A 2016 survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found an estimated 50 million adults in the United States experienced “chronic pain resulting in substantial health care costs and lost productivity.”
That number represented around 21% of the population.
However, as dismal as that number is, a new survey has found the number of chronic pain sufferers is even greater—about 30% of the population.
Part of the explanation for the higher number is the new survey simply queried people on whether they experienced chronic pain. “Chronic pain” didn’t have to be quantified as resulting in medical costs and lost productivity.
The new poll, conducted by Talker Research, found three in 10 Americans say they haven’t had a pain-free day in more than a month.
The survey of 2,000 Americans also revealed that 26% of the people living with chronic pain have done so for 13 years or longer.
Another surprising discovery of the survey is that chronic pain is not just an “old person’s” health issue: The researchers found the average American started to feel aches and pains at age 37.
Pain – The most common health issue?
The survey highlights the fact that pain is one of the top medical problems today. Just last year headlines across the country parroted findings that chronic pain is substantially more common health issue in the U.S. than diabetes, depression and high blood pressure.
How pain disrupts lives:
30% of respondents said pain makes them feel constantly tired
28% said pain causes regular sleep disruption
27% said they have to give up activities they enjoy
43% said they don’t “feel like themselves”
In fact, while the new study was focused on chronic pain, the pollsters also found that the number of people who have recently experienced some kind of pain exceeded half the population.
The most common areas affected by pain included the legs (39%); the neck (29%); and shoulders (29%).
Lower back pain also rated high, which made the back, when considering all areas in general, the overwhelming pain point for most.
The pollsters found that 8o% of the respondents who reported chronic pain are still looking for a fix to the problem. This finding seems to suggest that simply obtaining a “quick fix” prescription from a doctor does not repair the root cause of chronic pain—it only reduces it or masks it temporarily.
Most are interested in natural alternatives
According to the survey findings, 78% of this “still looking for a fix” group reported they are more likely to try natural remedies before opting for surgery.
Sadly, natural therapies are not part of the training for medical students, and are seldom “prescribed” by physicians. Moreover, the medical establishment often hides research that is favorable towards herbs and other nutrients. Instead, pharmaceuticals are purported to be the only viable treatment.
For example, how many people know that a groundbreaking study conducted over 25 years ago demonstrated that enzymes and antioxidants can provide better healing and pain relief than pharmaceutical NSAIDs?
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
For more information on nutrients that provide natural pain relieving benefits, check out the studies below.
• Balancing ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fats lowers chronic pain, according to research
• Collagen peptides shown to break the pain cycle while also improving mental health
• Probiotics reduce abdominal pain in new clinical trial
• Turmeric shown to be effective for osteoarthritis pain in new study
• Cold plunge therapy not just for athletes—check out these 5 health benefits
• Three studies that highlight ginger’s amazing anti-inflammatory properties
• Hops lowers pain and reduces pain-associated sleep disruptions, study finds.
