CDC Re****ts Prescription Drug Use on the Rise
A recent re****t issued by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) revealed the extent to which prescription drug use has
affected Americans, and the news is less than encouraging. The re****t,
which compared data from 1994 with data from 2002, showed that the
percentage of the U.S. population taking at least one prescription drug
rose sharply between 1994 and 2000, from 39.1 percent to 44.3 percent.
Leading this increase was the number of people taking three or more
prescription drugs, which increased from 11.8 percent to 16.5 percent.
Sadly, these increases were seen in all age groups: 3.7 percent of
children age 18 years and younger were taking three or more
prescription drugs in 2000, reflecting an increase of more than 50
percent from 1994. And as of 2000, a whopping 83.9 percent of seniors
took one or more prescription drugs, up more than 10 percentage points
from 73.6 percent in 1994. Interestingly, the percentage of seniors
taking one to two prescription drugs decreased slightly, while the
percentage taking three or more drugs increased by more than one-third
to 47.6 percent.
There's no doubt that prescription drug use has been increasing for
decades. Yet the trend toward taking multiple drugs is more recent. If
you are taking one or more prescription medications, ask your physician
if there are any other viable alternatives. And remember, if you are
taking prescription drugs for pain, regular chiropractic care may
render your need for drugs unnecessary. To find out more about the
benefits of chiropractic, as well as healthy living through alternative
means, visit
www.chiroweb.com/find.
Reference: Health, United States, 2004, With Chartbook on Trends in the
Health of Americans. National Center for Health Statistics.
Hyattsville, Maryland, 2004.
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