Surgeon General Weighs In on Opioid Epidemic
Sunday, August 28th, 2016 -- 8:27 AM
(CNN) -For the first time, America's top doctor is reaching out to every physician in the United States.The U.S. Surgeon General is sending a letter to the doctors warning them about the opioid epidemic. In it-- Dr. Vivek Murthy asks for help to solve the urgent health crisis. Murthy told physicians he understood their desire to keep their patients out of pain--but also urged caution.
"We arrived at this place on a path paved with good intentions. Those good intentions have gone horribly wrong," Murthy wrote. From 1999 to 2014-- more than 165,000 people in the United States have died from overdoses related to pain medications. Murthy shared tips for prescribing opioids and trying other pain relief approaches first-- like physical therapy or non-addictive medications.
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