The media is known for being provocative, particularly with story headlines (even in the case of major current events such as COVID-19 and protests against inequality). In fact, sometimes the headline you follow to the story ends up having little to do with the actual content, much less the truth.
The Grim Reality
According to a U.S. study published by the Veterans Administration several years ago, military veterans die of suicide at a rate of 22 per day or about one every 65 minutes.1
Statistics from a more recent VA study reveal that between 2001 and 2014, "U.S. adult civilian suicides increased 23 percent, while Veteran suicides increased 32 percent." Suicide rates are increasing to a lesser extent among U.S. veterans who utilize VA services compared to those who don't (8.8 percent vs. 38.6 percent), but these are still on the rise.2
As a veteran myself, I can't help but see this as extremely tragic. Someone risks their life to protect our country – only to ultimately take their own life.
Chiropractic Can Save a Life
Now to the study in question, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, which revealed additional benefits to chiropractic care I had not considered. The authors compared 142,539 U.S. Army service members with chronic pain who received nonpharmacological treatments (NPT) with those who did not in order to see if there was a reduction in long-term, pain-related adverse outcomes.
Of those who received NPT, almost one quarter (23.5 percent) received chiropractic care, second only to physical therapy at 32.4 percent.3-4 Service members who received NPT experienced the following compared to those who did not receive NPT:
- 8 percent less alcohol and/or drug use disorders
- 12 percent less suicide ideation
- 17 percent less self-inflicted injuries including suicide attempts
- 35 percent less accidental poisoning with opioids, related narcotics, barbiturates or sedatives
We can draw a number of conclusions from the above findings. Probably the most important is what isn't experienced by many of these chiropractic patients. In addition to improving function and wellness, regular chiropractic relieves debilitating pain that could easily result in alcohol / drug use, accidental poisoning and self-inflicted harm.
The alternative could also be concluded, although this study is not sufficient to prove it. Giving drugs to patients in chronic pain increases the likelihood of the above adverse events. And while the powers that be will likely continue to ignore the obvious, the evidence is mounting to the point that it can only be ignored with great effort.
Everyone knows several people who are serving or have served in our nation's military. Please share this information with your patients to share with their loved ones. It may seem overly dramatic to state that chiropractic can save your life, but in the case of our U.S. service members with chronic pain, it is absolutely true.
References
- "U.S. Military Veteran Suicides Rise, One Dies Every 65 Minutes." Reuters Health News, Feb. 1, 2013.
- "VA Releases Report on Nation's Largest Analysis of Veteran Suicide." U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Aug. 3, 2016.
- "Veterans Benefit From Pain Treatment Without Drugs." Medical News Today, Jan. 2, 2020.
- Meerwijk EL, Larson MJ, Schmidt EM, et al. Nonpharmacological treatment of Army service members with chronic pain is associated with fewer adverse outcomes after transition to the Veterans Health Administration. J Gen Intern Med, 2020 Mar;35(3):775-783.
Read more findings on my blog: http://blog.toyourhealth.com/ wrblog. You can also visit me on Facebook and Twitter (donpetersenjr, @donaldpetersen).
Click here for more information about Donald M. Petersen Jr., BS, HCD(hc), FICC(h), Publisher.