Author: Joseph Gerard

Assisting Your Patients in Overcoming Heroin Addiction

Posted on by Joseph Gerard

Written by Lizzie Weakley, a freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio.

 

With the unprecedented rise of opium addiction, you are probably seeing more patients with serious addiction issues who need medical help. Some are living basically functional lives, but their drug use is threatening to get out of control. Other users are hooked on heroin and have become unable to care for themselves, possibly facing overdose or death if they cannot stop using this destructive drug. The following strategies may be able to help heroin-addicted patients.

Cognitive Therapy

People who are addicted to a strong substance like heroin often benefit from cognitive therapy, or professional counseling. This approach assists patients in addressing core issues that may be causes or triggers for the addiction, such as a troubled childhood, mental health problems, or contributory circumstances like finances or dysfunctional relationships. Dealing with root causes can often help an addict to bring heroin use under control.

Detox Heroin Treatment

Heroin is both physically and mentally addictive. Used consistently, it disrupts normal life and puts someone on the path to destruction. Many addiction specialists recommend detox heroin treatment to completely clear the drug from both the body and the mind, and enable the person to regain normal function of both. There are both in-house and outpatient options, depending on the level of addiction the patient is struggling with, as well as lifestyle responsibilities like a job and family. Completing a detox heroin treatment program is often the first step toward a successful recovery.

Community Support Group

Heroin addiction recovery can also be reinforced by joining a community support group. The group is typically led by a professional therapist or a successfully recovered person with some level of education or training. Group members help each other by providing accountability, sharing encouragement, and reinforcing a recovery lifestyle. Support groups meet at different times, sometimes daily or weekly. Consistent attendance has been shown to be an effective tool in achieving and maintaining recovery. You can have information for support groups in your office, facilitate the meeting places for such places, or run them, if you have the required training.

Medical Referral

Some addicts are dealing with a number of physical or mental ailments, which may be contributing to the heroin addiction. If you are a general practitioner, you may need to refer your patient to a specialist who can treat the auxiliary problems that are debilitating the patient, along with facilitating heroin addiction recovery. Keeping pamphlets around the office and having the information on hand for patients who talk to you about their addiction is a good place to start.

Although heroin addiction is highly destructive, it can be effectively treated. Give your patients the tools they need to be able to treat their addiction at the root level in order for recovery to be successful. Teaming up with other doctors, therapists, and health care providers in your area can enable you to help patients who suffer from addiction, even if such treatment is outside of your expertise. Just by giving patients the information they need, by incorporating some of the above methods, or even just facilitating them, you can help save the lives of those under your care.

 

 

Please also review AIHCP’s Substance Abuse Practitioner Program and see if it matches your academic and professional goals.  The program in online and independent study and open to qualified professionals.

Legal Nurse Consulting Program Guest Blog Article

Posted on by Joseph Gerard

4 Common Auto Accident Injuries and How to Handle Them

Auto accident injuries can negatively impact your physical, mental and financial wellbeing in many ways. Getting the proper treatment if you’ve been in an auto accident and taking other measures to rectify the situation can help restore your quality of life. Here are some of the most common auto accident injuries and what you can do to treat them.

 

Burns

Burns can occur when a vehicle catches fire, when parts of the body are grazed, or parts of the body are pressed up against a hot surface during an accident. Burns may range from minor first-degree burns to major third-degree burns that need prompt treatment to prevent infection, minimize scarring and address other health concerns. Burn units in hospitals treat the most severely burned patients, but burns that aren’t as serious in nature can often be treated using antibiotic ointments or household items like honey or lotion containing aloe vera. After being seen by a professional, aloe and coconut oil are often very helpful in soothing the itching dryness that often accompanies burn injuries.

Broken Bones

Vehicle impacts can result in broken bones. Arm, leg and pelvic bones are among the most commonly broken in car accidents. You may also sustain damage to facial bones, which may need cosmetic surgery to fix. Doctors will usually prescribe casts, slings or splints to stabilize appendages where bone are broken and facility healing. Though bones will typically heal on their own with time, it is important to take time off of work as recommended by your doctor to allow the break to set before attempting to put weight on it again.

Concussion

A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that sometimes results in loss of consciousness, persistent dizziness and vision problems. Cognitive skills and emotional reasoning can also be negatively affected after sustaining a concussion. The best treatment for a concussion is usually prolonged physical and mental rest. If a concussion makes it difficult for you to return to your normal work functions, resulting in a loss of income, there are auto accident injury attorney services that can help you get compensation for your financial and personal losses.

Whiplash

The sudden back-and-forth movement of your head and neck that might occur during a collision can result in whiplash. This condition often causes symptoms like neck pain, muscle stiffness and headaches that can greatly interfere with daily life. Resting the head and neck can help facilitate healing and minimize pain. Chiropractic care and physical therapy are other treatment methods that often prove to be effective. While you may not recognize whiplash at first, prolonged back and neck pain after an accident are clear signs of whiplash that should be addressed as soon as possible.

Taking proactive measures to treat your auto accident injuries will increase your chances of faster recovery and help minimize the hassle of dealing with such an unfortunate incident. Seeking the right medical treatment and legal guidance can help you move on from your accident injuries while sustaining minimal losses overall to your personal and financial wellbeing.

 

Author Meghan Belnap, Blogger, Researcher and Freelance Writer

Also please review our Legal Nurse Consulting Program and see if it matches your educational and professional goals.