Not all patients fully know and understand the risks of back pain management. Among all problematic health conditions, back pain is one of the least effectively treated, regardless of the type of care provided. Very few therapy options have any hope of providing a true and permanent cure, even if they do target the actual underlying source of pain (which is rare). The vast majority of treatment approaches are symptomatic in nature, meaning that the therapy does nothing to address the causation of the condition, but instead simply tries (this is the key word here) to relieve the symptoms of the concern.
So, what is wrong with symptomatic treatment anyway? Well, this is an article unto itself, but in short form, here are a few of the problems with treating the symptoms instead of the causative issues: Symptomatic treatment goes against everything that all manner of doctors learn in school. Doctors are strictly warned not to treat symptoms, but almost all of them do it anyway.
What are rules for anyway, especially when breaking them makes you lots of money? Treating symptoms is only effective for as long as the treatment continues. This is a form of control, or slavery, if you will, ensuring long-term profitability from each patient. A cured patient is one who gets away. A lost customer…
Many symptomatic treatments have inherent risks and dangers, which is the focus of the rest of this article.
Risks of Back Pain Management Editorial
So, let’s get back to the risks of back pain management…
Some symptomatic modalities are more enlightened and less risky than others. These less damaging approaches include holistic care, such as exercise, chiropractic, Ayurveda, meditation, TCM, acupuncture and massage. However, in the modern world, most patients fall victim to ongoing pharmaceutical care in order to deal with their substantial pain. Popping pills is certainly the most common and popular treatment strategy.
Pain management drugs are well known to be not only ridiculous in many of their applications, but also are almost universally addictive and dangerous to a patient’s health. Pain pills may take the edge off, but do it at the risk of dependency, internal organ damage, blood damage and possibly death. Other types of pills include anti-inflammatories (inflammation rarely exists in a back pain situation) and anti-spasmodics (muscle relaxants) which can be just as deadly, particularly when used in cocktails of drugs so common to this healthcare sector.
Even the practice of epidural injections is based completely around symptomatic treatment. These anesthetic shots are like extended duration aspirins, with the added fun of possibly causing severe complications, like nerve damage or spinal fluid leaks.
The worst part about the risks of back pain management is that I almost never hear a doctor actually tell their patient that these modalities will not provide a cure. I never had one tell me. Patients typically assume that these symptomatic methods are designed to cure them permanently, so they take the prescription and wait, in vain. Even after many failed attempts at enacting lasting relief, most patients still do not understand the difference between a curative treatment and a symptomatic treatment. So, this is your home work if you are a back pain sufferer…
Learn the distinction. Apply this knowledge to your own case and escape from the prison of long-term drug use for your back pain.
Every time I write one of these articles on pain management, I inevitably get the comments (from drug users) about not understanding what it is to deal with pain and the like. Well bring them on. I do understand. I lived the same nightmare. I have been dealing with horrific chronic pain for longer than many of you have been alive! However, I choose to not fall victim to the pharmaceutical demon. Maybe if you have seen so many people literally die from liver and kidney problems due to pain meds, you would have the same feeling. Besides, I have yet to meet many, if any, patients who actually enjoy that much relief from these poisonous pills anyway.
I continue the conversation about the many serious risks of back pain management in my book titled The Pharmaceutical Trap.
