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Christie Pleads for Trump to Declare Opioid Crisis a National Public Health Emergency

  • August 01, 2017

President Trump created a commission tasked at fighting the opioid scourge. This step was an important acknowledgement of this serious issue, which has killed thousands and ruined countless lives. According to CNN, the chairman of his committee, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, has now asked the president to declare a national health emergency. 

Opioid addiction is at an all-time high in the U.S., and according to many addiction specialists, pain and hopelessness are primary drivers of this burgeoning crisis. Limiting the availability of opioids and making overdose-reversal drugs and treatment for drug addiction more readily available are part of the answer. But it's not enough.

We have to take a much deeper look at the root of the problem. What is causing all this physical pain and emotional distress in the first place? Clearly, the U.S. health care system is grossly ineffective when it comes to addressing chronic health problems. Whether pain is promoting hopelessness or the other way around is difficult to ascertain, but the two appear to be closely intertwined and need to be addressed together.

We need to refocus our efforts to create lives worth living, and improve access to and information about basic disease prevention, which begins with diet and basic lifestyle choices — the kind of information I've focused on with my newsletter and website.
With all the health risks associated with opioid painkillers, I strongly urge you to exhaust other options before resorting to these drugs. For a long list of alternative pain treatments, please see my previous articles, "Treating Pain Without Drugs," and "New Treatment Guidelines for Back Pain Stress Non-Drug Interventions."