FDA and CDC Working to Curb National Epidemic of Prescription Painkiller Abuse
If You’re Experiencing Chronic Pain, Find Out Why
Opioid Medication is NOT the Proper Treatment
When asked how they became hooked on prescribed painkillers, patients at Sponaugle Wellness Institute tell us they were looking for relief from Chronic Pain caused by backaches or dental pain. These painkillers, also known as opioid medication, typically go by brand names such as Oxycontin, Percocet, and Vicodin.
While Dr. Sponaugle has been sharing for years that opioid medication is NOT the proper treatment for Chronic Pain, the Sponaugle Wellness Institute applauds recent efforts by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to curb an epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse in the U.S.
Starting last week, the FDA announced new labeling requirements (“boxed warnings” about misuse) for the prescribed painkillers, while the CDC announced stringent new guidelines for doctors prescribing the opioid medication.
We are at a time when the unfathomable tragedies resulting from addiction, overdose, and death has become one of the most urgent, devastating public health crises facing our country,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf told reporters at a March 22 news briefing.
He said the agency works with other agencies, drug makers, doctors, and patients “to prevent abuse, save lives, and treat dependence while still providing patients in pain access to effective relief.”
Why Are Opioids NOT the Proper Treatment for Chronic Pain?
Dr. Spanuagle has proven through his research that taking opioid medication, over time, causes a person to experience more physical pain than before they started taking the prescribed painkillers – as the medication amplifies incoming electrical pain signals in the brain.
Plus, over-abuse of opioid medication typically results in a Gut Toxic Brain*, causing deficiencies of Serotonin and Taurine (the brain’s calming chemicals), which can lead to depression, anxiety, and more. So opioid medication compounds the health and mental issues (versus solving them).
Dr. Sponaugle has been sharing this research with Chronic Pain patients for years and was even asked to speak with NFL players about his findings as early as 2009!
Learn more about this research and see PET-Brain scans of a healthy brain vs. a Gut Toxic Brain on our Chronic Pain page.
At Sponaugle Wellness Institute, we treat patients for opioid addiction while helping them find better ways to deal with their Chronic Pain issues.
Dr. Rick Sponaugle, MD, is a licensed medical doctor in Florida, integrative physician, and board-certified anesthesiologist. With an emphasis on Environmental Medicine, Dr. Sponaugle specializes in treating brain and neurological disorders derived from Mold Toxicity, Industrial Toxicity, Gut Toxicity, Neurological Lyme disease, and five additional stealth infections that attack the Brain and Neurological system of most patients. Our Medical Director, Rick Sponaugle, MD, is an integrative physician who attempts to prioritize treatment through quality forensic medicine. Performing an analysis of 400 numerical bio-markers in his initial consultation, Dr. Sponaugle's goal is to diagnose and treat the underlying cause of your multiple symptoms.
Most Sponaugle Wellness patients require simultaneous treatment for multiple medical disorders, including Mold poisoning, Industrial Toxicity, Gut Toxicity, Lyme Disease, Bartonella, Babesia, Protozoa infections, and intestinal parasites.
To more effectively treat patients with Lyme disease, Dr. Sponaugle uses experience acquired from working 20 years in critical care medicine and brain expertise derived from treating thousands of patients with brain and neurological disorders.
Dr. “Rick” Sponaugle has been recognized throughout the world as a leader in the integration of modern brain science into his addiction treatment model. He has been featured in the national media spotlight on the Dr. Phil show, Suzanne Somers show, Ricki Lake show, CNN, Anderson Cooper, FOX News, ABC News, CBS News, and NBC News, and PBS.
