Why Holistic Treatment for an Opiate Addiction is Unsafe

Holistic remedies or the natural approach have become increasingly popular among individuals. Acupuncture, meditation, vitamin therapy and yoga have each served as a mind, body and spirit substitute to detox and other rehab. However, all drug abuse cannot be safely addressed by a holistic treatment plan or homeopathic remedies and Opiate addiction is one of those.

What are Opiates?

Opiates are a type of drug that is most commonly used to relieve pain. Vicodin, Oxycodone, Percocet and Morphine are all prescription pain killers and part of the Opiate family of drugs, but so also is Heroin which is derived from Morphine. Opiates affect the central nervous system by blocking the opioid receptors in the brain which distinguish between feelings of pain and pleasure. Most individuals who abuse Opiates report feelings of euphoria. When taken over time and in increasing amounts, Opiates are addictive.

Ending an Opiate Addiction

While some individuals may be able to stop their Opiate addiction cold turkey, others may find that the withdrawal symptoms are too much for them to bear and will return to their Opiate use. Still, others may try to taper off from Opiates by cutting the dose in half or rationing out their medication until it is gone. Individuals will try this as they are participating in a holistic clinic in an effort to reduce the effects of withdrawal symptoms.

Opiate withdrawal symptoms may include the following:
• Nausea and vomiting
• Flu like symptoms
• Cravings
• Sweating
• Chills
• Diarrhea
• Muscle aches and bone pain
• Insomnia
• Shakes
• Anxiety and irritation
• Seizures

In most cases, withdrawal from Opiate addiction is not life threatening, but in some cases, the individual may develop other medical conce
s and they may suffer seizures in which case immediate medical attention will be needed.

Holistic Method Ineffective for Opiate Withdrawal

While holistic approaches to Opiate addiction may appeal to many individuals, the problem is that they do not effectively address opiate withdrawal symptoms. The main reason most individuals return to Opiate abuse is because they cannot detox. In order to meet the withdrawal symptoms and to safely and effectively complete the detoxification process, medical detox from opiate addiction is needed.

Methadone is an Opiate

Methadone clinics offer another method for Opiate detox. The individual who is struggling with an Opiate addiction needs to ask themselves if they want to risk becoming addiction to another Opiate in order to stop taking the current one. If that sounds a bit confusing, let me break it down.

Methadone is an Opiate. A Methadone clinic provides the drug Methadone to take in place of taking, say Vicodin, Oxycontin, Percocet or even Heroin. Methadone will prevent the effects of withdrawal symptoms from the previous drug use. However, the problem with this is that studies show that most people, who begin taking Methadone, never stop taking it. Some individuals have been taking Methadone for more tha
20 years. In these cases, if the individual quits Methadone use, they will experience withdrawal symptoms.

IV Therapy: An Alte
ative that Works

IV therapy medical detox is seen as the most effective method for detoxing from Opiates. IV therapy is supervised by a physician and intravenous therapy allows the doctor to make any necessary changes to the medication which allows the patient to completely detox from their opiate addiction without experiencing withdrawal symptoms. When the detox is complete, the patient is ready to begin their new life, drug free. At this point, holistic treatment may be very effective at remaining drug free, but for detox, seek medical attention.