Chiropractic care offers opioid alternative

After Army Staff Sgt. Shilo Harris’s armored vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device in Iraq 11 years ago, he faced a long road to recovery.

The explosion, which killed three of his fellow soldiers, left Harris with severe burns on 35 percent of his body, leading to the loss of his ears, the tip of his nose and three fingers, as well as a fractured left collarbone and C-7 vertebrae.

Harris experienced more than 75 surgeries. He was prescribed opioids to deal with his pain. At a news conference to promote alternatives to opioids with Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine on Tuesday, Harris said he didn’t know he was addicted until it was too late.

On a three-hour trip to San Antonio, Harris ran out of medication.

“Within two or three hours of running out of medications, I couldn’t drive back to San Antonio fast enough,” Harris said. “That’s how strong the addiction was.”

Harris was medically retired from the Army in 2010. He was slowly weaned off of his medication, but Harris injuries from a traffic accident required him to return to some of the opioids. Finally, he discovered chiropractic treatment, which helped manage his pain and overcome addiction.

“Chiropractic care saved my life in every sense,” he said.

Harris credits the Patriot Project, which provides chiropractic care to active military members, their families, wounded warriors and Gold Star dependents. He has since become the group’s national spokesman.

DeWine, a Republican candidate for governor, said he convened a task force of managed-care and insurance companies last summer to develop “innovative treatment” options to help fight the opioid epidemic. He said he expects recommendations from that group within a few weeks.

Ohio Senate Majority Whip Gayle Manning, R-North Ridgeville, said chiropractic care isn’t the only option available as an alternative to opioids in pain management. Acupuncture, massages, and even yoga could be alternatives, she said.

In 2016, more than 4,300 Ohioans died from opioid use. Ohio’s drug overdose deaths rose 39 percent between mid-2016 and mid2017, according to a previous Dispatch report.

Some say DeWine isn’t doing enough to curb the opioid epidemic. On Tuesday, the Ohio Democratic Party released a statement blasting DeWine for what they say is a “lethargic” response to the opioid epidemic.

“If press events and televised town halls solved crises, Mike DeWine would’ve conquered them all, but outside of endless talk, DeWine has been woefully ineffective in taking on the crisis,” Ohio Democratic Chairman David Pepper said in a statement.