Bringing Awareness to Opiate Abuse and Alternative Pain Management in Rhode Island

An article in the Brown Daily Herald by Eben Blake published on sept. 18, 2014 stated, “Deaths in Rhode Island due to drug overdose have doubled since 2009, partially due to users who transitioned from prescription pill abuse to cheaper, more accessible drugs, such as heroin, said Traci Green, assistant professor of emergency medicine and epidemiology.”

The Providence Journal had an article posted on Apr. 28, 2015 by Lynn Arditi who wrote, “Massachusetts health officials said Tuesday that more than 1,000 deaths in 2014 are likely related to opioid overdoses, but its overdose death rate is still lower than neighboring Rhode Island’s.

A piece of the puzzle to early prevention of opiate abuse and the over-prescribing of pain medications in our Rhode Island community is to enable better access to alternative medicine for pain management. As an acupuncturist, I see and experience firsthand the benefits of acupuncture and herbal medicine in eliminating and managing pain and stress. Acupuncture and herbal medicine are non-addictive and affordable forms of traditional medicine with a history of treating billions of people for thousands of years – amazing but true.

Acupuncture points or Acu-points are pinpoint areas along the surface of the body under which lies a highly concentrated volume of nerve endings, blood vessels and lymphatic tissue. Stimulating an acu-point with a needle, a relatively painless sensation activates the nervous system and brain centers to release a cascade of hormones and neurotransmitters that influence the body’s internal regulating systems to restore balance, relieve pain and encourage healing.

More work needs to be done to make acupuncture and herbal medicine more accessible. I maintain a blog to educate people on the benefits of acupuncture and herbal medicine – http://www.NaturesHealing.info/blog/ educating people on alternative and natural choices for better health.

Here are a few of the many related articles on pain, acupuncture, tai chi:

• Top 10 Reasons to Try Acupuncture – https://natureshealing.info/top-10-reasons-to-try-acupuncture/
• Identifying a Qualified Acupuncturist in Rhode Island – https://natureshealing.info/coventry-ri-acupuncture/
• The Science of Acupuncture – https://natureshealing.info/science-of-acupuncture/
• Weight Gain and Low Back Pain – https://natureshealing.info/weight-gain-low-back-pain/
• Stress and Low Back Pain – https://natureshealing.info/stress-low-back-pain/
• Headaches and Acupuncture – https://natureshealing.info/causes-of-headaches-and-relief-with-acupuncture/
• Seven Ways to Alleviate Arthritis – https://natureshealing.info/7-ways-to-alleviate-arthritis-natures-healing-news/
• Harvard Medical School Cites Health Benefits of Tai Chi – https://natureshealing.info/harvard-medical-school-cites-health-benefits-tai-chi/
• How Tai Chi Works for Fall Prevention – https://natureshealing.info/how-tai-chi-works-for-fall-prevention/
• Herbal Medicine – https://natureshealing.info/herbal-medicine/

Additional Resource:

Safe Opioid Prescribing / RI Department of Health: http://www.health.ri.gov/healthcare/medicine/about/safeopioidprescribing/