Dr. Robert R. Atnip and DeKalb County are joining chiropractic physicians nationwide this October during National Chiropractic Health Month to help raise awareness of non-drug approaches to pain management in the face of the U.S. opioid epidemic.
During National Chiropractic Health Month this October, the American Chiropractic Association is sharing back injury prevention and strengthening tips as well as information on the value of a conservative approach to back pain treatment with the theme “Back to Basics”
On Friday, DeKalb County Mayor Tim Stribling signed a proclamation designating October as “National Chiropractic Health Month” in DeKalb County. Dr. Atnip and his wife Guylene were on hand for the occasion.
The proclamation follows:
WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as many as one in four patients who receive prescription opioids long term for non-cancer pain in primary care settings struggles with addiction;
WHEREAS, Every day, more than 1,000 people are treated in the ER for misusing prescription opioids, and deaths involving opioids have quadrupled since 1999;
WHEREAS,The spread of opioid abuse has prompted the White House to announce it will designate the opioid crisis a national emergency;
WHEREAS, Because of this epidemic, the need for noninvasive, non-drug approaches to pain management for common musculoskeletal conditions such as back pain has increased throughout the world and particularly in the United States;
WHEREAS, The American College of Physicians (ACP) in 2017 released updated low-back pain treatment guidelines that promote the use of noninvasive, non-drug approaches as a first line of defense against back pain, before the use of pain medications and surgery;
WHEREAS, Chiropractors focus on the whole person with their noninvasive, non-drug approach to health care and pain management;
WHEREAS, There is a growing body of research validating the effectiveness of chiropractic services—spinal manipulation in particular—for the treatment of low-back pain, leading many respected health care organizations such as the ACP to include chiropractic/spinal manipulation in their guidelines for physicians;
WHEREAS, National Chiropractic Health Month 2017 serves as a reminder to all citizens of DeKalb County that noninvasive, non-drug treatments for low-back pain such as chiropractic services/spinal manipulation may lessen or eliminate the need for riskier, potentially addictive treatments such as prescription opioid pain medications and should be thoroughly exhausted whenever possible before initiating over-the-counter and prescription opioid therapy;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the County of DeKalb, Tennessee officially joins with the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) in proclaiming the month of October 2017 as National Chiropractic Health Month.