pain management Archives

Mental Stressors Could Contribute To Tiger Wood’s History Of Accidents And Conflict

Let me state clearly and firmly before I get too deep into this that I understand Tiger Woods is an adult who may have rejected any number of “alternative” treatments for his litany of injuries. He may not be a victim at all, however, his medical care could have been very different and might have contributed to a different, pain-free life. With that being said, let’s look at his history of professional injuries and personal conflicts that could lead to describing him as a victim of healthcare that may have been less than optimal

I tend to share the view of the founder of the Alternative Pain Treatment Directory, author and Licensed Clinical Social Worker and chronic pain survivor, Cindy Perlin, who posted a recent article about Tiger Wood’s recent automobile accident. She suggests that Tiger’s pain treatment may have been incorrect or inappropriate.

Perlin writes, “Professional golfer Tiger Woods, at age 45, is one of the most famous and successful athletes in the world. He started playing golf when he was 3 years old, and by the age of 7 was winning golf tournaments. As of 2017, Forbes listed him as the second highest-earning athlete of modern times, at $1.7 billion. However, being rich and famous does not shield someone from getting bad medical care, and Wood’s history of physical injuries and medical interventions leads me to suspect that his pain care was not optimal.” https://www.paintreatmentdirectory.com/posts/is-tiger-woods-a-victim-of-poor-pain-treatment

Red Flags

Perlin acknowledges that she has no “insider knowledge” of Tiger Woods’ medical condition or treatment. But she, as do I, sees the following as clear red flags:

Five back surgeries

Three single car accidents

Multiple tendon, ligament and joint injuries

History of addiction treatment

As a chiropractor, I can tell you that back surgery is almost never the solution patients think it’s going to be. But it is a pretty solid way to get opioid pain killers. And post-surgery pain pill prescriptions are how the majority of people become addicted to opioids.’

Research has shown that the more surgeries a patient has, the less likely an operation is to successfully relieve pain. In one study, the success rate for initial surgeries was over 50%; success of second surgeries was 30%; third surgeries 15%; and fourth surgeries 5%. Research has also shown that people in psychological distress also have poorer spine surgery outcomes.

Woods has publicly admitted that the use of prescription painkillers contributed to at least one of his single car accidents and he has been in treatment for addiction. So the big question is, what about psychological interventions? Where does his healthcare team weigh in on this? Why has no one been urging him to pay attention to his mental health and wellbeing?

Chronic Stress Can Lead To Physical Pain And Injury

Chronic stress can also result in chronically tight muscles that make the body more prone to injury. When you consider the stressors under which Tiger has lived such as early childhood fame, rigors of competition, marital discord, racial discrimination in an all-white sport and other stressors the repetitive injuries make more sense. And so does the need for psychological help.

I think Tiger is the GOAT (greatest of all time) in the game of golf and that if his professional care included more mental health training he may not be in the situation he is in today. I hope other up-and-coming young athletes can learn from Tiger’s path and follow another road that leads to less pain and suffering.

National Opioid Crisis Expert, Dynamic Speaker And Author, Dr. John Rosa Writes About A Effective, Pill-Free Method To Manage Lower Back Pain

Dr. John P. Rosa, opioid crisis expert, author and dynamic speaker shares how Chiropractic changed his integrative medical practice by allowing him to offer a drug-free and effective alternative to pain management.

ROCKVILLE, MD. February 3, 2020: Owner of Accessible Beltway Clinics and opioid crises expert, Dr. John Rosa, posted a new blog on his website entitled, “A Highly Accessible Method Effective In Managing Lower Back Pain Without Opioids,” in which Dr. Rosa reveals how the root of chronic lower back pain is missed by many doctors.

Referring back to the title of his blog, Dr. Rosa writes, “I am referring to chiropractic care.” He continues elaborating, “Chiropractic is a drug-free approach to pain relief and pain management. The American College of Physicians (ACP) recommends the use of non-invasive, drug-free treatments such as Chiropractic care, first for chronic and acute lower back pain. Additionally, the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) encourages patients to seek conservative care, like drug-free chiropractic, before moving on to potentially addictive remedies for pain.”

