Management of Opioid Abuse Epidemic by Introducing Complementary and Alternative Medicine |Biomedgrid

The opioid crisis is an ongoing epidemic in United States. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many patients' access to pain management is restricted. COVID-19 halted much clinical research on pain management and opioid abuse prevention. Possible medical and psychiatric comorbid conditions may significantly increase opioid abuse rates. Opioid abuse may amplify acute respiratory failure risks and impact immunity response to COVID 19, additionally, some drug interactions may lead to unexpected severe adverse effects Schimmel et al. [1] There has been an increase in use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) [2] in patients using opioids for chronic pain, however, the evidence to support its use is either limited or lacking Hassan, et al. [3-5].