Make chiropractic care part of your long term health solution
There is a new high for the number of people in the UK who are taking prescribed medication.
In 2013 50% of women and 43% of men in England were regularly taking prescription drugs and many of these people took more than one medication. More than a fifth of men and nearly a quarter of women took at least three prescriptions.
This report by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) and showed that an overall average of 18.7 prescriptions per person were written in England in 2013. The cost to the NHS was in excess of £15 billion a year.
The most shocking aspect of this however is that the three main drugs, cholesterol-lowering statins, pain relief and anti-depressants can be avoided, or their use reduced by cheap and natural means.
With the ‘health time bomb’ of obesity and increased ageing on the horizon it is up to us to start to look after our health and that of our families. What ever your political leaning it is obvious that in the future there will be less money per head of the population that can be spent on the NHS which means that your individual health is going to be very much in your own hands.
This week the NHS in Dorset announced that it had been unable to meet demand for NHS services and is reducing the provision of hearing aids to one ear per person. In addition, it is declining surgery to anyone with a BMI over 32 and also declining those who have smoked in the 8 weeks prior to their surgery. This is being enforced with tests conducted on the day of surgery to ensure that the patient has given up smoking.
The important factor in reducing the need for medication is that good health is built over a period of time.
Take depression for example. There are known ways to reduce the effect of depression and reduce the need for medication in many people. These involve a good regular sleep pattern, regular challenging exercise, good social networks, life planning, CBT, helping others, diet and avoidance of depressive chemicals. Chiropractic care has been reported to help by many people. Some clients do have chemical, nerve or physiological injury that does require medication but often this can be managed well in conjunction with your GP and other professionals.
I am alarmed when I am consulted by clients who have been on pain medication for many years. This week I have seen a gentleman who has been taking powerful pain medication for more than a decade. His problems are getting worse, as is often the case, and he has been forced to come for care. If it had been resolved 10 years ago, significant joint damage would have been avoided.
Who do you know who is taking long term pain medication? Chiropractic care is often part of their long term solution.