As Dr. Rosa points out, “The introduction of integrative medicine, specifically chiropractic, has been a game changer for my practice.” He adds, “In years past when someone would come to my office with acute and chronic back pain, opioids were part of the possible relief mechanisms considered. However, I now have an alternative from day one resulting in a non-opioid medicine protocol and possibly even no meds of any kind at all.”

According to Dr. Rosa, “Lower back pain is one of the leading causes of opioid dependency. Lower back pain is also very difficult to treat because it can be hard to identify and eliminate the cause.” “Thus,” he adds, “many doctors prescribe pain killers to provide comfort to their patients while the actual problem remains unsolved.” Dr. Rosa states, “Chiropractors, however, can actually identify the root cause of lower back pain. Often lower back pain is caused by issues in our feet, ankles, knees, or hips.”

Read the entire blog at https://drjohnrosa.com/a-highly-accessible-method-effective-in-managing-lower-back-pain-without-opioids/

About Dr. 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.

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

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

Thankful For Lawsuits And Arrests

By Dr. John Rosa

We’re starting to see a little light in the Opioid Crisis tunnel.

No one will be doing a happy dance despite the fact that the Sackler family is being pursued legally for their role in fueling the worldwide opioid epidemic. But, it is a step in the right direction for those of us pursuing alternative non-medical methods of pain management. Not a happy dance, but a definite source of thankfulness.

Creating Awareness

This year has seen strides made in creating greater awareness about the opioid crisis, and, for the first time in years, the death rate has gone down just a bit. Nothing statistically significant, but any little bit is good news.

Another bit of recent good news is that an arrest in Virginia has put a pill-pushing doctor out of commission. This medical professional actually prescribed opioids to every patient in his practice. Not just a few, but every single patient according to an article at usatoday.com.

According to the article,” To get drugs… many patients traveled “hundreds of miles, one-way,” waited as long as 12 hours and slept in the parking lot of his office.”

So Long Sackler

So, one doctor is no longer in a position to push opioids and the billionaire Sackler family is being shunned by reputable universities, art institutions and businesses around the world. Many of these institutions have been the recipients of endowments and donations in the millions of dollars. Those donations are now being called “blood money.”

According to a related article at usatoday.com, “Petitions at New York University and Tel Aviv University called on the schools to strip the Sackler name from research institutes. A 2018 lawsuit from the Massachusetts attorney general argued that Purdue Pharma used its influence at Tufts University and other schools to promote the company’s opioids.”

For the families who have lost loved ones to opioid overdose and to those who suffer the pain of addiction these may be considered baby steps. But we all know that baby steps are where everyone begins. Bigger, stronger steps are sure to follow.

National Opioid Crisis Expert, Dynamic Speaker And Author, Dr. John Rosa Shares His Vivid Vision Of A Pill-Free Pain-Free Future

Dr. John P. Rosa, opioid crisis expert, author and dynamic speaker, invites readers to share his vision for a future that is no longer dependent on opioids for pain relief. Instead his vision of the future is one in which each individual is aware of the innate healing power of the human body and no longer wants to mask that power.

ROCKVILLE, MD. April 26, 2019: Dr. John Rosa, dynamic speaker, national opioid crises expert, and co-author of The Recipe for Success with Jack Canfield, posted a new article on his website entitled, “I See The Future Of Pill-Free Pain-Relief With The Help Of Ancient Methods,” in which Dr. Rosa plants the seeds for a healthier way to control pain.

Dr. Rosa pens with a statement and an invitation. He writes, “I can see the future and I invite you to envision it with me.” He elaborates, “It is a place and time when the model for healthcare has taken a turn for the healthier and more humane. In this future the human being is seen as the self-healing system that it truly is and always has been. When injured and in pain an integrative method is employed to awaken the individual’s natural inner healing properties, potentialities and possibilities.”

