– Now, the opioid crisis in the country is putting newborns at risk.
Women using prescription painkillers such OxyContin during pregnancy have led to what is being called “an explosion”They are just as dependent on the drugs as their mothers. The number of neonatal abstinence (NAS) cases in the United States has risen fivefold from 2000 to 2012. That’s almost 22,000 infants affected in that one year.
“The babies, they really suffer, just like adults do when they withdraw from narcotics,”CBS News interviewed Dr. Terrie inder, who is the chair of pediatric newborn medicine at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “The babies are very irritable and sometimes have high heart rates, sweating, flushing, diarrhea. They cry a lot.”
Heightening experts’ concern:
* The crucial early “bonding”Given the average hospital stay of 24 day for babies, it is possible to disrupt the relationship between mother and baby.
* The mothers — often unaware of the potential collateral damage from the painkillers they’ve been taking — experience what Inder calls “anxiety and guilt.”
Pregnancy is a time when back and neck pain are more common because of the possibility that postural changes in women can cause spine and pelvic discomfort. It is unclear if this new development, combined with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s call for doctors to drastically reduce opioid prescribing, will encourage more women seeking alternative care like drug-free chiropractic.
“All chiropractors are trained to work with women who are pregnant,”American Pregnancy Association praises their expertise in “establishing pelvic balance and alignment.”
The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress points out that most insurance plans and health plans cover visits to chiropractors who are highly trained and educated.
Find out more at F4CP.com/findadoctor.
