Consultant (Homeland Security, CBP, DOJ, DEA and Postal)
State and National Consultant to Opioid Task Forces
Corporate and professional organization consultant
Currently forming the Opioid Abuse Prevention Institute

Community Leadership:

Board member of the National Italian American Foundation
Volunteer at Crossroads Freedom Center – a residential facility in Maryland to help overcome addiction

As Predicted For Some People The Holidays Were Not Happy

By Dr. John Rosa

Here we are on the other side of another holiday season.

Typically, the holiday season is filled with joy, excitement, the happy anticipation of spending time with friends, family and loved ones. However, for some people, the holidays are filled with dread.

It is well known that excessive stress, especially during the holidays, can trigger negative behavior including the use of drugs and overdose. This is one reason that the use of drugs is exacerbated during the holidays and why so many people in recovery programs relapse during this time.

Families with loved ones who are addicted to opioids are also filled with dread going into the holiday season.

All it takes is a quick look at overdose deaths reported during the holiday season on the Internet to see why. At this early stage in the New Year, it has been reported that between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve thirteen people in Shelby County Tennessee died due to opioid overdoses. In Plymouth, Massachusetts, two young men in their 30’s died of opioid overdose right before Christmas. According to the article I read, the town’s police chief stated, “Unfortunately, we have found over the years that December seems to be a critical month for overdose deaths.” That’s just two areas of the country I found within seconds.

As I predicted in my December blog, the holidays proved to be heartbreaking for too many people due to opioid overdose deaths. Due to the opioid epidemic, these deaths are too easy to predict. The pain of losing a loved one to opioid addiction is horrendous and cannot be healed.

If you, or someone you love is dependent on or addicted to opioid drugs, please seek help before it’s too late.

If you would like to learn more about the Opioid Crisis as it relates to awareness, prevention and treatment or schedule a corporate or organization seminar contact us at DrJohnRosa.com. Here you will learn how to connect you, your company or organization with the leading experts on the crisis and how to help your community stay safe.

Opioid Crisis Expert and Owner of Accessible Beltway Clinics, Dr. John Rosa Explains That Drugs Change The Brain Making Quitting Very Difficult

Dr. John P. Rosa, opioid crisis expert and owner of Accessible Beltway Clinics, spreads understanding about the opioid addiction epidemic in hopes of getting more people to care enough to help curtail the growing number of related deaths.

ROCKVILLE, MD. January 7, 2019: Owner of Accessible Beltway Clinics and opioid crises expert, Dr. John Rosa, posted a new article on his website entitled, “Lack Of Understanding About Addiction Leads To Not Caring.” Dr. Rosa is clearly on a mission to help bring understanding to a growing problem.

Dr. Rosa writes, “Many people don’t understand why or how other people become addicted to drugs—or to anything for that matter.” He adds, “Addiction is addiction whether it is perceived as a positive or negative addiction. Most people think those who are addicted to drugs and or alcohol lack moral principles. They think those souls should exercise greater will power and that stopping is just a matter or choosing.”

“If anyone has been addicted to over-eating or consuming chocolate or addicted to work at the expense of their families and friends are engaged in addictive behavior,” states Dr. Rosa, adding. “And all addiction starts in the brain.”

According to Dr. Rosa, “Drugs actually change the brain in ways that makes quitting difficult.” He elaborates further, “Drug addiction is a complex disease and more often than not, quitting – even for those who really want to quit – takes more than good intentions. Once an addiction has taken hold, just saying no is rarely good enough.”

Dr. Rosa says that, “According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, “Addiction is a chronic disease characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, or difficult to control, despite harmful consequences. The initial decision to take drugs is voluntary for most people, but repeated drug use can lead to brain changes that challenge an addicted person’s self-control and interfere with their ability to resist intense urges to take drugs. These brain changes can be persistent, which is why drug addiction is considered a “relapsing” disease—people in recovery from drug use disorders are at increased risk for returning to drug use even after years of not taking the drug.”

Read the entire article at http://glt.kji.mybluehost.me/lack-of-understanding-about-addiction-leads-to-not-caring/

About John P. Rosa

Leader in Chiropractic

Trustee of New York Chiropractic College for over 15 years and serving final 3-year term as Chairman of the Board.

Integrative Medicine Specialist:

Board service to Maryland University of Integrative Health
Consultant on Integrative Medicine to hospital cancer center
Reduced opioid prescriptions by 70% by integrating Chiropractic, physical therapy and behavioral medicine in a primary care setting
Expert/Speaker – educating primary care, urgent care and hospital medical staff on the Integrative Medicine approach to treating pain patients

Opioid Crisis Expert:

White House Surrogate/Consultant
Law Enforcement Consultant (Homeland Security, CBP, DOJ, DEA and Postal)
State and National Consultant to Opioid Task Forces
Corporate and professional organization consultant
Currently forming the Opioid Abuse Prevention Institute

Community Leadership:

Board member of the National Italian American Foundation
Volunteer at Crossroads Freedom Center – a residential facility in Maryland to help overcome addiction

Opioid Crisis Expert and Owner of Accessible Beltway Clinics, Dr. John Rosa Urges Readers To Refuse Opioid Pills For Pain Management

Dr. John P. Rosa, opioid crisis expert and owner of Accessible Beltway Clinics, addresses the beginning of the use of opioids for pain management and what we know today, clarifying that reversing the trend is not going to happen with another pill.

ROCKVILLE, MD. November 29, 2018: Owner of Accessible Beltway Clinics and opioid crises expert, Dr. John Rosa, posted a new article on his website entitled, “Just Say No To Pills, Pills, And More Pills,” in which Dr. Rosa reveals that the pills create more pain than they relieve.