Continuing to describe his vision, Dr. Rosa says, “This future that I see makes use of multiple therapies, both modern and ancient, including chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, psychotherapy, yoga, physical therapy, meditation, topical creams and ointments, among others.” He adds, “Primary care doctors prescribe all of these treatments, many of which are available within the primary care facility.”

In his vision Dr. Rosa says, “Long gone are the days when people craved a pill to end their pain. Patients are actively involved in their health care. They take self-care seriously and because of their demands the entire medical establishment was forced to change to meet those demands.” He further adds, “In this future/present that I see, people are continuously waking up to their own innate healing potential. They no longer want to mask their pain, they want to get it out of their body.”

Read the entire article at https://drjohnrosa.com/i-see-the-future-of-pill-free-pain-relief-with-the-help-of-ancient-methods/

About Dr. 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.

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

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

I See The Future Of Pill-Free Pain-Relief With The Help Of Ancient Methods

By Dr. John Rosa

I can see the future and I invite you to envision it with me.

It is a place and time when the model for healthcare has taken a turn for the healthier and more humane. In this future the human being is seen as the self-healing system that it truly is and always has been. When injured and in pain an integrative method is employed to awaken the individual’s natural inner healing properties, potentialities and possibilities.

Prescriptions For Healing

This future that I see makes use of multiple therapies, both modern and ancient, including chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, psychotherapy, yoga, physical therapy, meditation, topical creams and ointments, among others. Primary care doctors prescribe all of these treatments, many of which are available within the primary care facility.

Long gone are the days when people craved a pill to end their pain. Patients are actively involved in their health care. They take self-care seriously and because of their demands the entire medical establishment was forced to change to meet those demands. In this future/present that I see, people are continuously waking up to their own innate healing potential. They no longer want to mask their pain, they want to get it out of their body.

Mind And Body Are One

The mind plays a primary role in this future scenario which I see so vividly. Humans have stopped giving their minds and bodies over to people who believe that those are separate entities. Ancient cultures throughout history have espoused the wholeness of being. Only in the western culture beginning with what has become known as the “modern age” did this belief that mind and body are separate begin. Fortunately, we have come full circle. Once a majority of people stopped believing their bodies and minds were separate is when the real healing began.

This is why meditation also plays a major role in pain control. Even though meditation sounded foreign to most Americans, it is a method that has been enjoyed and employed by ancient traditions as well as contemporary spiritual leaders. It took some time before meditation was demystified enough to become widely practiced by regular folk. But, that happened, thankfully and now if you don’t have a meditation practice you are simply considered not yet awake.

Know Thyself

The Socratic command to “Know Thyself” has survived from ancient Greece. It’s no wonder since it epitomizes what’s at the very essence of self-healing beginning with the practice of meditation. Unlike what many people have thought about meditation, the goal is quite simply to focus and understand your own mind. To Know Thyself. Scientists are still discovering all of the benefits meditation offers. A regular meditation practice can help a person control emotions, enhance concentration and decrease stress.

We Need To Share The Vision

The future is ours to make. If we can see it in our mind, we can bring it into being. If someone you love is dependent on or addicted to opioid drugs today, please seek help immediately.

If you share my vision and would like to learn more about it and how to stop cultivating a culture of chronic pain and suffering contact us at DrJohnRosa.com. Here you will find information and resources about the Opioid Crisis as it relates to awareness, prevention and treatment. You may also schedule a corporate or organization seminar and learn how to connect with the leading experts on the crisis and how to help your community stay safe.

National Opioid Crisis Expert, Dynamic Speaker And Author, Dr. John Rosa Talks About A Holistic Approach To Pain Management Without Opioids

Dr. John P. Rosa, opioid crisis expert, author and dynamic speaker talks about his mission to educate and help relieve pain through an integrative approach without the use of opioids and shows the results of research that concludes prescribers, pharmacists and drug companies have allowed opioids to “fall in the hands of inappropriate patients.”

