Is Chronic Pain a "National Crisis"?

I recently saw an opinion article on chronic pain as a national crisis in healthcare, and this is a concept that seems to be coming up again and again. Eyes seemed to be opening to this about a year ago, when I first read about how research into pain processing and treatment was being spurred by war casualties - medical advances mean a lot more of our wounded military personnel are surviving, but their injuries are leaving them in constant pain.

This recent article, from the Michigan Business Review, had some astounding numbers. The author claims that 15 million of us have chronic pain, more than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined. She puts the combined cost in the U.S. of health care, lost income and lost productivity at $885 billion dollars a year. That's more than the estimated cost of a much-hyped avian flu pandemic. When you consider that the vast majority of people with chronic pain, including those of us with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, are likely to live average-length lives, that's a price that's only going to go up.

My hope is that enough people are recognizing the severity of the chronic-pain problem to lead to more awareness, both medically and socially. Awareness leads to funding, and funding leads to answers.

So what can we do? When you see articles on the pain crisis, pass them around. Take a copy to your doctor. Email a copy to your state representative. Give it to your friends/family/co-workers/boss to help them understand what's going on in your life and across the country. Also, know that you're not alone in this struggle and add your voice to the rising cacophony calling for a new approach to pain.

Do you agree that chronic pain is becoming a national crisis? Do you think it'll help us out in the long run? Share your thoughts here or in About.com's Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome forum (under Newsletter & Blog Topics.)

Suggested Reading:

• Drugs for Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Easing Pain through Acupuncture; Massage, Rolfing, Reiki & Other Bodywork; Chriropractic Care & Other Manual Therapies
• Treat Your Symptoms through Supplements, Diet & Exercise