The new FDA commissioner, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, has described America's opioid crisis as a, "public health emergency on the order of Ebola and Zika" (Senate confirmation hearing, April 5, 2017). In its recently released proposal, the FDA is asking doctors to cut back on writing prescriptions for opioids by turning to acupuncturists and chiropractors for non-pharmacologic approaches to pain control. "[Health providers] should be knowledgeable about the range of available therapies, when they may be helpful, and when they should be used as part of a multidisciplinary approach to pain management," advised the FDA.