Dr. Rosa questions, “Do we really think all it takes to effectively reverse the effects of one pill is another pill? Really? What are we doing?” He emphatically states, “We must get over the idea that pills are magic.” He goes on to add, “We must remember what Einstein said. First of all, he said that insanity is when we keep doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different outcome. And secondly, he said we cannot solve a problem with the same mind that created it.”

According to Dr. Rosa, “This is why if we are to effectively stem and eventually stop the opioid epidemic in this country, we must stop believing that pills are magic.” He elaborates, “We must turn our attention to the amazing healing abilities of our bodies and we must give them the time they need to heal. Healing is not an instantaneous process. I know that’s difficult for a society that wants instant gratification to hear, but it’s the truth and it’s the only way to effectively put an end to the opioid crisis in this country.”

Referring to the opioid crisis that plagues the nation, Dr. Rosa says, “Just look at how it all got started, then see if you think it can be turned around with a pill.” He writes, “According to drugabuse.gov, “In the late 1990s, pharmaceutical companies reassured the medical community that patients would not become addicted to prescription opioid pain relievers, and healthcare providers began to prescribe them at greater rates. This subsequently led to widespread diversion and misuse of these medications before it became clear that these medications could indeed be highly addictive.”

“Slowly, but surely,” says Dr. Rosa, “we began seeing the opioid overdose rates increase. According to the government statistics, “In 2015, more than 33,000 Americans died as a result of an opioid overdose, including prescription opioids, heroin, and illicitly manufactured fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid. That same year, an estimated 2 million people in the United States suffered from substance use disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers, and 591,000 suffered from a heroin use disorder (not mutually exclusive).”

“Today we know so much more about opioids and addiction,” says Rosa. He lists a number of statistics one of which states that, “About 80percent of people who use heroin first misused prescription opioids.”

Source: https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-overdose-crisis

Read the entire article at http://glt.kji.mybluehost.me/just-say-no-to-pills-pills-and-more-pills/

About John P. Rosa

Leader in Chiropractic

Trustee of New York Chiropractic College for over 15 years and serving final 3-year term as Chairman of the Board.

Integrative Medicine Specialist:

Board service to Maryland University of Integrative Health
Consultant on Integrative Medicine to hospital cancer center
Reduced opioid prescriptions by 70% by integrating Chiropractic, physical therapy and behavioral medicine in a primary care setting
Expert/Speaker – educating primary care, urgent care and hospital medical staff on the Integrative Medicine approach to treating pain patients

Opioid Crisis Expert:

White House Surrogate/Consultant
Law Enforcement Consultant (Homeland Security, CBP, DOJ, DEA and Postal)
State and National Consultant to Opioid Task Forces
Corporate and professional organization consultant
Currently forming the Opioid Abuse Prevention Institute

Community Leadership:

Board member of the National Italian American Foundation
Volunteer at Crossroads Freedom Center – a residential facility in Maryland to help overcome addiction

New Legislation Aims To Curb Opioid Crisis

By Dr. John Rosa

On Wednesday, October 24, I had the honor of being present at the signing into law of a sweeping legislative package that lawmakers and public health experts alike believe will help curb the growing opioid crisis in the United States. In addition, my work on the opioid crisis was recognized by the White House during the signing ceremony. I was also encouraged to continue my work by the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, James Carrol, Chair of the Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission, Governor Chris Christie and Counselor to the President, Kellyanne Conway. They each generously offered their help on a major new project I am currently working on.

Funding Makes Access To Treatment A Priority

It is good to know that the new legislative package directs funding to federal agencies and individual states to make greater access to addiction treatment a priority. In addition, the new legislation sets in place interventions to help mitigate the crisis, like preventing over-prescription and training law enforcement to intercept shipments, including the deadly and highly addictive drug fentanyl, at U.S. borders.

The number of people who died from an opioid overdose rose to 72,000 last year, a roughly 13 percent increase from the year before, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Non-Pharmacological Strategies Prevent Addiction

The work I am engaged in and promoting involves education in the use of non-pharmacological strategies to decrease pain, increase mobility, and limit the use of narcotic medications. This holistic approach includes such strategies as early intervention with good judicious integrative medicine. Integrative approaches include chiropractic care, acupuncture, diet/nutrition evaluation and behavioral therapies.

Other Efforts Coming Into Effect As A Result Of New Legislation

Based on models that have proven successful in private practice throughout the country, The Department of Health and Human Services will now oversee a grant program to expand the use of “comprehensive recovery centers.” The programs include job training, mental health services and housing alongside addiction treatment.

With the Department of Health and Human Services overseeing the new program, the National Institutes of Health will be freed up to more quickly pursue research projects related to non-addictive drugs for pain.

Addiction to opioids is devastating in the senior population because of over-prescribing. Fortunately, the new law makes changes to several Medicare and Medicaid regulations. It would expand Medicare coverage for opioid treatment, increase screenings for opioid use disorder and expand the use of tele-health services for the treatment of substance-use disorders. Medicare documentation would be required to educate patients about categories of alternative, non-opioid pain management treatments.

Decreasing The Decimation Of Our Young

As our communities are struggling to deal with the current pandemic of opioid prescriptions decimating our youth, it is imperative that health care providers develop strategies to decrease the prescriptions of narcotic medications while increasing a patient’s function and ability to return to a normal life. This new legislation is the beginning of a unified effort at addressing this problem. I am committed to continuing the work of providing education and holistic, non-pharmacological solutions.