Dr Della Schmid, of Dr Della M. Schmid, PLLC in Newtown, is joining Doctors of Chiropractic nationwide this October to celebrate National Chiropractic Health Month (NCHM). With the theme “Get Started with Chiropractic,” NCHM 2025 will raise awareness of the benefits of taking a non-drug approach to pain management.

When it comes to common musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions such as back, neck and joint pain, getting started with a non-drug approach to treatment may help reduce the need for prescription pain medications down the line. Research shows that people who start with chiropractic treatment for back pain have a significantly lower risk of requiring an opioid prescription later.

While opioid prescriptions are down nationwide, opioid overuse disorder remains a public health problem. The FDA announced in July that it was changing labeling requirements for opioid pain medications “to better emphasize and explain the risks associated with their long-term use.” Evidence-based clinical guidelines from American College of Physicians, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and World Health Organization, among others, now support using non-drug therapies for back pain and other MSK conditions before moving on to prescription opioid pain medications.

“It’s important for people to understand there are options available that may help them lessen their need for opioid pain medications long term,” said Schmid. “Chiropractic offers evidence-based non-drug treatments for pain management as well as advice on health promotion and injury prevention to keep them moving in the right direction, back to their lives and the activities that they love the most.”

To learn more about chiropractic, visit handsdownbetter.org or contact Dr Della Schmid at drdschmid.com or by calling 203-426-5500.