There are more deaths from opiate overdoses than car accidents. As you’re driving down the road, you see speed limit signs everywhere.
You see signs on the freeway that tell you to buckle up and signs that tell you to pull over if you are drowsy. There are signs along every road that are trying to help you stay safe and protected and protect the others on the road as well.
Opioids are killing many people, but there are not the same warning signs when you are prescribed an opioid like there are when we are driving in our car down the road.
Pain Revealed
Steven Cox, a provider at East West was featured on the Pain Revealed documentary and gave more insight into the opioid epidemic and what he has seen first hand.
Dr. Cox started out in the orthopedic surgery world–which was mostly joint replacements, ACL reconstruction, sports medicine, and foot, back, and knee surgery.
Dr. Cox moved from Washington state to Utah and started working with a surgeon. He participated in a lot of great procedures, but he saw that a lot of patients were unhappy after their surgeries.
They would get a blood clot or they would get an infection or they would have to have repeat surgery. It was frustrating for him to see this.
He and the surgeon he was working with decided to start getting into stem therapy and doing stem therapy procedures. They started out with young athletes who needed ACL or PCL reconstruction and so they would do the stem therapy injections to help them heal quicker.
Once Dr. Cox saw that it was working for his patients, so he decided to get out of the surgery scene altogether and got into regenerative medicine full time.
Dr. Cox and the other medical providers at East West health, all focus on a whole-body holistic program.
There are different approaches that are taken for each patient, but it usually is a combination of stem therapy, PRP, and acupuncture.
Dr. Cox mentioned that it is satisfying to see the vast majority of patients actually getting healthier and feeling better.
Regenerative Medicine Is Changing Lives
One example of a patient that Dr. Cox was able to work with helped him see the great benefits of regenerative medicine. He once had a gentleman come in and said that he had a surgery scheduled for the next week.
The man did not want to do the surgery and was scared to death about it.
Dr. Cox took a look at his knees and both of his knees were bone on bone. He was a 62-year-old gentleman but he was walking as if he was 90 years old.
He was hunched over and had to use a walker so his knees were pretty far gone.
The next day, the gentleman came back in and they did the stem therapy injections. The next day, the man came back in for an acupuncture treatment and he didn’t have his walker.
He was just using a cane. Normally, it takes a bit longer to see results but because stems have the anti-inflammatory effect, they are able to bring down that inflammation and get the joints feeling better.
Then, a week later, the man came back and he was not using a cane at all and he was standing up, sitting down, standing up, sitting down.
The stems were really taking an effect on his body and helping relieve that inflammation. Three months later, Dr. Cox saw him and he has lost 20 pounds because of the diet he had been prescribed as well as the ability he had to get out and exercise and move around.
Because of the stem therapy injections, he has been able to gain a fuller life and enjoy life with his wife. If he would have had a knee replacement surgery, it would have been a lot more invasive.
He would have had a fairly large incision, and the bone would have had to been cut. And then he would have had to have metal or plastic put into his knee. Usually, it takes about a week in the hospital and then there is a lot more recovery time after that.
Regenerative medicine really is changing the health care industry.
Dr. Cox loves that he is able to see people get better. They are happy and healthy and feeling their best.
Regenerative medicine is surgery-free and does not require the harsh opioids that are oftentimes associated with the recovery of surgeries.
Check out the rest of the Pain Revealed documentary here and stop by an East West Health and see what we can do to help you get your health back.