The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says its decision to reduce Opioids is part of an effort to alleviate veterans’ pain through non-prescription methods, which could include physical therapy and alternative medicine like acupuncture and yoga. Mountain Home VA is working to taper veterans with non-cancer pain off of their pain medications, because doctors, federal guidelines and research say the risks, particularly the possibility of overdoses, far outweigh the benefits.
Here’s their statement:
“There is an emphasis on patient education, use of methods of pain management such as physical therapy; close patient monitoring with frequent feedback; and complementary and alternative medicine practices like acupuncture and yoga, for example,”