Ky. Voices: Relieving lower back pain without danger of toxic
shots  October 30, 2012   Dr. Jim Roach practices at the Midway
Center for Integrative Medicine.  The growing number of deaths
from fungus-contaminated cortisone back injections are tragic.
What are the options? Hardworking physicians have struggled for
answers.  Most pain relief is limited to the duration of an
injection or pain pill. Physical therapy, often effective, can
fail. Beyond infection, cortisone in any form promotes diabetes,
cardiovascular disease and bone decay.  Non-steroidal anti-
inflammatory drugs increase bleeding and cardiovascular risk,
can impede healing, but may relieve break-through pain. Chronic
narcotic use can lead to addiction, crime, damaged fetuses and
destroyed families.  Prescriptions are now the preferred drugs
of abuse. Hydrocodone use has led to a surge in heroin addiction
far outpacing cocaine. Can prescriptions be for five pain pills
instead of thirty? Can disability rolls be pared?  A root cause
of pain is infla