ROCKVILLE, MD. March 29, 2019: Dr. John Rosa, dynamic speaker, national opioid crisis expert, and co-author of The Recipe for Success with Jack Canfield, posted a new article on his website entitled, “Decrease Pain, Increase Mobility, Limit Opioid Medications,” in which Dr. Rosa talks about the holistic approach he uses and teaches.

Dr. Rosa writes, “The title of this article is the holistic strategy used with patients who come to my chiropractic centers in pain.” He continues, “My goal is to educate patients, caregivers and anyone else who is interested, how to manage pain without the use of opioid medications.”

“I recently placed myself into a busy Primary Care medical practice,” says Dr. Rosa, “where we have been able to reduce opioid prescriptions by 70% through the integration of Chiropractic, physical therapy and behavioral medicine.” He continues elaborating, “Some of the therapies and behavioral approaches include yoga, Acupuncture, massage, mindfulness and meditation, among others. This highly successful integrative approach clearly illustrates that we, as a society, do not need to be drug dependent to be pain-free.”

As Dr. Rosa points out, “Without question many people live with chronic, oftentimes debilitating pain. As a result of attempting to relieve this pain,” he states, “the pharmaceutical industry has created highly addictive medications. The medications do relieve the physical pain, but more often than not they lead to more severely painful problems such as addiction and death. And, importantly, they inhibit the body’s own healing wisdom.”

Dr. Rosa writes that, “integrative pain management is a process that requires more effort than merely popping a pill. However, long-term, this method allows the natural healing process of the body to work its wonders. The body’s ability to heal itself is nothing short of miraculous, but we have to give it the time it needs.”

Read the entire article at https://drjohnrosa.com/decrease-pain-increase-mobility-limit-opioid-medications/

About Dr. 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.

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

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

Decrease Pain, Increase Mobility, Limit Opioid Medications

By Dr. John Rosa

What if I told you that you could decrease pain without medication?

The title of this article is the holistic strategy used with patients who come to my chiropractic centers in pain. My goal is to educate patients, caregivers and anyone else who is interested, how to manage pain without the use of opioid medications.

I recently placed myself into a busy Primary Care medical practice where we have been able to reduce opioid prescriptions by 70% through the integration of Chiropractic, physical therapy and behavioral medicine. Some of the therapies and behavioral approaches include yoga, Acupuncture, massage, mindfulness and meditation, among others. This highly successful integrative approach clearly illustrates that we, as a society, do not need to be drug dependent to be pain-free.

The Pain Is Real

Without question many people live with chronic, oftentimes debilitating pain. As a result of attempting to relieve this pain, the pharmaceutical industry has created highly addictive medications. The medications do relieve the physical pain, but more often than not they lead to more severely painful problems such as addiction and death. And, importantly, they inhibit the body’s own healing wisdom.

In addition, doctors and the pharmaceutical companies have a responsibility to prevent the unnecessary use and abuse of opioid medications. In a recent article I read about some very recent research on the topic, “the researchers concluded that prescribers, pharmacists, drug companies and the FDA — all of whom had agreed to special rules and monitoring for use of the powerful opioid — had allowed it to fall into the hands of thousands of inappropriate patients. Over time, the FDA and drug companies became aware this was happening but took no action, the researchers found.” The research also stated that, “Using five years of insurance claims data, the researchers found that between 34.6 percent and 55.4 percent of patients shouldn’t have received the drugs.”

Integrative Pain Management

I’ll begin by saying that integrative pain management is a process that requires more effort than merely popping a pill. However, long-term, this method allows the natural healing process of the body to work its wonders. The body’s ability to heal itself is nothing short of miraculous, but we have to give it the time it needs. A comprehensive multidisciplinary approach to pain syndromes and musculoskeletal disorders will typically not satisfy most American’s desire for instant gratification, but it will lead to healing versus addiction.

