Because Health is a three-legged stool: Mind, Body, Spirit
Treating Opioid Addiction With Meds
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Treating Opioid Addiction
The Trump Administration recommendations include many drug alternatives to treat those addicted to opioids. Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) also includes complementary therapies to help with treatment. One program in particular has found music therapy helps treatment.
Music Therapist Dr. Dave Kemppainen leads a group playing handmade drums, rainsticks and maracas.
The Trump Administration declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency last week. There are millions of people in the U.S. struggling with an opioid-use disorder. Effective treatment can help people with opioid addiction get clean. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports it’s critical to expand access to evidence-based programs that provide behavioral therapy in combination with medication.
In Nevada, there are slightly more than just a dozen licensed opioid treatment programs that provide MAT.
“The needs of our patients are fairly high by the time they come to us,” Firestone says. “Their lives have been kind of challenged and they are kind of living day to day. The idea of rehabilitation and recovery is complex and it takes time.”
Firestone says doctors customize care by determining which drugs would be effective and for how long treatment should last for each patient. Under federal law, in addition to medication, programs are required to provide medical assessments, counseling, and other therapies.
The Life Change Center offers a variety of services including group counseling, a gardening program, and music therapy.
In a dimly lit room, music therapist Dr. Dave Kemppainen leads a group playing handmade drums, rainsticks and maracas.
“I think it has, number one, a calming effect; it also has a focus effect, centering effect,” Kemppainen explains. “If you have a little bit of anger or stress going on, it’s a stress release, emotional release.”
Frank Borrelli is part of the group. For maintenance, he comes to the center to pick up a weekly regimen of meds and to participate in therapy sessions.
“I’m from Chicago and I had a drug addiction and I came to Reno to build video poker and Keno and slot machines for my dad and I relapsed and started again,” Borrelli says, “so I came to the Life Change Center and I’ve been here for seven years.”
And Borrelli says he has stayed clean for those seven years.
Physicians have grown wary of medicating every symptom and have begun to integrate complementary therapies. Evidence continues to grow that music therapy helps treatment. A recent WLKY news segment highlighted the role of music therapy in treating newborns with opioid addiction. Seen as simply another tool for a physician-guided care plan, music therapy offers not only results but a lower risk profile and costs when compared to more medications.
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Health is like a three-legged stool and optimal health requires all three. HealthCare Too recognizes this and always promotes items to help with Mind, Body, and Spirit.
