March 2007

AHA urges drug-free pain relief; opportunity for chiropractic

Recent guidelines issued by the American Heart Association that recommend medication as a last resort for chronic-pain patients at risk for heart disease should encourage doctors and patients to first consider nondrug treatments such as chiropractic care, according to the American Chiropractic Association (ACA).

“With recent studies linking many nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, it is more important than ever for patients to have access to conservative treatments such as chiropractic care,” said ACA President Richard Brassard, DC.

The scientific statement, released by the heart association Feb. 26, urged doctors to initially focus on “nonpharmacological approaches” to pain management in patients at risk for heart disease in an effort to avoid the possible cardiovascular complications of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs — or NSAIDs.

Chiropractic is widely recognized as one of the safest drug-free, noninvasive therapies available for the treatment of back pain, neck pain, headaches, and other neuromusculoskeletal complaints.

Source: American Chiropractic Association, www.acatoday.org

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