start using things that are a little bit quicker. People like quick visuals like in Instagram,” Laverdiere says. Trending stories This year saw the rapid rise of the opioid epidemic as a national health crisis. In the last several months, federal and provincial governments, professional organizations and advocacy groups have started to come together in the hopes of finding solutions to the opioid crisis and put a stop to the avoidable overdose deaths that occur. Medical associations in Canada and the U.S. have both come out with low-back pain management guidelines that tout non-drug conservative approach as the first line of treatment. The Canadian Chiropractic Association (CCA) has been active this past year in engaging with stakeholders in government and other sectors to help develop sustainable solutions to the opioid crisis. The CCA did not respond to this writer’s request for interview. “One thing that I would love to see more is better access to chiropractic services, especially those group who typically can’t access us for various reasons,” says Dr. Peter Emary, chiropractor at Parkway Back Clinic in Cambridge, Ont. Emary points out some community health centres have already started providing chiropractic services, particularly to the members of the community who otherwise could not afford it, but tend to suffer from chronic pain and drug addiction the most. He says increasing access to chiropractic services and other non-opioid alternatives for patients may not necessarily be the one solution to the opioid crisis but can significantly lessen its impact. In 2018, the Canadian government is moving forward with the legalization of recreational marijuana. Some cannabis and liberal drug policy advocates believe marijuana could play a role in solving the opioid crisis by helping reduce people’s opioid dependency. They cite a 2014 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association which found that U.S. states that have medical cannabis laws had a 24.8 per cent lower mean annual opioid overdose mortality rate, “The chiropractor who is going to get the most new patients is going to be the one that’s going to show up number one in Google search.” www.canadianchiropractor.ca compared with states without these laws. Emary points out, however, there are still many things unknown when it comes to marijuana and its benefits. Anecdotally, he notes, patients have told him that marijuana helps with their back pain and other health issues. However, the evidence paints a less definitive picture. “When you look at the scientific literature, it’s pretty inconclusive at this point in the studies that have been done,” Emary says. “Systematic reviews, for example, concludes that there is basically insufficient evidence to suggest that it’s beneficial or not.” While stressing that chiropractors will not be able to give patients advice or recommendations about marijuana, still, Emary believes all health-care practitioners need to brush up on available knowledge about medicinal cannabis, anticipating more patients will likely more openly be talking to their health-care providers about marijuana when it is legalized by summertime in 2018. The Cambridge chiropractor also thinks the issue around opioids and marijuana presents a deeper question about today’s society as a whole. “My biggest thought or concern is to the question of why so many people in our society seems to be suffering from chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and these types of disorders,” Emary asks. “I often think that it’s maybe more of a reflection of society in general… but that’s probably a long and complicated answer – and maybe nobody has the answer to that question.” December 2017 Canadian Chiropractor 25
Chiropractic + Naturopathic Doctor December 2017: Page 25
