New CDC Opioid Prescribing Guidelines Fall Short in Protecting Patients, Says Chronic Pain Expert Cindy Perlin
ALBANY, N.Y., March 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Opioid prescribing guidelines released last week by the CDC are commendable in that they acknowledge the harm done by prescription painkillers, the lack of evidence for long-term benefit and the need for caution in prescribing for more than a few days, says chronic pain treatment expert Cindy Perlin.
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However, the licensed social worker and author of The Truth About Chronic Pain Treatments: The Best and Worst Strategies for Becoming Pain Free, notes that the guidelines fall short on alternative recommendations for how physicians should treat pain.
"The guidelines give lip service to psychotherapy and physical therapy as alternative treatments while minimizing the fact that these services are inaccessible to many pain patients," Perlin says. "More than 93 million Americans live in areas where there is less than one mental health provider for every 10,000 people. In addition, most insurance companies rarely cover more than a few sessions of physical therapy, which is grossly inadequate to address chronic pain. These services are also becoming increasingly rare because insurance companies have not raised fees for providers in over 35 years."
Perlin also points out that the CDC guidelines ignore, and insurance companies rarely cover, other proven treatments for pain, including biofeedback, chiropractic, massage, acupuncture, nutritional and herbal interventions, marijuana and low-level laser therapy.
"The CDC needs to aggressively advocate for affordable patient access to pain treatments that are safe and effective and not leave the 100 million Americans who are in chronic pain without any means of relief," Perlin insists. She has started a petition on Change.org advocating a federal law to require health insurance coverage for all pain treatments that are proven safe and effective.
Perlin has been a guest on multiple TV and radio networks, among them PBS, SiriusXm, and RadioMD. Her op-ed pieces and letters have been published in the Albany Times Union, New York Times and Wall Street Journal and she has contributed columns to OpEdNews.com, PainNewsNetwork.org and NaturalNews.com. More information can be found at www.cindyperlin.com.
AVAILABILITY: Albany, nationwide by arrangement and via telephone
CONTACT: Cindy Perlin, 518-439-6431;Email; www.cindyperlin.com
SOURCE Cindy Perlin
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