Leisure World News

B24 April 2022 • Wellness • www.lwca.com Not Another Medication By Steven Alexander Going to the doctor’s o ce is a pain. Literally. Eve r y t ime you wa l k into the appointment with your primary care physician your blood pressure rises a little. Maybe your blood pressure has been truly elevated since last being seen? Or, maybe the fact that you are meeting with your doctor who inevitably seems to give you bad news every time you go in and see them is what is causing the rise in blood pressure? Besides, our ‘healthcare’ system has trained us to only go to the doctor’s o ce if something is wrong. Talk about being anxious when waiting to nd out! But this time during your appointment, you do have something new to discuss. You have been dealing with back pain that is radiating into the legs now. Maybe the pain in the legs is sporadic, maybe it has become consistent, either way it is a nuisance. And now you realize you are using it as an excuse to stop enjoying the beautiful Arizona weather we have in the winter/ spring. You stopped going out with friends because you dread having to sit at the restaurant that always seems to take a bit longer to bring you the check because of their sta ng issues. After you tell your doctor everything you have been going through with your back pain/discomfort that radiates into the legs and the doctor seems to be taking it all in. ey are typing diligently on their computer, almost ensuring you that they are listening and have the best solution for your pain…Here it comes…the moment you have been waiting for…a solution for you back pain and radiating symptoms…and they say: I’ll write you a prescription for the pain… at’s it? row another medication into the cocktail of pills you have already been prescribed. Maybe you think that is good enough? But, for most people they realize that is NOT a long-term solution! If only life were that easy. Want to lose weight? Just take a pill, forget about diet and exercise. Want to lower your blood sugar? Just take another insulin shot/pill. Forget about monitoring your sugar intake. So, why is pain any di erent? A pain pill is not a long- term solution for the pain and discomfort you feel. Sure, a muscle relaxer may help you get to sleep a little better. at Gabapentin could temporarily reduce the radiating pain in the legs, but what does it do to stop it from coming back? And your blood pressure might be the least of your worries if you are adding another pill that your liver, kidneys and other organs have to work hard to lter out of your system. I’m not sure if you are aware, especially with everything going on in this world, but we are still fighting an opioid epidemic. Opioid deaths increased 519.38% from 1999 to 2019 and at least 68% of all overdose deaths are attributed to opioids. e stats of the epidemic go on and on. If you have read or listened to the news in the past few years, I am sure you are aware of how widespread this epidemic is. Over my decade of being a Physical erapist, I have seen and heard many stories about how the opioid epidemic has had an impact on so many families. at is why I have been on a journey to educate my patients on a better way to alleviate the pain. A longer lasting solution. One that is safer than another prescription pill. One that will help you get back to that active lifestyle and enjoy the retirement life again. If this sounds like something you are interested in, we invite you to apply for a free consultation. is will help you to learn more about how we may be able to get you away from the medicine cabinet and back to enjoying life, please give us a call at 480-452-9191. We know the e ect of medications and want to help you get o of them, or completely avoid them all together while getting your life back. Only 3 Free Consults per week in April will be given out, so please act decisively. -Steven Alexander, is a Doctor of Physical erapy and owner of Spark Performance and Physiotherapy. PHYSIO TIME