The opioid crisis is a very serious national issue that affects public health as well as social and economic welfare. An estimates of total “economic burden” of prescription opioid misuse alone in the United States is $78.5 billion a year.
The misuse of and addiction to opioids has lead to a national issue. Many adults rely on narcotics to help subdue chronic pain. These drugs, however, are very addictive and people can easily overdose, leading to many accidentals deaths.
To address this issue, some practitioners have considered using alternatives to help patients relieve chronic pain, such as using integrative therapies. These therapies include such things yoga, massage therapy, and acupuncture in treating pain. The effectiveness varies with each individual and multiple sessions maybe needed before results will show.
The goal is to find an alternative that is low-cost, non-narcotic interventions that can relieve chronic pain without the risk of addiction, and then integrate them into conventional health settings.
Source: Opioid Overdose Crisis,
Managing pain differently: A look at alternative therapies , ADDRESSING THE OPIOID CRISIS WITH INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE TECHNIQUES