As prescription drug addiction continues to reach all time highs, the crisis is being seriously looked at by the American Medical Association. The AMA is trying to figure out a way to cope with the need for pain management while lowering the incidence of addiction. According to the American Medical Association

“As policymakers craft solutions to address prescription drug abuse, diversion, overdose and death, it is critical that we do not unintentionally discourage physicians from appropriately treating pain or reduce access to prescription drugs for patients who are suffering,” she writes, citing an Institute of Medicine report, which found that more than 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain.

The American Medical Association is doing a number of things to help deal with this epidemic in the United States. They are advocating policy efforts that aim to reduce abuse and have been sponsoring continuing medical education programs that address numerous alternatives to prescription pain management.

It’s important work, and wonderful that the American Medical Association is taking a deep look at this troublesome situation. One thing I have to ask though, is, are they addressing why such a high number of Americans have chronic pain issues? We can treat the symptoms all day long, but what is causing over 100 million people to suffer from chronic pain to begin with?

Is it that a high number of people are lying about chronic pain to get their prescription medication addiction needs met? That may be part of the situation, but I think there is more to it. I believe many people really do suffer from chronic pain, but perhaps it’s not being looked at the right way. Are they considering possible causes such as diet and environmental factors in this research? This article didn’t make that clear, but these are good questions to ask when looking at the outrageous number of people who suffer from chronic pain.