VA Study Finds Chiropractic Linked to Lower Opiate Usage

A recent Veteran's Administration study published in the Pain Medicine Journal found that veterans who received chiropractic treatment had a significantly lower usage of opiates after their chiropractic visits compared to non-chiropractic patients.
Opioids can sometimes be beneficial, but in some cases other treatments can be more appropriate. Do you think it would be beneficial to get veterans better access to chiropractic and other non drug treatments?

VA Study Finds Chiropractic Linked to Lower Opiate Usage

Congress Passes Legislation Expanding Veteran Access to Nondrug Chiropractic Services

Congress has approved a plan to expand access to chiropractic’s nondrug approach to pain relief to veterans. This will expand chiropractic services to even more of the VA hospitals to reduce surgeries and opioid prescribing.
Do you think this will be beneficial for veterans?
Congress Passes Legislation Expanding Veteran Access to Nondrug Chiropractic Services

House Advances Pro-Chiropractic Bill to Boost Ranks of Certified Medical Examiners

The house of representatives overwhelming advances bi-partisan pro-chiropractic bill to boost ranks of certified medical examiners who examine veterans to drive trucks.
Truck drivers are required to get medical examinations by certified medical examiners to determine if there are any medical conditions that could lead to unsafe driving. I am a DOT certified medical examiner and it is good to see this service opened up to other medical providers who work at VA facilities as it will make it easier for veterans to get their driving cetification.
Do you think this is a good piece of legislation?
House Advances Pro-Chiropractic Bill to Boost Ranks of DOT Certified Medical Examiners

Chiropractic Services Legislation at VA Medical Centers passes Senate

The U.S. Senate has approved legislation that contains a provision to have chiropractic benefits available to at least 50% of the VA medical centers within two years. Currently this benefit is available at 66 of the 180 medical centers. 


Senate Passes Bill to Expand Chiropractic Services at Major VA Medical Centers

Rep. Ron Kind co-sponsoring bill to provide pain management alternatives including chiropractic car at all VA facilities

As you may have heard, the Tomah VA clinic in Wisconsin has come under intense criticism for an extreme overuse of narcotic drug prescribing to veterans. In response congressman Ron Kind has co-sponsored a bill called the Chiropractic Care Available to All Veteran's Act. It would require chiropractic care and services at all VA medical centers by the end of 2016.
He has said that "We need to be exploring more complimentary, alternative forms of medicine in dealing with pain management for our veterans, instead of just loading them up with a cocktail of pain management drugs, which is really just treating the symptom and not the cause of the pain."

Rep. Ron Kind co-sponsoring bill to provide pain management alternatives at VA facilities

New rules on narcotic painkillers and the Veteran's Administration

Concerning the highly addictive painkillers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has termed this “the worst drug addiction epidemic in the country’s history, killing more people than heroin and crack cocaine.” Pain experts at the Veteran's Administration now say that in hindsight they have been overmedicating veterans.
Here is a statement from the American Chiropractic Association addressing this crisis.
Do you think adding better access to chiropractic care for veterans and the military will help with this problem?

Letter to The Washington Post

Legislation Introduced in U.S. Congress to Further Integrate DCs in Military, VA Health Care Systems

Two new bipartisan bills ( how often have we recently heard the word bipartisan?) have been introduced concerning increased integration of chiropractic services into the military system. A House bill would expand access to chiropractic care through inclusion of benefits in the Tricare insurance program to retired military and their families. The Senate bill would expand chiropractic services to all VA treatment facilities.
Do you think these are worthwhile objectives?
Legislation Introduced in U.S. Congress to Further Integrate DCs in Military, VA Health Care Systems

This article mentions the new VA chiropractic study that I just wrote about last week.
"VA doctors wrote more than 6.5 million prescriptions in 2012 for hydrocodone, oxycodone, methadone and morphine — more than the total number of patients they saw and a 270 percent increase from 2001. As a result of the numbers, the Minneapolis VA launched the Opioid Safety Initiative in 2012. Since the beginning of the program, the Minneapolis VA says it has been able to decrease risky high-dosage opioid use among patients by 67 percent. The Minneapolis VA, will be collaborating on a study of how chiropractic care might best be used for vets who have a combination of musculoskeletal pain and mental health conditions."
Do you think this new program will be beneficial?

Minneapolis VA studying chiropractic treatment and other alternatives to pain meds

Researchers at the Palmer Chiropractic College were recently awarded a $718,00 research grant form the National Institutes of Health.
The DoD/VA Pain Management Task Force now recommends chiropractic as a Tier 1 treatment within its comprehensive pain-management program. 
This study will find how chiropractic care might be best integrated into existing Veterans Health Administration (VHA) clinical practice guidelines for veterans with a combination of musculoskeletal pain and mental health conditions.
Do you think having better access to chiropractic care will decrease the problem of narcotic dependence and deaths of the veterans?

http://www.chiroeco.com/news/chiro-article.php?id=15582

Inaugural Chiropractic VA Residency Appointees

I have posted about the new US Dept of Veteran's Affairs chiropractic residency program. The first six inaugural selections have been named. These three year hospital-based training programs expand the residents’ ability to collaborate with other healthcare professionals in team care, as trainees learn with and from other healthcare providers during interdisciplinary rotations.
Doctors of chiropractic presently treat veterans at 47 VA clinics around the country.

http://blogs.palmer.edu/news/2014/09/12/san-jose-campus-alumna-among-inaugural-va-residency-appointments/

VA Prepares to Move Forward with Chiropractic Residency Program

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has released a request for proposals to establish up to six chiropractic residency program at VA medical facilities.
Currently, all veterans are eligible to receive chiropractic services, and nearly 50 major VA treatment facilities around the United States have on-site chiropractic clinics. 
Were you veterans made aware of this coverage by the VA?

http://www.acatoday.org/press_css.cfm?CID=5228

VA Prepares to Move Forward with Chiropractic Residency Program

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has released a request for proposals to establish up to six chiropractic residency program at VA medical facilities.
Currently, all veterans are eligible to receive chiropractic services, and nearly 50 major VA treatment facilities around the United States have on-site chiropractic clinics. 
Were you veterans made aware of this coverage by the VA?

http://www.acatoday.org/press_css.cfm?CID=5228

Another research study showing benefit of chiropractic care for US veterans

Here is another research showing benefit of chiropractic care for veterans. It was recently published in the Veteran's Administration Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development. 
Were you aware that doctors of chiropractic now work at many VA clinics and the VA is starting a residency program for DC's?

http://www.rehab.research.va.gov/jour/11/488/page927.html

Significant improvement for veterans with neck pain.

This study on 54 veterans with chronic neck disorders was recently published in the Journal JMPT and showed significant improvement with chiropractic management and treatment. I have recently had several active and retired military people start treatment and it is always disapointing to inform them that the military insurance plan Tricare does not have any chiropractic coverage :-(

Significant improvement for veterans with neck pain.