Florida And Pain Management

By Author: Steven Johnson
Total Articles: 494
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At first sight, the title to this article might look a little strange. We are all used to seeing the state associated with its beautiful beaches and orange juice famous all round the world. We also know this is the land of retirement where the rich go to enjoy their golden years, now ruled by Jeb Bush who keeps the family name alive in the political hall of fame. But it's not so often associated with pain management. We need to take one step back to understand the message.

Long ago, when the US was just a dream in the eye of the British and other downtrodden people around the world, the idea of capitalism was born. This is the idea that you always charge the price the market will pay and then some. For several centuries, business has developed this idea so that, regardless of any ethical considerations, everyone is out to make a buck. Now think about all these older people relocating to a warmer climate. They are all going to have health problems at some point. They will all want the convenience of painkillers and other treatment. In part, this explains why there has been an explosion of pain management clinics across ...
... the "sunshine state".

However, we need a note realism here. For all the state has managed to market itself as the home of sunshine, it's also the home to some severe weather patterns that can cause havoc. This captures a disconnection between the reputation and the facts. The recession has hit Florida hard. The unemployment rate has always been high there. The foreclosure rate has been spectacular. The result has turned Florida into the fraud capital of America. It's estimated that criminal gangs have been staging traffic accidents and making false claims worth more than $1 billion a year. To make this work, they have also been setting up clinics to write fake medical reports of the injuries received in these staged crashes. It's an industry. So while you have all these clinics around, the criminals thought they should use them as fronts for the sale of the addictive painkillers.

Although the shingle above the door may sound respectable, the vast majority of the pain management clinics have been criminal businesses. This has been made possible by the lack of controls. There have been no checks on the credentials of the people behind the operation of each business and little supervision over their day-to-day operation. Until now, that is. The state government is finally moving to impose a moratorium. There are to be no new clinics in many counties. There are to be new controls to prevent the abuse of prescription drugs.

Although none of this affects Ultram directly, it does show a disturbing trend. Florida is not a typical state given the skewing of the age profile, but it has become a symptom of the increasingly widespread abuse of painkillers. As a nation, we seem to be reaching for the pill bottle a little too quickly and then finding it difficult to put it down again. Drugs like Ultram, used wisely, are a necessary part of the management of pain. Regardless of age, we should all take action to ensure we do not become dependent on drugs.