Alternative Treatments For Chronic Pain: Meditation Vs Opioids

The Problem With Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is a huge issue, with the cost of back pain alone accounting for 20% of the UK’s entire health expenditure and almost 10 million Britians suffering pain almost daily. While the UK is not experiencing the same fallout from chronic pain (and in particular its often criminal mismanagement) that the United States is, this is an issue which affects people across the globe.

We’ve come a long way from giving people a bottle of rum and something to clench their teeth on when it comes to treating pain, but as much progress as we’ve made there’s still shortcomings in our methods. America’s huge problem with opioid painkillers serves to highlight this.

These painkillers are physically addictive, but also create a reliance in those who, understandably, can’t face the idea of their pain coming back. Those who are in pain are particularly vulnerable, and it can be argued that the particular nature of the American healthcare system allowed for their exploitation by unscrupulous people (some of which have rightfully been prosecuted or struck off the doctor’s register).

Even those with temporary pain, or pain that could have been dealt with otherwise, found themselves addicted to opioids that were prescribed by doctors that didn’t have their best interests at heart. The Guardian articles on the subject describes patients that were never asked about their pain, and for whom no attempts were made to reduce their dosage over time, Once addicted, this poor care spelt personal disaster. When the US government reactively tightened the rules on prescription drugs, they inadvertently made street heroin the only option.

What Are The Options For Dealing with Chronic Pain Naturally?

It’s in this context that Forbes recently asked, can meditation help address the opioid epidemic? Meditation can certainly help when we are dealing with chronic pain naturally. It does this by addressing the stress which can trigger and exacerbate it, putting people in a better frame of mind and helping with the production of naturally occurring opioids within our systems.

While prescription opioids will always have a place in medicine (unless we come up with anything better), it’s clear that we need a more holistic approach when it comes to pain. America’s problems are a particularly extreme case, and a cautionary tale of what happens when you don’t regulate addictive medicines, but people should be able to treat their pain without fear of becoming dependent.

The answer may lie in moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach. By including varying levels of both natural and traditional medicines tailored to the patient and applied under the genuinely caring supervision of experts, we may find a much healthier and sustainable way of dealing with chronic pain.

If you are having any issues with pain, please get in touch and we’ll be happy to chat.