October marks the start of National Chiropractic Health Month (NCHM) , an initiative by the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and doctors everywhere to advocate for chiropractic treatment as a first step for treating chronic pain as opposed to pain medication.

This October, learn more about how chiropractic services can help people better manage their pain and improve mobility with the ACA !

Chiropractic First

The 2016 theme for NCHM is Chiropractic First, which stresses the importance of trying a drug-free approach to pain and pain management rather than relying solely on medication to treat your condition.

Whats wrong with treating your pain with pain medication?

Well, if you have an injury, pain medication will only serve to numb the pain , meaning you may not feel the full extent of your injury. Pain is the bodys way of telling you that something is wrong. When you cant feel the pain, you may continue your normal range of motion despite the injury and cause farther harm.

On top of this, the source of pain may not be able to heal when its being misused or not treated. Chiropractic opts for a drug-free approach to identifying and treating the source of your pain in order to facilitate proper healing to lead to less pain or no pain in the future.

Tackling the Problem with Pain Meds

Approaching pain management purely through pharmaceuticals often doesnt address the root cause of your pain. In addition to this, people who use prescription pain medications run the risk of becoming addicted, especially if the medications are used long-term to treat pain.

Abuse of pain medication and death from overdosing on pain medication has become a substantial problem in the United States. These drugs affect the brain in the same way that heroin does and present the potential for addiction. Over 2 million people in the United States alone have issues with substance abuse directly associated with prescription pain medication.

With this is mind, doesnt it make sense to tackle something more natural as a primary form of treatment rather than a prescription drug that carries the potential for long-term use and addiction? This is what NCHM aims to educate others about in October!

A Natural Alternative to Drugs and Surgery

Both surgery and drugs have effects on your body, many of which are long-term. Chiropractic treatments can often prevent or at least postpone surgery and help your body to heal itself rather than relying on other techniques to mask the bodys natural response to pain.

Chiropractic treatments can be effective for pain management of the spine, neck, shoulders, and even headaches! Leg pain, hip pain, and sports injuries can all be treated at chiropractic clinics. With 100 million Americans suffering from chronic pain, isnt it time we considered alternative treatments before we consider potentially harmful and addictive drugs?

Consider Chiropractic

During NCHM, the ACA aims to educate people about the effectiveness of chiropractic treatments at treating the root cause of their pain rather than just relying on pain medication for relief.

Perhaps the best part about chiropractors is that they tend to look at the whole picture of your painincluding your diet, lifestyle, stress factors, and exercise. This is because they know that your body is a system and as a system, everything needs to work together to get better!

Learn more about NCHM and how you can be a part of it at the ACAs website and take advantage of all that chiropractic has to offera holistic, natural approach to pain management without drugs or surgery. Woo hoo!