Deadlier than Cocaine, Heroin or Swine Flu?

Post by Sarah Wilde

Forget swine flu!   Dr. Joseph Mercola is calling for the CDC to raise a Pandemic Level 6 warning for Prescription Drug abuse, as it is becoming a growing killer in our country.   As posted on today’s Mercola.com, there is a largely unrecognized new epidemic in our country — prescription painkiller addiction that is leading to more fatalities by overdose than the prior top killers cocaine and heroin.

Leonard Paulozzi of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that prescription drugs cause most of the more than 26,000 fatal overdoses each year.

The number of overdose deaths from opioid painkillers more than tripled from 1999 to 2006, to 13,800 deaths that year, according to recently released CDC statistics.

Something needs to be done.   With more and more Americans turning to drugs for every ache and pain, and doctors prescribing a plethora of pills, the population is at risk for developing dependencies that can lead to chronic addiction.  According to Robert DuPont, a former White House drug czar and former director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “The biggest and fastest-growing part of America’s drug problem is prescription drug abuse.  The statistics are unmistakable.”

Dr. Mercola offers a number of alternatives to prescription painkillers for finding relief from pain.  These are key components of recovery programs at LSA and include simple changes such as taking a high-quality, animal-based omega-3, reducing grains and sugars from your diet, and restructuring your diet based on your body’s unique nutritional type.

A holistic program is key for individuals in recovery – as it is now more than ever crucial to be aware of what you are putting in your body.