Speaking Of Pain

In my quest to educate and help move our society away from the use and abuse of opioid drugs, I conduct events and speak to groups about the opioid epidemic and how we can help turn the tide of this devastating practice. Don’t get me wrong. There is a time and a place for the use of opioids, but those times and places are not widespread and do not call for widespread prescriptions. We, as a culture, must get over our insistence on instant gratification.

The most common pain related diagnosis is low back pain. The most common cause of disability is low back pain. The most common reason for prescription opioids is low back pain. And, the treatment that has the highest rate of success battling low back pain is Chiropractic. Funny…Chiropractic is the only physician in the medical world that NEVER prescribes medication, yet only 1% of medical doctors make referrals for the known cure. Now that’s painful!

America Has Been Duped Into Believing Pills Can Cure Pain And Suffering

By Dr. John Rosa

Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay

When I do speaking engagements, I like to grab my audience’s attention with a startling fact.

The sad thing is that the same startling fact has been the same during all the years I’ve been traveling and speaking to corporations, organizations and groups.

Here’s the shocking fact. The U.S. is roughly 5% of the world population, yet we consume 90% of all the opioids in the world.

Think about that. This fact screams to me that, 1. The rest of the world has no pain, or 2. We’ve been duped. That’s right. We’ve been duped by a medical community that wants everyone to believe that pain can be relieved by taking a pill.

But, what about the rest of the world? Why aren’t they suffering? They aren’t suffering because they do not turn to drugs for pain relief. They turn to the methods that have been used for thousands of years: acupuncture, diet, herbs, massage and other methods that our society considers “alternative.” The truth is that modern medicine is truly “alternative.” Traditional methods of healing have been suppressed and we as a society have been duped.

As a result we are now dealing with more suffering.

There have been 115 deaths a day on average since 2014 due to opioid addiction. 80% of people suffering from an addiction to heroin started with a prescription for an opioid pain reliever.

I’m an upstream kind of guy. We are all aware of the problem of opioid addiction. It’s making headlines and our loved ones are dying needlessly. But, are we aware of what we can do to prevent opioid addiction? My answer to that is a definitive no. And it is my mission to change that.

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.

Just Say No To Pills, Pills, And More Pills

By Dr. John Rosa

Do we really think all it takes to effectively reverse the effects of one pill is another pill?

Really? What are we doing? We must get over the idea that pills are magic. 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.

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. 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.

How The Opioid Crisis Got Started

Just look at how it all got started, then see if you think it can be turned around with a pill. 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 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).”

What We Know Today About Opioids And Addiction

Today we know so much more about opioids and addiction. We know enough to stop prescribing them for starters. Or at least to closely monitor their use and identify abuse when we see it. This is what we now know about the transition from the management of pain to addiction.

•Roughly 21 to 29 percent of patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain misuse them.
•Between 8 and 12 percent develop an opioid use disorder.
•An estimated 4 to 6 percent who misuse prescription opioids transition to heroin.
•About 80 percent of people who use heroin first misused prescription opioids.
•Opioid overdoses increased 30 percent from July 2016 through September 2017 in 52 areas in 45 states.
•The Midwestern region saw opioid overdoses increase 70 percent from July 2016 through September 2017.
•Opioid overdoses in large cities increase by 54 percent in 16 states

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

A Range Of Different Options

Pain can be and has been managed for decades without addictive pills. I have been treating pain through chiropractic my entire career. An aspirin or over the counter analgesic can be helpful, however, the dependency on stronger drugs is, as we have come to find out, not constructive.

Besides chiropractic, pain can be managed by physical therapy, massage, yoga, meditation and a variety of other modes besides pharmaceuticals. Clearly the pills are creating more pain than anyone could have ever imagined. The pain may seem unbearable, but it won’t kill you. The pills you take to minimize the pain will kill you though. And when you are gone, the pain of loved ones left behind is immeasurable.